Vinylthon is on April 13th, Record Store Day 2019

Radio stations across the world are participating in Vinylthon, a day they play vinyl only across the airwaves. The event is on April 13th, the same day as Record Store Day 2019.

Organized by the College Radio Foundation and open to all radio stations, commercial and non-commercial, Vinylthon is the radio industry’s response to the remarkable vinyl renaissance that has occurred around the world. The College Radio Foundation gives grants to college radio stations to keep them on the air. Vinylthon 2019 will be the fourth Vinylthon event, and proceeds will go to their College Radio Fund that supports college radio stations.

Vinylthon organizers provide special on-air content for participating stations, featuring artists such as Dave Mustaine, who supports the event. Other supporting artists include Judas Priest, Don McLean, Dee Snider, Sevendust, Daniel Lanois, Darlene Love, and The Lumineers to name just a few.

“If I was forced to pick my top three vinyl albums, I would probably pick some old classics, because of the tonality of the instruments back then and a lot of the analog amplifiers, as well as the analog consoles and analog recording devices. Same thing with the analog microphones,” Mustaine says. “So, probably The White Album from The Beatles. Probably Wish You Were Here from Pink Floyd, or The Dark Side of The Moon, which is another great album for sounds like that. And most definitely, because it’s very personal to me, AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock.”

“This event is for all radio stations and it’s a fun day for both listeners and broadcasters alike,” states Vinylthon founder, Rob Quicke. “People are passionate about the magic and warmth of vinyl, and broadcasting radio shows with vinyl is an amazing, hands-on experience for many of today’s radio broadcasters.” Quicke is also GM at WPSC 88.7 FM at William Paterson University of New Jersey, winner of the 2018 Marconi Radio Award for Best Non-Commercial Radio Station.

Participation in Vinylthon is free for non-commercial radio stations, but there is a $250 fee for commercial radio stations, which goes straight to the College Radio Foundation, which organizes the event. “Commercial radio stations that participate are paying it forward to the next generation of professional broadcasters, who really need the support,” says Quicke.