Hi Everyone,
I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of you next week at Summer Camp for a few fun-filled days of discussions and hangs.
Here are the charts for the week.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
I wanted to take a moment this morning to honor the life of Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor as many of us mourn her loss. Her impact on so many of us was immeasurable
I spent 10 years in Catholic school, during the formative ages of 4-14. During those years I would be sent to the hall or given punishment on multiple occasions. Not for being a bad student, but these instances would generally occur when we were studying theology or doctrine (this is the time when we were taught “what we as good Catholics” believed). My crime or offense was always that I simply dared to ask the question “But why” or “How do I know that is what I believe”. It wasn’t that I wanted to be difficult, it was just that at an early age, I already saw many difficulties in the church and contradictions at that, so Sinéad was a woman that spoke to my heart.
She was truly an artist and a fearless one at that. One that instilled in me that you shouldn’t walk with blind faith and that the most important thing ever is to truly be yourself. I vividly remember watching her performance on SNL where in calm and steadfast defiance she ripped up the photo of Pope John Paul II on live television. It didn’t matter to her if it “ruined” her career. All that mattered to her was that she used her platform to stand firmly in her beliefs. She would never know what impact that would have on a 14-year-old girl in Alabama, but it was a pivotal moment.
She didn’t just knock down walls, she came at them with a bulldozer and yet somehow always with a sense of grace. Then there is her voice, such an amazing voice, so strong and fragile at the same time. With the closely shorn haircut that, despite her efforts, just made her that much more beautiful, I always thought of her as the modern-day Joan of Arc. Thank you Sinéad for the beauty you brought to this world, even when it brought you immense pain to do so. Thank you for teaching so many little girls like this one not to worry about what others think, because it doesn’t matter, as long as you are true to yourself.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Sinéad O’Connor
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
(Ensign / Chrysalis)
Andrea Paschal - CIMS/ThinkIndie Executive Director
This is a record that shaped me as a human.
Hi Everyone,
Here are the charts for the week.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hi Everyone,
It is hard to believe that in just a few days many of us will be reconvening in New Orleans for RSD Summer Camp, a conference built for and to celebrate our stores. This will be our first time gathering since the 2019 conference, and I am thrilled to be back in such a great city with our stores, labels, and distribution friends. It is sure to be a week of fun and lively discussions and I hope to send everyone home with lots of exciting new ideas and feeling rejuvenated from connecting with old and new friends in our business. In the meantime, still lots to do to get things ready for everyone so, back to work! See you in the Big Easy!
Here are the charts,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hi everyone,
Here are the charts for the week.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hi Everyone,
Here are the charts for the week.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Interpol
The Other Side of Make-Believe
(Matador)
Russell Cothran - ThinkIndie Sales & Marketing
It’s not that far removed from 9/11, time-wise. We were sitting in offices a few blocks away from Ground Zero, as Matador introduced us to this new band. The track they played was "NYC". As the wall of guitars built with Paul Banks repeating, “It’s up to me now, Turn On The Bright Lights,” this overwhelming sense of “everything was going to be okay & we’ll get through this” washed over me. It still sticks with me, twenty-plus years later anytime I put the needle on the record. Needless to say, I’ve been a fan of Interpol since that day.
With each listen, I am really loving The Other Side of Make-Believe. I love the space. This go-around, they seem to have slowed things down, which really showcases Sam Fogarino’s inventiveness behind the kit. Daniel’s guitar is still front & center, but more restrained, allowing one to really soak up all that is going on in each song. I look forward to the tour, because in a live setting, I can only imagine how The Other Side of Make-Believe, will make me feel. I’ll be right there, watching Sam for the most part, as the sounds wash over me. It’s in those moments that life is perfect!
Hi Everyone,
Here are the charts for the week.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Horsegirl
Versions of Modern Performance
(Matador)
Nick Campbell - ThinkIndie Warehouse Manager
The debut album of the Chicago-based trio is neck-deep in references to – and apparently members of – several ‘90s indie rock greats, bringing to mind Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo most of all. More recent similar acts that come to mind are Speedy Ortiz, Yuck, and early Jay Som. It’s loud, punchy, dreamy, and a lot of fun.
Hi everyone,
Greetings from Couch Camp 2021! A special thanks to Music Biz and all of our Sponsors that have made this event possible and all of the artists that have helped to make our event special. Here’s hoping that next year we will all be back to doing this in person in NOLA!
Here are the charts,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hi everyone,
Hope you have all had a good week. It has been hot with lots of Tokyo 2020 viewing here. I am super excited for all the programming that has come together for Couch Camp next week, so I am also looking forward to seeing many of your faces there!
Over the past two drops, I have shared many of the individual CIMS Store RSD Drop wrap-ups so that you could see best sellers, etc. In addition to that, I also surveyed our group to see how CIMS as a whole did with the events. Below are some of the bullet points and results of that survey:
When asked to rank the past three previous RSD experiences (2019, 2020,2021) all-around 75% of our group felt 2021 was the best out of the three.
In 2020 the CIMS group was pretty much 50/50 on instore vs. instore and online for their RSD events, but by RSD Drop 2 2021, that had shifted to a 60% primarily in-store/ 40% Both instore and online.
