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Business & Tech

Record Store Day is All About Local, Independence

International annual event aims to connect music fans to local record stores with fun events, sales and performance.

There such thing as Record Store Day and it is today!

The yearly event, conceived in 2007, puts a spotlight on independent music retailers and their relationship with local and independent record labels artists and the community. Record stores across the United States will participate the event with discounts, album releases, live performances and, yep, even cookouts.

Of course Ferndale wouldn't be left out on this day. , an indie boutique that sells vintage and homemade wares in addition to records, tapes (yes, tapes!) and CDs, is Ferndale’s only official Record Store Day participant. (You have to officially register to be part of RSD and Hybrid Moments did. Though the Record Collector didn't register, it is participating with sales.) 

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The collectively run store, which opened last August, has a unique approach to promoting and selling music. “We’re trying to keep the D.I.Y. thing alive," volunteer staffer Adam Gartner said. "A lot of bands come in and do shows on the weekends. It’s about friends helping friends.” Hybrid Moments will be offering special deals on records and live DJ performances in the store.

For independent record labels, Record Store Day is an opportunity to promote local music. Facing increased competition in the digital era, independent labels are creating unique strategies to keep up. For example, candy bars. 

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Ferndale resident Scotty Hagen, who established Ferndale-based Bellyache Records in 2004, said people want the music for free or, as he put it, "steal it." 

"We have to do things to make our releases more desirable and exciting, like adding extra little things," he said. "We are primarily a vinyl record label, so we may add a CD copy or just try to make the packaging more fun aside from the already awesome music that is contained within.”

That's where the candy bars come in. Hagen's related business, The Bellyache Candy Shoppe, has created band-themed candy bars, which he said has proven to be a fun way to promote his label’s artists.

There's a twist with the digital era of music. While independent music distributors have often struggled against online music entities, they also benefit from the easy, unlimited access the Internet provides. “The Web has been a great equalizer, almost like the revolver’s appearance on the frontier,” said Jeff Howitt, founder of Ferndale-based label, . “Now you don’t have to be good, just clever. You have to produce something collectible.”

Beyond the candy bars, being clever and the frontier revolver that is the Internet, a supportive atmosphere for local music has also helped keep Bellyache Records and Loco Gnosis in business. “I think the overall community responds very well to the music scene,” Hagen said. “Bars and clubs are filled regularly with patrons wanting to hear original music."

Artists, labels, venues and stores all benefit from one another in creating vibrant music scenes across communities, he said.

Howitt explained the exchange as a “cultural contribution” for those involved. “Most people I know participate in it so naturally, it’s almost like a birthright for them," he said.

There are plenty of options to celebrate Record Store Day. In Ferndale, stop by Hybrid Moments, located at 22730 Woodward, to take advantage of special deals and enjoy live DJs, or check out , at 327 W. Nine Mile, for a 20 percent off sale. In Royal Oak, UHF Music (also run by Hagen) will feature in-store performances by , The Octopus, Dennis Coffey with Will Sessions and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

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