Record Store Day brings dozens of audiophiles together to seek limited edition vinyl

Dozens of people were lined up outside of Into The Music early Saturday morning at the Exchange District vinyl hub. Record Store Day selections were available at six different music stores in the city. Owner Greg Tonn said there were more than 100 unique releases to purchase starting Saturday. (Dan Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)

Dozens of eagerly awaiting vinyl collectors gathered across the city today to seek some hard to find gems on Record Store Day.

“We had a lineup at the door of I think there were 45 people in line,” said Greg Tonn, owner of Into The Music in The Exchange District.

“Record Store Day is a celebration of the unique contribution that independent record stores make to music culture in general. It’s been going on for almost 20 years now.”

Tonn said his store which will celebrate 38 years in June, has participated in the biannual event since the second year it began.

The worldwide event which started in 2008 features a whole schedule of brand new and unique items available in limited quantity. Six different music stores in Winnipeg participated in the limited release of vinyl this spring.

“On that day, it could be a reissue of an old album that’s got something unique to it, colour vinyl or numbered or extra material, and of course, lots of new artists will release something on that day in a unique form that just acknowledges that it’s Record Store Day,” Tonn said.

The store sent out a newsletter with over 100 unique items brought in exclusively for Record Store Day.

“I know that probably the most popular item that a lot of people were looking for was a new Taylor Swift seven inch single,” Tonn said.

“We ordered 50 copies. Our supplier sent us 10, and I think all 10 copies sold out in the first 20 minutes that we were open.”

Josh Nelson has been collecting vinyl for nearly a decade. He has close to 250 records in his collection and many are first pressings.

“I’m usually looking for first pressings of old indie rock records from like the late 1980s to 1990s,” Nelson said.

“I usually don’t find very much, but when I do, it’s usually like $100, $150 or something. It’s always exciting when I come across something like that.”

He said the first record he ever purchased was the soundtrack to a video game called Sword & Sworcery by Canadian composer, Jim Guthrie.

“I’ve always been interested in music, and I like the idea of having an artifact, or holding a material artifact, rather than just going through an iTunes playlist or, you know, algorithms and streaming services and stuff,” Nelson said.

Tonn said it’s never too late for people wishing to start a new collection of their own.

“I think that there’s different levels of being a collector means different things,” Tonn said.

“I think you always start with what you love. The music that you love is what you should be collecting. I talk with people all the time, but their kids and grandkids have really got turntables now, and they’re embracing it.”