In 2019 about 70% of our group had a store- specific, e-commerce site, by RSD 2021 that has shifted to 90%
The majority of our group and their customers enjoys the multi-date events for RSD (about a 60/40 split among CIMS)
About 68% of the drops titles were in-store sales with about 32% of in-store sales coming from non-drop titles
For the 2021 drops, overall in-store sales (all sales) were 84% and online was 16%
The CIMS group averaged about 80% sell-through after both dates.
We asked what our stores did additionally on the drop event days. We had a few stores that due to the virus did not do anything additional, however, some did do signings and a few performances. There was also a return of food trucks, giveaways and contests, many stores had sales or gave out coupons, and many partnered with charities and other local businesses.
All in all, RSD 2021 was a success for our stores and once again we are grateful to the many individuals that bring these days to life.
Also, we have put together a cumulative CIMS Top 100 RSD Drop chart that shows our top 100 titles from both events. We are sharing that this week along with our usual CIMS chart.
See you at Couch Camp,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hi everyone,
I am happy to see from the wrap-ups from stores that we had another very successful RSD Drop this past weekend. I am currently surveying all of our CIMS members and compiling the results of that for a comprehensive overview of both of the drops for the CIMS stores as a Coalition. I will share those with our RSD charts next week. Until then, I am compiling some of the individual wrap-ups from our group to share with you:
Sandy Bitman & Josiah Wess - Park Ave CDs (Orlando, FL)
event: RSD Drop 2 - 2021
date: Saturday, July 17th 2021
location: Park Ave CDs, 2916 Corrine Dr, Orlando, Fl, 32803
sales reporting: MRC
event marketing: social media, pacd newsletter, local media, app
facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/193842295832903/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkavecds
twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkAveCDs
pacd newsletter/guide : https://conta.cc/3z8h106
charitable contributions: A Gift For Teaching: $875 donated; Second Harvest Food Bank of CFL: Over 350lbs of food donated.
attached: screenshots, photos of events
overall sales:
-RSD Drop 2: up 45% over any of the RSD Drops 2020.
-Sell through: 73%
-Sunday: up 50% over any of the Sundays after the RSD Drops 2020.
thumbs up and thumbs down:
up: Our crew!
up: The RSD crew for the coordination and execution.
up: Our customers and supporters.
up: Two Drops rock!
down: Again, smaller pressings leaving fans disappointed.
down: Last minute shipping from the onestops.
titles we wish we had more of: Foo Fighters, Slightly Stoopid, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hall & Oates, Aliens, The Rolling Stones, Czarface, Weird Al Yankovic, From First To Last, The Matrix, Ocean’s Eleven, The Gorillaz, Sammy Hagar, Richard Pryor, Bush, Gun Club, Shintaro Sakamoto, Evanescence
titles we thought would have done better: Hawkwind, Cat Stevens/Harold & Maude, Candi Staton, JXDN, PVRIS, Love, Future, Bob Dylan, Rory Gallagher
summary:
Hello again!
Hope everyone had a nice weekend :)
PACDs is happy to announce that we followed up last month’s event with another successful RSD Drop! This was by far the most well run Drop we’ve ever had during the “Drops-era” and such a great way to top off RSD 2021! Learning from past mistakes and customer critiques along the way, we were able to refine our process and create a more efficient and less chaotic experience for everyone involved. We utilized the same raffle/appointment system for early access time slots like we have for past Drops, but this time we gave ourselves more of a head start in the morning to accommodate the often heavier early morning lists. This change along with stock layout adjustments and being more thorough in our messaging to customers, we were able to avoid most of the speed bumps we encountered during the last Drop. As a result of these systematic improvements, our RSD line never numbered more than 60+ people throughout the day and most customers waited in line an average of 5 to 10mins once they arrived for their assigned shopping time. Many customers made a point during the day to thank us for this being their best RSD experience thus far, and not just because they got everything on their list, but rather the overall short wait times and efficiency of the entire event. Folks knew when to show up, where to park, where to check-in, how to pick up their records, what the process is if we ran out of something on their list, etc. Also, Florida weather this time around was kind to us for the most part…lots of humidity, but no rain!
As always, we were surprised by which titles sold out early and which titles were hardly touched — all of which have been included in our wrap-up below. Foo Fighters, Eternal Sunshine, Hall & Oates, Aliens, From First To Last, Slightly Stoopid, Czarface, The Rolling Stones, The Matrix, Ocean’s Eleven, The Gorillaz and Weird Al were the some of the hottest titles of the day and some of the first titles we ran out of early on Saturday. Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, St. Vincent, CSNY, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Amy Winehouse, Lamb of God and The Cure also did really well for us and have continued to sell both in-store and online throughout the weekend. Overall though, we were very happy with the turnout and how smoothly everything ran the entire day. Definitely not as big of a day as the last Drop, but that was expected due to some bumped titles and a smaller list.
