LOVE RECORD STORES RETURNS

A second Love Record Stores event will take place on 9/4 in the U.K. following the success of the inaugural edition in 2020, which resulted in more than £1m in sales for retailers. Domino signed artist Georgia will be this year’s ambassador.

Given the U.K. Government’s recent announcements about lifting lockdown restrictions, organizers are confident that by September, music fans able to visit physical stores to purchase vinyl exclusives across range of limited-edition releases. There’s also hope that this year’s event, supported by The Association of independent Music (AIM), will include a wide range of live, instore performances by artists and DJ sets throughout the day.

Jason Rackham, U.K. MD of [PIAS] and one of the founding organizers of the #loverecordstores campaign, which was launched to raise support for record stores during the pandemic, said: “Fingers crossed we will see more and more restrictions lifted as the year goes on and by September we hope that people will actually be able to go into and support their local stores rather than shopping online with them, which would be amazing.”

Rupert Morrison of independent record store Drift Records in Totnes, Devon, said last year's event was "a beacon of light and positivity where many of us felt completely unsupported and more than a bit lost.

"Not only did we all see a big influx of cash into the (online) tills when we most needed it, we also benefited from the massive awareness drive. It was a total game changer."