THE BLACK FRIDAY FAQ



Q: Why are the organizers of Record Store Day celebrating Black Friday?



A: Whether we like it or not, the day after Thanksgiving is the start of the biggest shopping season in the country, when almost everyone buys presents for others, and may get to make a wishlist of what they’d like others to get them. In the past Black Friday was an American event celebrated by large corporate retailers as a shopping day that promoted mass produced items at super low prices in hopes of driving customers into their stores. Independently owned stores, especially record stores, are fantastic places to shop for gifts, and we see our Black Friday efforts to promote these places in the face of a shopping frenzy as part of our overall mission to bring record stores to the spotlight. RSD’s Black Friday subverts the model and creates pieces of art in the form of limited special editions, often numbered, from some of the most revered artists of our time. RSD’s version of Black Friday is an excuse to celebrate the specialness of music in our lives by putting out these unique releases. In other words, cheapness is not a main goal. Celebrating art is.



Q: When is Record Store Day’s Black Friday?



A: This year Black Friday takes place on Friday, November 29th.



Q: Why don't you have this on Small Business Saturday instead?



A: Our Black Friday event actually predates Small Business Saturday by a few years! For better or worse, Black Friday is an important day in the retail world and we want record stores to be a part of it if they choose to. We're also big fans of highlighting the independent neighborhood business side of what these participating record stores are, and some of them have great events taking place on Small Business Saturday too. And again, each store can choose to be part of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or both!



Q: Is Black Friday really Record Store Day II?

A: No. The special releases for Record Store Day are made to be sold solely at independently owned record stores on the day that Record Store Day takes place in April, whereas Black Friday releases are made for the holiday season. This means stores will launch the special releases on Black Friday but may choose to carry them beyond Black Friday (as supplies last).



These independently owned record stores/shops will also choose whether or not they want to sell their Black Friday releases on their websites to draw attention to the fact that many of them offer an excellent customer service option for those who wish to support independently owned record stores via internet purchases during the holiday season and beyond.



Q: Can fans of Record Store Day expect a similar number of special/unique releases made for Black Friday as they’ve seen for Record Store Day?



A: Record Store Day will only be releasing about one-third the number of releases for Black Friday as compared to Record Store Day itself. By design, Record Store Day is not attempting to create the massive music celebration of Record Store Day. Rather, we are reminding music fans about the gift of music at the kick off of the holiday season.



Q: How can music fans find a local store who is celebrating Black Friday?



A: Music fans can go to www.recordstoreday.com and click the link for participating stores.



Q: Will every store listed on the website participate in Black Friday?



A: By definition these stores are independent. This means they will choose whether they wish to participate. Generally speaking, a lot of them will.



Q: Will the participating stores carry all of Record Store Day’s Black Friday releases?



A: Some will but selection will vary from store to store, depending on what they think their customers will want.



Q: Where can music fans get a complete list of Record Store Day’s Black Friday releases?



A: A complete list of Black Friday releases will be up on www.recordstoreday.com, shortly, complete with track listing and artwork for fans to view.