Our RSD Drop 2 shopping time slot reservations were booked from 8am-1pm for over 375+ people, and then at 1pm we opened the doors to the general public and began taking walk-up RSD shoppers. We saw a slight drop-off around 12:20-12:30pm due to some last minute appointment cancelations, but that was expected with it being a little later in the day as well as the anticipated fallout due to a good number of RSD titles being bumped or removed from the list. Same as last time, once we hit 1pm and we opened the valve on our capacity in-store, we really got a big rush and boost during the early afternoon hours. We maintained a decent line outside (60+ people) for about an hour or so! Customers who showed up for the first few time slots received FREE RSD tote bags full of goodies courtesy of Record Store Day, Warner Records, Atlantic Records, Vagrant Records, Summer of Soul, In The Heights and more! Also want to thank Warner Records again for providing the Mystery Pack for our giveaway!
This Drop we stuck with tradition and held our food drive for our local food bank, Second Harvest of CFL, as well as a PACDs t-shirt charity drive for the local organization, A Gift For Teaching. The organization is Central Florida’s primary provider for free school supplies to teachers, for students who need them most. We’ve worked with them in the past and we really thought they could use the help so close to the new school year. Together we were able to raise $875 for the A Gift For Teaching and over 350lbs of food for Second Harvest!
Overall it was blast! With everything running that much smoother it made it so much more enjoyable for both our customers and staff. Finding much success with our assigned shopping time system, it might be difficult for us to go back to our old pre-pandemic ways with the giant lines wrapping around the plaza. The customers love it, our neighbors love it, and it’s created a more seamless and stress free experience for everyone involved. Shorter wait times we found also keeps customer disappointment levels lower. Folks have been more understanding of us running out of a release when they only waited 10mins in line as opposed to the several hours they may have waited in years past. Something to definitely think about for next year. Oh, and we LOVE the two Drops idea, just maybe a month further apart :)
Lastly, thank you everyone for everything you’ve done to help us and all of indie retail this year! What a wild ride it has been up to this point, and we can’t wait to see what next year will bring.
Stay safe out there, and as always, keep dancing Orlando!
Cheers!
- Josiah, Sandy & the entire PACDs crew!
top selling titles:
1. Foo Fighters - Hail Satin
2. Pearl Jam - Alive (12”)
3. Beastie Boys - Aglio E Olio
4. St. Vincent - Piggy
5. CSNY - Deja Vu Alternatives
5. Miles Davis - Champions
6. Amy Winehouse - Remixes
7. The Cure - Wild Mood Swings (PD)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Soundtrack
8. Hall & Oates - Voices
8. The Allman Brothers - Final Note
8. Aliens - Soundtrack
9. The Ramones - Triple J Live @Wireless...
9. The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 50th Anniversary Ed.
10. Queen & Adam Lambert - Live Around The World
10. Karen O - Under Pressure
10. Lamb of God - As The Palaces Burn
11. Donna Summer - Bad Girls
11. Bill Evans - Behind the Dikes
11. Ocean’s Eleven - Soundtrack
12. Czarface - Czar Noir
13. From First To Last - Dear Diary...
14. Vitamin String.. - Performs MCR
14. Sisters Of Mercy - BBC Sessions
15. Aretha Franklin - Oh Me Oh My: Live...
15. Evanescence - Open Door
15. Pearl Jam - Alive (Cassette)
16. Slightly Stoopid - Live @Robertos’s...
16. Matt Bellamy - Cryrosleep (PD)
16. KMD - Mr. Hood (30th Anniversary)
17. Bastille - Vs. Other People’s...
17. John Prine - Stay Independent: Oh Boy...
18. The Matrix: Complete… - Soundtrack
19. Cat Stevens - Harold & Maude (Orange)
19. Dr. John - Sun Moon & Herbs
19. Denzel Curry & Robert Glasper - Live From Leimert Park
19. PVRIS - Use Me (Deluxe)
19. PARTYNEXTDOOR - S/T Box Set
20. John Prine - Live @The Other End
20. Lou Reed - Set The Twilight Reeling
20. Fleet Foxes - Can I Believe You
20. Lindsey Stirling - Lose You Now
20. Weird Al Yankovic - Beat On The Brat
20. Sinead O’Connor - Live In Rotterdam
Quinn Bishop - Cactus Music (Houston, TX)
Hello all,
Here's our wrap-up for RSD 2021 which we consider a huge success. We are so pleased to be able to report that we have taken great strides towards normalcy with each Drop event which peaked with '21D2. We hope to continue that trend and that other shops felt the same effect.
We continued our tickets for line reservations which began with the first drop of 2020. Customers seem to like it and it keeps anxiety to a minimum as record fans have a sense of when to arrive, what their place in line will be and tempered expectations for opportunities to purchase coveted items. We opened at our usual time which is 10am and had an enthusiastic crowd which was more in keeping with our Black Friday line with only 300 or so people through the line by noon. We usually experience afternoon traffic and sales that almost equal the morning hours as customers who visited other stores search for items that they missed. We felt that D2 greatly benefitted from key titles being moved from D1 to D2 and the high profile Foo Fighters announcement that had even the most casual music fans talking. Without these factors, D2 would have been a lesser event as D1 seemed stacked.
Sales were explosive. When accounting for all drops within a year, our RSD2021 sales were up 20% over 2019 and 27% over 2020. The majority of growth was not in RSD product sales which have been consistent, but in the sale of catalog and other lines. This is due to customers making their way back into stores with pent-up demand and feeling more comfortable shopping RSD is the perfect catalyst for these sales.
