Waves of vinyl records splash across the room, flowing from genre to genre. A man with a wrinkled face vigorously flips through a sea of albums. For nearly 30 minutes, the 69-year-old searched 26,000 available LPs to find the newest gems for his musical treasure.
Behind just-delivered boxes, two employees scurry to place the new inventory into its respective locations. With Record Store Day beginning April 18, Guestroom Records is preparing for another “record-breaking day.”
Aaron Walton, an employee at Guestroom Records, reflected on his experiences with Record Store Day since its conception.
“I love the excitement of it,” Walton said. “I love when we have a full store and we have to run around.”
In the early years of Record Store Day, Guestroom Records ordered from less than five distributors and had less than 10 copies of new releases. This year, Guestroom ordered from 20 distributors and will have at least 350 copies of new releases.
In 2014, customers camped overnight in front of Guestroom Records in order to receive first pick of the single-day releases.
The total transactions during Record Store Day 2014 were 343. An average day at Guestroom Records is 20 transactions. The manager of the Norman Guestroom Records store, Will Muir, said Guestroom will generate revenue during Record Store Day equaling an entire month of average profit.
Long-time customer Harold Pinson, a 69-year-old from Ada, Oklahoma, said he has visited Guestroom once a week since 2013. Pinson shared his first experience with Record Store Day.
“It’s a mad house,” Pinson said. “It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt, and you never know what kind of musical treasure you are going to find.”
This year, Guestroom is expecting an even larger turnout. Local artists, free COOP Ale Works refreshments and local restaurants will collectively contribute to the independent record store celebration.
So what makes musical enthusiasts willing to spend so much of their time, effort and money on vinyls? The vinyl resurgence could be in part due to the relationship the listener has with their music.
“This store gives music a physical face,” Walton said. “It’s an experience that people have and what they are buying into.”
It doesn’t take much research to discover how to be a cost-effective music junkie. Purchasing a monthly streaming plan from Spotify costs less than $15 a month. With that plan, the consumer gets virtually any song on the market and then some. Flip sides, and the average cost of a vinyl record is $20 to $30.
Emily Farris, a student at OU, gave her reason behind spending more on a vinyl instead of saving money with streaming options.
“They are fun and pretty,” Farris said. “I have to go to Guestroom with a budget or I will spend everything.”
Roughly 1 million vinyl albums were sold in 2007, according to a Nielsen SoundScan graphic. In 2008, the first Record Store Day took place in San Francisco, and over 2 million albums were sold that year. As of 2013, annual vinyl albums sales have reached 6 million.
Walton believes the vinyl record creates a musical relationship unlike any other medium, and Guestroom Records is the platform through which customers can indulge in their musical fantasies.
“You walk in, and here it is,” Walton said. “This is all music. You can’t do this with iTunes or Spotify. You don’t get this kind of interaction.”
Guestroom Records focuses on bringing music to the Norman community.
“We bring music to people,” said Muir. “There is nobody in town doing what we do. This store is about music.”
And the facts support with Muir’s belief. Guestroom Records continues to increase revenue annually.
Call it a vinyl resurgence, an independent record store celebration or a desire to experience music — one thing is for certain; Guestroom Records is trending, and music is loved.
