So today's Record Store Day, and for the first time since I first learned about it over a decade ago (with the exception of 2020 because of 
and one year where I was working on it) I don't think I'm going to bother going.
There's several shops in my area that still participate but it's just not what it used to be. There used to be free shit given out, sometimes free records, some places would have local bands playing, and it was niche enough that if you knew, you knew; maybe you found something exciting or new you weren't expecting, maybe you found nothing at all but had a nice experience regardless.
Now it's so dull, the last few years (again, with the exception of
) nobody seems to do any of the fun/event stuff anymore, it's just another day where everything is significantly more crowded than normal. Between the scalpers and the hipsters everything is picked through by the time casual vinyl collectors show up, and you end up leaving bored and depressed.
It used to be something I looked forward to for months, sometimes all year, but I just can't be fucked this year.
Maybe I've just gotten old.
and one year where I was working on it) I don't think I'm going to bother going.There's several shops in my area that still participate but it's just not what it used to be. There used to be free shit given out, sometimes free records, some places would have local bands playing, and it was niche enough that if you knew, you knew; maybe you found something exciting or new you weren't expecting, maybe you found nothing at all but had a nice experience regardless.
Now it's so dull, the last few years (again, with the exception of
) nobody seems to do any of the fun/event stuff anymore, it's just another day where everything is significantly more crowded than normal. Between the scalpers and the hipsters everything is picked through by the time casual vinyl collectors show up, and you end up leaving bored and depressed.It used to be something I looked forward to for months, sometimes all year, but I just can't be fucked this year.
Maybe I've just gotten old.
Higher sound fidelity, collectability, aesthetic appeal, etc. Plus ripping a vinyl record to MP3 is pretty easy now with the right equipment, and most newer releases some with a download card anyway.
For me, vinyl was something my Dad and I collected together when I was a kid, and it just spun off into something I did for myself as I got older.
I guess you could say I was into it before it was cool.