Our ability to sell products online mid-afternoon of RSD releases is transformative for our store. This is a win for our store and helped us to pile on sales while selling off titles that did not move as quickly as anticipated. This is a win for record fans who buy online because they do not live near a sanctioned store and keeps them from having to pay inflated prices. It allows internet pricing to be in line with stores during the time when these products are the most in demand. It puts records in the hands of fans who want them at fair prices. It is a win for RSD as an entity as it aids in sell-through and results in fewer markdowns of branded products, which no one wants to see. It is a LOSE for flippers who take advantage of music lovers throughout the hours and days immediately following the launch of RSD. It sidelines them and their activities for a couple of crucial days. If there is any doubt, one needed only to look at the pre-loaded windows of RSD products on Discogs before 1pm Eastern time. Most titles were selling for 2-3 times msrp before stores could sell. The market was immediately normalized after stores could make inventory available. At Cactus, we have seen fewer of these trolls stacked at the front of our lines since this policy has been in place. Cactus loves this policy and hopes that it will become standard RSD practice.
AEC was our provider for major distributor RSD products and they did an excellent job. The communication was terrific and our stock arrived in plenty of time, if not very early. We were allocated out of several titles which seemed to be readily available at other stores including the Willie Nelson live piece which was kind of a big deal. We are not certain what happened with these items. Our allocations of major label products were widespread for both drops, which has never happened before. This is obviously the result of the increased demand which we are all seeing from our customers coupled with products being built with expectations due to the pandemic. The new allocation system was certainly a factor.
Customer feedback:
- Our customers love the multiple drops which allow them to space out their purchases.
- Customer remorse over the lack of 7"s.
- The 12" singles priced $20+ and single LPs near $35-$40 are perceived as a cash grab by regular record buyers, especially when they come from the majors. The $25 price increase of a common record that offers no new music and the inclusion of a couple of modest "collectible" paper goods was a particularly unpopular item.
- Customers loved the classic soundtracks.
RSD 2021 ranking:
1. Foo Fighters 45
2. Eternal Sunshine Soundtrack 32
3. Harold & Maude Soundtrack (Cat Stevens) 28
4. Pearl Jam - 28
5. Miles Davis - 23
6. Aretha Franklin - 20
7. CSNY - 16
8. Allman Bros - 16
9. Amy Winehouse - 14
10. Beastie Boys - 11
11. Aliens Soundtrack - 11
12. Ramones - 10
13. The Cure - 10
14. Kings X - Tapehead -10
15. King's X - Manic Moonlight - 9
16. KMD - 9
17. Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks - 8
18. Sisters of Mercy - 8
19. Weird Al Yankovic - 7
20. Czarface - 7
21. Evanescence - 7
22. Queen with Adam Lambert - 7
23. Future - 7
24. Donna Summer - 7
25. From First to Last - 7
Chad Dryden - Record Exchange (Boise, ID)
Hello all,
The second 2021 RSD Drops release date at The Record Exchange was an incredible day.
For the first time since Black Friday 2019, we had a traditional line in the morning – no lotto/predetermined time slots like we had been doing since the August 2020 Drop – and we set a new store record for earliest in line at 1:54am. We’re still waiting on that first overnight camper, but at least no one got cold with the forecasted high in Boise of 100 degrees for Saturday. We had 150 people lined up by 8am, and over 200 customers through the store in the first hour. We let 30 people in at 8am, then added 10 or so people at a time as customers migrated to the registers with their exclusives. It felt safe, controlled and something like a “normal” RSD.
Following the morning rush came the obligatory lull hour, but after that, we were bumping all morning and afternoon. We got a nice lift from Boise’s biggest outdoor market moving onto our street this year, and we heard from several customers that they saw the store from the market and decided to come check it out. We ended the day with a 60% increase over the average 2020 Drop gross and up 14% over our total gross for the three 2020 events. Comparing total 2021 performance to Record Store Day 2019, we were up 37%.
It was a strong weekend Friday-Sunday, and Sunday was particularly noteworthy for the 74% increase in online sales over the Sunday following the June 2021 drop. Overall, the July Sunday was up 31% over the June Sunday.
Other early sellouts, strong sellers and surprises: Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Aretha Franklin, Beastie Boys, Earthgang, Gorillaz, Miles Davis, St. Vincent, Rolling Stones, Donna Summer, Czarface, Eternal Sunshine soundtrack, the Sisters of Mercy, Evanescence, Fear and Ann Peebles. Our sell-through rate for the day was 59%.
Surprisingly slow sellers: Amy Winehouse, KMD, Allman Brothers Band, the Clash, CSNY, the Cure, Future, John Prine box set, Bill Evans, Bob Dylan and the Aliens and Matrix soundtracks.
Ouchy allocations: Gorillaz (received 1), Rahsaan Roland Kirk (received 2), Ani DiFranco, Evanescence, Fear, Ann Peebles and John Prine (“Stay Independent”).
Below you will find our Top 50 RSD sellers. Thank you for all of your support and hard work putting these events together. We recognize how much time and energy goes into making these releases happen, and we (and the fans) appreciate it tremendously.
