In 2019, Record Store Day took Toronto like a storm. All over town, people were lugging record store branded tote bags full of vinyl records all over the city. This event gets bigger every year, with record stores booking huge shows, throwing massive sales and selling a ton of records and merchandise like t-shirts and sweatshirts/hoodies.
Sonic Boom throws a huge annual event
Sonic Boom is one of Toronto’s largest record shops, so their team prepares for RSD like an army before battle.
Their staff were armoured in bright yellow t-shirts and ready for hordes of orcs shoppers.
This year, Sonic Boom went with an all local set list including Orville Peck, Luge, Pantayo and DJs Buck 65 and the Coathangers. The event went from 10am to 10pm which may sound wild but people show up and loiter all day.
The shop made these limited edition t-shirts (which forced me not to call them vinyls in this post)
I think Sonic Boom is the biggest draw on Record Store Day because they treat it like a huge event. They make posters, promote it on Instagram and put a ton of effort into booking headline acts (watch Chad VanGaalen, Ty Segall and Do Make Say Think etc perform) from around Toronto. It pays off, the store gets a ton of recognition and attracts new customers with it’s festival vibe.
Tiny Record Shop released 100 limited edition records
These guys killed it in 2019. The tinyish shop was packed full of people who came to see Toronto bands like Jaunt and Ice Cream with Halifax’s Devarrow (a dream concert for people like moi)
Not only did Tiny Record Shop book amazing bands, they partnered with Precision Record Pressing to release 100 copies of Jaunt’s new single, On Your Mind.
There was a line up down Queen Street of folks waiting to see the band, get records signed and buy some reccys.
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Another great idea – they gave out a free screen printed t-shirt with every purchase. These tees helped draw a crowd, make some sales AND promoted the shop.
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I also have to throw in a picture of their usual t-shirts which are just so good looking. Who designed this?? It’s mostly sold out online but hopefully they’ll do another run.
June Records makes a limited edition tote bag
I’ve been seeing these tote bags are all over town. Turns out June Records hires a local artist to make a new design each year.
Here’s the 2012 OG design that I’ve been seeing EVERYWHERE.
June Records does a sweet venue vibe every year, with a ton of local bands coming in every year to play stripped down sets.
Turning off the lights and letting people in for free turns June Records into a destination every year.
Play De Record throws a huge community event
This beloved record shop did something special for 2019’s RSD. They partnered with Trackmeet to bring in local DJs for an hours long set that turned into a community celebration.
This interview gives you a look into how Play De Record sets itself apart from other record stores. They’re a hub for DJs and performers in Toronto, always putting the community first.
Play De Record is a smaller shop but they put so much love and effort into Record Store Day that it becomes a huge event.
What will you do for Record Store Day 2020?
Take lessons from these guys^^^
Attract the press: Record Store Day is a huge event that draws crowds, so get some press. It’s worth the effort to plan your event ahead of time and promote the hell out of it. Everyone from NOW Magazine to the Toronto Star, Exclaim (and of course BlogTO) will lead people to your event.
People love limited edition merch: Get a stunning design and order a small batch of custom printed t-shirts and some screen printed tote bags. People go mad for limited edition merch that won’t be available for long.
Give out free tote bags: After they buy a big batch of records, your customers will need a tote to tote them home. Order some branded tote bags and give them out to anyone who buys 3 or more records.
Take videos: After the event, people will want to see how it went. Taking a video of the crowd in your shop and the performers playing their songs will attract more attention to next year’s event.
Use the hashtags: Tags like #recordstoreday #rsd #recordstoreday2020 will be getting a lot of attention so stick them on your Instagram and Twitter posts.
Good luck!
If everything goes right, you’ll have a big event to plan and a crowd to manage. See you at #RSD2020!!!
