Now Hear This: In Praise of Record Store Day

April 20, 2013, is Record Store Day — a loud and proud celebration of B-sides, 45s, box sets and other hands-on marvels of the old-school music lover's universe

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Today, when anyone with a digital device can download a song or a full album (in mere minutes) from pretty much anywhere on the planet, the singular thrill and appeal of actually going to a record store (a what store?) and rifling through record bins (what bins?) while arguing with fellow vinyl and CD geeks might seem a vanishing phenomenon.

Thankfully, some people aren’t taking this slow erosion of record-store culture lying down. Since 2007, thousands of independent record stores around the world have designated one day each year as “Record Store Day” — a loud and proud celebration of B-sides, 45s, jewel cases, box sets and other hands-on marvels of the old-school music lover’s universe.

This year, the hallowed event falls on Saturday, April 20. So, happy Record Store Day, everyone … and good luck finding that blue vinyl jukebox-ready Beatles 45 with “Come Together” on the B-side. You know it’s out there.

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