Chad Dryden
TOP 50 SELLERS
1. Foo Fighters - Hail Satin
2. Pearl Jam - Alive (vinyl)
3. Earthgang - Strays with Rabies
4. Cat Stevens/Yusuf - Songs from Harold & Maude
5. Beastie Boys - Aglio e Olio
6. Miles Davis - Champions
7. Aretha Franklin - Oh Me Oh My
8. St. Vincent - Sad But True / Piggy
9. Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 50th
10. Donna Summer - Bad Girls
11. Czarface - Czar Noir
12. Amy Winehouse - Remixes
13. Ramones - Triple J Live
14. Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn
15. Various Artists - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
16. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu Alternates
17. The Sisters of Mercy - BBC Sessions
18. Evanescence - The Open Door
19. John Prine - Live at the Other End
20. The Cure - Wild Mood Swings
21. Allman Brothers Band - The Final Note
22. Canned Heat - Living the Blues
23. Queen and Adam Lambert / Freddie Mercury - Live Around the World / Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow
24. Slightly Stoopid - Live at Roberto’s TRI Studios
25. Pearl Jam - Alive (cassette)
26. Various Artists - Willie Nelson American Outlaw (Live at Bridgestone Arena 2019)
27. John Prine - Stay Independent
28. Ennio Morricone - Blue-Eyed Bandit
29. Bill Evans - Behind the Dikes
30. Denzel Curry / Robert Glasper - Live from Leimert Park
31. Ani DiFranco - Ani DiFranco
32. Tad - Inhaler
33. Hall & Oates - Voices
34. Amigo the Devil - Covers, Demos, Live Versions, B-Sides
35. Roy Hargrove/Mulgrew Miller - In Harmony
36. Bastille - Vs.
37. Karen O and Willie Nelson - Under Pressure
38. Fleet Foxes - Can I Believe You
39. Various Artists - Studio One Soul
40. “Weird” Al Yankovic - Beat on the Brat
41. St. Paul and the Broken Bones - Half the City Live
42. Lindsey Sterling - Lose You Now
43. Matt Bellamy - Cryosleep
44. Fear - The Record
45. Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel
46. Hot Tuna - America’s Choice
47. Richard Pryor - Richard Pryor
48. Peggy Lee - World Broadcast Recordings 1955 Vol. 1
49. Johnny Paycheck - Uncovered: The First Recordings
50. From First to Last - Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count
John Kunz - Waterloo Records (Austin, TX)
Wow, everyone here, Austin music fans, store staff, etc., all had a
blast here at Waterloo Records last Saturday, Drop#2 for Record Store Day 2021.
Great job everyone, and congrats to all!
Overall, with fewer Drop#2 titles, we had anticipated doing about
75-80% of Drop#1 business. To our surprise and delight, we did 97% of
Drop#1 sales. In fact, both 2021 drops combined beat our 2019 RSD
sales total by 1% .
Again like for Drop#1, it was the most open RSD event we've had since
2019, with most
everyone feeling the freedom of being fully vaccinated, but we still
required masks just to be safe, as Austin unfortunately is spiking
again. (Austin unofficially hit Covid Stage 4 today, when the CDC
recommends wearing masks indoors for even the fully vaccinated. So we
were just a few days ahead of that curve - "Deadman's Curve", & the
CDC's warnings.)
We didn't do a line lottery this time, with the first person here
becoming the first in line. Our first person told me he arrived at 1am
with a fully reclining chair - he had the right tool for the right
job! We opened at 7am with about 120 folks in line, and by the time we
broke the line, about twice that many people had entered the store.
Then at 1pm we posted remaining RSD inventory on our website, and did
a very brisk online business all afternoon. Sunday 7/18, we hosted an
autograph session with 11 of the artists that contributed to the Roky
Erickson tribute LP, including The Black Angels, Charlie Sexton, Eve
Monsees, tribute producer and long time friend, Bill Bentley, LITA
co-founder Matt Sullivan, and more, followed by a Roky tribute concert
that night at the Little Darlin' club. FYI, Waterloo hosted a similar
event 31 yrs ago for Bentley's first Roky Tribute LP, "Where the
Pyramid Meets the Eye" with Roky, his Mom, and Doug Sahm in
attendance. We felt their spirits here Sunday afternoon. Last,
Waterloo Records partnered again with Austin's other fine record
stores in promoting RSD with a full page 4 color ad in the Austin
Chronicle featuring a map to all the participating stores.
Here's a big 'Thanks' to everyone, the artists, managers, labels,
distributors, and one-stops that helped make all of these RSD releases
happen! You know who you are, and you rock. Now get to work on Black
Friday!
