Collaboration spotlights independent record stores across the country
eBay, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic marketplaces, is coming together with Record Store Day (RSD), the organization behind the country’s largest annual celebration of independent record stores, to uplift thousands of record shops across the country at a time when it matters most. Normally a single-day music event, RSD has instead created a series of drops between now and the end of October, each of which featuring a curation of musical legends and shining new stars sourced directly from expert record stores with deep knowledge of the industry. Starting today (Mon, Aug 31st), shoppers can explore the first drop and know their patronage is supporting a small business.
“This year, I’ve been amazed as I watch record stores react to the world around them and shift their business model to include online sales as a way to reach their customers where they are — which is mostly at home — and continue to provide them with entertainment, distraction and fun, while keeping their own important small business afloat,” states Carrie Colliton, Carrie Colliton, a Record Store Day co-founder. “eBay has been a great way for stores to grow and expand their reach.”
“We look for every opportunity to support small business on eBay, especially right now as they adapt to these challenging times,” shares Chelsea Walsh, Senior Category Manager, Media & Musical Instruments. “Our partnership with Record Store Day comes at the ideal moment when we can help elevate independent record stores and bring them new customers, all while celebrating music and vinyl collecting.”
Vinyl collecting has seen a massive resurgence in recent years, and eBay’s 182 million active buyers worldwide — coupled with RSD’s following among music lovers and business owners — make for a curated online shopping event unlike any other. With nearly 400 titles spread over the three RSD drop dates, including albums from Billie Eilish, David Bowie, the Notorious B.I.G., Fleetwood Mac, Miles Davis and many more, there are records for every musical taste.
This collaboration comes at a time when record stores and other small businesses are adapting to the unforeseen impacts of COVID-19. While some businesses adopt curb-side pickup or delivery services to stay connected, others turn to e-commerce and marketplaces like eBay.
While some indie stores were open with social distancing measures in place, Amoeba Records in California went completely virtual this year which caused their website to crash and angry many collectors who were unable to complete their orders.
“For many of you, [Saturday’s] RSD experience was frustrating, disappointing, and too many of you were not able to get the records you wanted. This was the FIRST online Record Store Day and, while we did our best to properly prepare on relatively short notice — scaled up our servers and took other steps to help it run smoothly — it clearly was not enough. The site was overwhelmed with traffic and was down for far too long on such an important day,” they share in a statement.
“This is completely unacceptable for us. We are going to take the time to analyze what went wrong and figure out what we can do to fix it for the next drop on 9/26. We know that we let you guys down. We have tried to make every Record Store Day prior to this a special and exciting day for everyone, and this year fell so far short of that. We are so very sorry.”
eBay is also celebrating the third annual Vinyl Week starting September 28th. The special “vinyl obsession” shopping moment will include a series of exclusive collections sourced from RSD-pledged stores, including rare finds and staff picks offered by participating shops. Further, there will be two additional special events that week: One including a sale of top albums, each of which accompanied by a free three-month Tidal subscription, and another in partnership with MusiCares to offer a curated auction with all proceeds benefiting the charity.
These small business-focused events come on the heels of eBay’s efforts to provide resources and relief to entrepreneurs navigating impacts of the coronavirus. In the initial months, eBay launched its “Up & Running” program which focused specifically on retailers without an online presence to help them reach new customers through e-commerce — today, tens of thousands of small businesses have joined eBay to sell through the program. Looking ahead, the marketplace continues to identify opportunities to elevate and educate sellers turning to online marketplaces as part of their business operations.