Waterloo Records' Top RSD #1 Sellers:
LPs & Boxsets
1. Roky Erickson Tribute 73 (+ 22CDs early for the event)
2. Dee Gees 50 (SO)
3. Harold and Maude ST 34
4. Miles Davis 33
5. Beastie Boys 32
6. Rolling Stones 30 (SO)
7. Cure 29
7. CSNY 29
9. Amy Winehouse 28
10. Ramones 26
11. Bill Evans 22
12. Allman Bros 19
12. Aretha Franklin 19
12. John Prine Live at the Other End 19
15. Czarface 15
16. Hall and Oates 14
16. John Prine Stay Independent 14
18. Sisters of Mercy 13
19. Bob Dylan 13
20. Queen/Adam Lambert 11
3", 7", 10" & 12" singles/EPs
1. Pearl Jam 42
2. Karen O/Willie Nelson 25
3. St Vincent 15 (SO)
4. Fleet Foxes 11
5. Weird Al Yankovic 10 (SO)
6 Dirty Knobs 8 (SO)
7. VA/Soul Jazz 5 (SO)
7. Fun Loving Criminals 5
9. Denzel Curry/Robert Glasper 3
9. JXDN 3
Paul Epstein - Twist & Shout (Denver, CO)
Gonna go deep on the stats and math here so bear with me. I looked at RSDs going back to 2014 to get a good idea of the patterns. It turns out that really three factors affect how RSD will turn out for us.
1) Worldwide pandemics - I think we can all agree, deadly pandemics are not so good for business. While the RSD drops last year did produce substantial sales, which did add up to a respectable percentage of previous years, the celebratory aspect of the days was essentially gone. RSD is about more than sales.
2) Weather - When I looked back at previous years, the biggest dips in our sales coincided with years we had snow events in April. Like deadly pandemics, freezing weather tends to make people think twice.
3) The releases - I have no doubt that if the Jerry Garcia release had come out as scheduled in July, we would have seen another 10 percent boost in the day. Same if we had gotten the number of Foo Fighters we had actually ordered. What comes out and how it caters to any given stores’ fan base is really important to the overall success of RSD.
All that said, I am taking our total from June 12 and July 17, adding them together and comparing them to our total from 2019 (which was our biggest RSD and biggest day ever). The two 2021 events total 12% above the 2019 event. When I analyzed a little further, the 12% was close to the amount we would do on a typical summer Saturday. With the previous years’ data in mind, I am able to conclude that this year’s RSD was as successful as any in our history. If it had happened all on one day with the full complement of releases, I believe 2021 would be the clear winner. So, success! We did it! We got through the worst year of our lives and returned to some sense of “business as usual.” It felt great in the store. People were psyched, from the Voodoo Doughnuts and coffee supplied by our friends at AEG early in the morning to everyone in line, to the Blue Pan Pizza we gorged on at lunch, the main event remained the smiles on the many friends and customers’ faces as they held up that prized item they were looking for. There was a lot of that. The Foo Fighters piece was such an obvious winner this year, I have to question the number made and the allocation process. I’m pretty sure EVERYONE could have sold more of that one. Otherwise, a great, diverse field of releases this time around. I think the community wants and can sustain multiple RSDs in the future. My recommendation is - One in April (4th Saturday would surely be better weather-wise but might conflict with Easter), one in July and then expanding Black Friday to become a full-on third RSD event. Whichever way it goes Twist and Shout is thrilled to be in business, thrilled to have RSD back and thrilled to tell you all about it.
Thanks to everyone,
Paul Epstein
Paige Brodsky - Streetlight Records (Santa Cruz & San Jose, CA)
Greetings, Everyone--
Another series of RSD Drops is in the books and was a success at both Streetlight locations! All first-day sales were in-store only and not online. Both stores held onto pandemic procedures from last year, as our customers seemed to like them and it flowed better (appointment times in San Jose, numbers given out to customers in line in Santa Cruz).
As always, we want to thank all our partners: labels, distribution companies, Record Store Day, CIMS/AIMS/DORS, our sales and marketing reps, and our CUSTOMERS and STAFF!
Some stats are below. Best wishes to all, including wishes for a nice, long rest!
San Jose
--up 18% over 2020's cumulative total (up 43% over 2019)
--RSD Drop #1 had an 80% first day sell-through rate
--RSD Drop #2 had an 88% first day sell-through rate
Best Sellers for San Jose:
1 194398841014 HAIL SATIN FOO FIGHTERS
2 603497845019 DEJA VU ALTERNATES CROSBY STILLS N
3 194398539911 ALIVE PEARL JAM
4 602435433455 AGLIO E OLIO BEASTIE BOYS
5 018771877714 HOT ROCKS (50TH ANNI ROLLING STONES
6 194398605814 CHAMPIONS - RARE MIL DAVIS,MILES
7 603497844951 WILD MOOD SWINGS CURE
8 603497845989 TRIPLE J LIVE AT THE RAMONES
9 603497845026 OH ME OH MY: ARETHA FRANKLIN,ARETHA
10 602435503363 SONGS FROM HAROLD & STEVENS,CAT / Y
11 602435596044 SONGS FROM HAROLD & STEVENS,CAT
12 045778844470 CAN I BELIEVE YOU / FLEET FOXES / R
13 888072234123 PIGGY / SAD BUT TRUE ST VINCENT
14 194398689418 JOKERMAN / I AM I RE DYLAN,BOB
15 602435427508 REMIXES WINEHOUSE,AMY
16 821229000233 FINAL NOTE ALLMAN BROTHERS
17 8435395502990 BEHIND THE DIKES - 1 EVANS,BILL
18 190295154455 BBC SESSIONS SISTERS OF MERC
19 3700477830922 LIVING THE BLUES (RS CANNED HEAT
20 706091201516 CZAR NOIR CZARFACE
21 050087485702 LIVE AROUND THE WORL QUEEN / LAMBERT
22 859433007076 BEAT ON THE BRAT YANKOVIC,WEIRD
23 194398441719 IF MUSIC COULD TALK CLASH
24 4050538659108 GOD HATES HEAVY META DIO
25 787790343752 STAY INDEPENDENT: TH PRINE,JOHN
Santa Cruz
--up 4% over 2020's cumulative total (up 43% over 2019)
--RSD Drop #1 had a 70% first day sell-through rate
--RSD Drop #2 had an 80% first day sell-through rate
Best Sellers for Santa Cruz:
1 194398841014 HAIL SATIN FOO FIGHTERS
2 602435433455 AGLIO E OLIO BEASTIE BOYS
3 194398539911 ALIVE PEARL JAM
4 194398605814 CHAMPIONS - RARE MIL DAVIS,MILES
5 664425273816 MR HOOD: 30TH ANNIVE KMD
6 602435427508 REMIXES WINEHOUSE,AMY
7 190295154455 BBC SESSIONS SISTERS OF MERC
8 819376028811 AGE OF QUARREL CRO-MAGS
9 821229000233 FINAL NOTE ALLMAN BROTHERS
10 603497845026 OH ME OH MY: ARETHA FRANKLIN,ARETHA
11 8435395502990 BEHIND THE DIKES - 1 EVANS,BILL
12 194398441719 IF MUSIC COULD TALK CLASH
13 603497844951 WILD MOOD SWINGS CURE
14 603497845019 DEJA VU ALTERNATES CROSBY STILLS N
15 603497845989 TRIPLE J LIVE AT THE RAMONES
16 859433007076 BEAT ON THE BRAT YANKOVIC,WEIRD
17 888072234123 PIGGY / SAD BUT TRUE ST VINCENT
18 018771877714 HOT ROCKS (50TH ANNI ROLLING STONES
19 048612090415 GET IT VARIOUS ARTIST
20 081227891985 RECORD FEAR
21 081227891992 SUN MOON AND HERBS 5 DR. JOHN
22 603497844999 VINYL: 1971-1975 WAR
23 194398689418 JOKERMAN / I AM I RE DYLAN,BOB
24 5026328004662 STUDIO ONE SOUL SOUL JAZZ RECOR
25 045778844470 CAN I BELIEVE YOU / FLEET FOXES / R
Karl Groeger - Looney Tunes (West Babylon, NY)
Good Morning
What another fantastic day yesterday was. We can not thank everyone involved with RSD enough for their incredible work.
Very blessed to be still doing this after so so so many years.
Looney Tunes is celebrating our 50th anniversary this year…….Look for a big press release about our incredible celebration coming soon….hope you can all be a part of it.
Now down to some info about yesterday.
#1 it was amazing.
About 400 people lined up before we opened. First person got on line at 10:30 friday night. By 1am there were about 60 people online.
Free bagels, coffee and mini looney tunes hand sanitizer bottles to all.
To much to talk about but I thought I would share some interesting #s
JUNE VS JULY drops
PRODUCT PURCHASED
July product purchases (wholesale $ cost) were 83% of what June was - less titles in July
TRAFFIC
July customer count was 83% of what June was - wow thats crazy its exactly the same as the product purchased
SALES
July instore sales were 76% of what June was. Less titles and less expensive titles. All good
ONLINE SALES
First 24 hours
July up over june by 21%
AVERAGE SALE PER PERSON
June - $102.44
July - $93.67
Average customer sales prior to pandemic was about $112 - customers buys a little less - #1 concern they say is price of LPS increasing to much
thank you all again.
Very blessed.
Karl Jr.
Branden Salzer - Salzer’s (Ventura, CA)
WRAP-UP:
We had a very successful 2nd RSD of 2021. Whiles sales were down about 13% from June’s Drop, there were significantly less units (approximately 500) to sell. Our sell-thru rate for the day was 65.42% (up about 5% from June’s RSD Drop).
Our first person in line was there at 4am and by the time we opened at 9am (doors normally open at 11am), there was a line that circled around the building of about 200 people. Not realizing we weren’t receiving any add values for the 2nd Drop and having given them all away on the 1st Drop, we gave everyone in line a free Salzer’s enamel pin when they entered the store as well as a free bumper sticker at checkout (pictures attached).
See below for our bestsellers. Also attached are some social media screenshots. Please feel free to inquire for any additional info!
Thanks,
Brandon Salzer
310-717-7178
Bestsellers (Saturday & Sunday) 07/17 & 7/18 LP's Foo Fighters "Hail Satin"Rolling Stones "Hot RocksRamones "Triple J Live"Cat Stevens "Songs from Harold & Maude"Miles Davis "Champions - Rare Miles"Crosby Stills Nash & Young "Alternate déjà vu"Beastie Boys "Aglio E Olio"Amy Winehouse "Remixes"Cure "Wild Mood SwingsAllman Bros. "Final Note"Czarface "Czar Noir"Slightly Stoopid "Live at Roberto's"KMD "Mr. Hood 30th"Soundtrack "Eternal Sunshine Of…"Hall & Oates "Voices"War "Vinyl: 1971-1975"Aretha Franklin "Oh Me Oh My"Soundtrack "Oceans Eleven"Lamb of God "As The Palaces Burn"Fear "Record"Soul Jazz Records "Studio One Soul" 7" Single Dirty Knobs "Humdinger"Karen O & Willie Nelson "Under PressureSt. Vincent "Piggy"Fleet Foxes "Can I Believe You"Soul Jazz Records "Studio One Ska Fire" 12" Single Pearl Jam "Alive"Sinead O'Connor "Live In Rotterdam"Bob Dylan "Jokerman"Sammy Hagar "Heavy Metal" CD John Prine "Live at the Other End"Ultravox "Vienna" Cassette Pearl Jam "Alive"
Thank you to everyone for the support of our stores in all the ways that make these success stories possible.
Here are the charts,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hi Everyone,
We are in the final countdown to RSD Drop 2 and I hope everyone has a successful one. It’s hot out there- so stay cool, stay safe and stay hydrated. Most importantly, have fun celebrating your favorite record stores, because that is what these days are really about. Of course it is fun to score the amazing releases, but Record Store Day is also about showing appreciation for all of the wonderful people that opened these shops, their staff and crews that work so hard to keep them going and provide us all with that home away from home to discover the best of the best in music. Don’t forget to show ‘em some love on Saturday.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hey everyone,
Here are the charts for the week.
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hiss Golden Messenger
Quietly Blowing It
(Merge)
Scott Register - ThinkIndie A&R
I saw Hiss Golden Messenger for the first time at a local new music festival, Secret Stages (www.secretstages.net) back in 2012. Immediately I was taken by M.C. Taylor’s sound and songs. The Durham, NC, singer-songwriter has a simplicity to him that hides something much more complex. His songs make you think, make you wonder. M.C. stopped by my radio show the next morning and blew me away once more. Since then, I have followed his career and music closely and have loved watching him grow his artistry and his following. He says this new album is his most personal album to date, and it may be, but it appeals to me as much as any of his previous offerings and a perfect soundtrack to the now.
Hey Everyone,
I have gone camping this week… Couch Camping that is. Hope to see you there.
Here are the charts.
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Hey everyone,
Here are the charts,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
The Chicks
Gaslighter
(Columbia)
Scott Register - ThinkIndie A&R
Can’t stop listening to this album. Brilliant! Beautiful! Brutal. I get emotional each time I hear it.
Hey everyone,
Here are the charts for the week,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Fontaines D.C.
A Hero's Death
(Partisan)
Russell Cothran - ThinkIndie Sales & Marketing
Sits at the top of my list for Best of 2020 (so far).
Hey Everyone,
I want to give a shout out to Haim (and Columbia Records) for topping our charts this week with Women in Music Pt. III- They have really outdone themselves with this one. I have loved this band from the first note, so I am particularly happy to see this album in our number one spots this week. Haim has mastered the art of creating “Songs for the Summer” and some of these seem to be tailor-made for THIS summer in particular ("I Know Alone").
My Current Fave: "3 AM"
Hope you are all staying sane, keeping safe out there, and remembering to support Indie Retail as much as you can… and oh yeah, if you haven’t listened to the new Haim, check it out.
Here are the charts,
Andrea
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
Julianna Barwick
Healing Is A Miracle
(Ninja Tune)
Nick Campbell - ThinkIndie Warehouse Manager
I’ve been diving into a lot of ambient and electronic music while walking around my neighborhood during this Time of Great Uncertainty – Cavern of Anti-Matter’s In Fabric OST, Emeralds, Steve Hauschildt, and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. It’s not super-distracting music or designed for fast-paced activity, so ideal for walking. Julianna Barwick’s fifth album fits this pattern perfectly – shimmering, drifting, and blissful. She collaborates on several tracks with harpist Mary Lattimore, Sigur Ros alum Jonsi, and beat-oriented electronic artist Nosaj Thing. It’s a short ride at 33 minutes, but effectively dreamy for a sundown trot about town.
Hey Everyone,
I am excited to announce that RSD Summer Camp and Music Biz will once again be partnering together to bring you Couch Camp Pt.2. The dates are August 5-7th so mark your calendars! By now, we are all getting used to readjusting to the world we are living in and although I am certainly going miss the heat and the fun of being with everyone in The Big Easy for our usual Summer Camp festivities, the Couch Camp series is a great way for us all to connect virtually until we can be together again. Be on the lookout for more information coming from RSD and Music Biz (there should be some info coming later today) as to how to participate, get involved, as well as this editions programming. Feel free to reach out to me or Carrie with any questions. We look forward to seeing many of you next month. I hope you all are staying safe out there… and remember: Wear your mask!
Thanks,
Andrea
Here are the charts:
Andrea Paschal
Executive Director
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
ThinkIndie Distribution
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205.595.1932 x.208
Fax: 205.595.1938
Email : andrea@cimsmusic.com
cimsmusic.com
#cimsmusic
