THIS SATURDAY is international Record Store Day, and while the mainstream media has spent the last decade telling us that iPods and file sharing are the future of music, a visit to your local record shop reveals a different future. Filing vinyl while tip-toed on an overturned milk crate, or embroiled in a thorough dissection of some obscure band’s discography, the staff (and regulars) of independent record stores are music experts - professors, even - and as the venerable Tom Waits puts it, “they’re the ears of your town”.

What’s on offer is a music discovery experience unmatched by big-box retailers or Apple’s iTunes.

“You go to places like the Best Buys and Wal-Marts, and you get a guy who works in the Video Game department and also kind of the music department” says Ben Frith, who works at Neptoon Records on Main. “If he can’t find it in the alphabet, that’s kind of the extent of his knowledge.

“We carry a lot of music that you just won’t be able to find elsewhere,” Ben continues, “and we’re able to recommend things a bit better.”

He’s being modest - record store employees are musical libraries, deeply tuned to both popular and rarely-played tracks. And while they’re often characterized as snooty or pretentious (movies like High Fidelity and Tower Records certainly haven’t helped), most independent record stores are staffed by pleasant, enthusiastic people who want, more than anything, to turn people on to good music.

More than any single source, apart from the internet, record shops and the people within them act as gateways to unknown and exciting musical territory. And while the ‘net might hold more information than any record store clerk ever could, it’s easier - and more rewarding - to get worthwhile music recommendations from a real live human being.

Before their resurgence, independent shops were considering how to best communicate this to consumers.

As digital distribution and file-sharing networks grew, and the closure of big name stores like Tower Records and Circuit City seemed to herald the end of physical record sales, indie store owners faced a “perception problem”. They came up with a a simple solution: in 2007, several independent owners started Record Store Day, in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of record stores to the music community.

“We decided to throw ourselves a party, wave our hands in the air, screaming ‘Party over here, Y’all!’” says Eric Levin, owner of Criminal Records in Atlanta and co-founder of Record Store Day. He explains that while the media was doing its best to convince the world that physical record stores would soon be a thing of the past, plenty of customers felt otherwise.

“The event took off like bananas on fire,” he boasts, proving that the community still cares about the experience an independent record store can provide, regardless of how much more convenient it might be to pick up a CD at Future Shop or download a single from iTunes.

Record Store Day has snowballed since its inception, and is now celebrated by hundreds of stores internationally. Events include free in-store concerts, exclusive releases and huge sales.

“It’s kind of a way to gather a bunch of like minded people, that are all really into music, and bring them all together on one day” says Ben Frith.

It’s a chance for music fans to meet others who share their passion, or to hear a local band they might not otherwise go see while they’re digging through boxes of records.

“Having local bands here is another thing, where it opens a lot of people’s eyes up to what [the bands] are doing, and what’s happening in their city that they might not know about. A lot of people may not go out to a lot of shows, because they don’t know who the bands are. This way, they don’t have to pay, there’s a relaxed atmosphere, and if they don’t like the music, they can come and go as they please.”

In a way, Record Store Day is a microcosm of of what record stores do at their best: share their love of music with whoever will listen.

“We want people to be happy when they come into our shop,” says Frith. “That’s the important thing.”

Stores across Vancouver are featuring live shows, big sales and exclusive releases, while some have goodies like door prizes and more. Neptoon, Red Cat, Zoo Zhop and Zulu are all putting on free concerts, with bands like Red Cedar, Yukon Gold and more. Shows are all-ages, so bring your little ones!

Record Stores with shows:

Neptoon Records - 3561 Main Street
Free In-Store Performances, 10:00AM - Late
14 Bands

Zoo Zhop - 223 Main Street
Free In-Store Perfomances, 4:00PM - Late
13 Bands

Red Cat Records - 4307 Main Street
Free In-Store Performances, 1:00PM - 6:00PM
6 Bands

Zulu Records - 1972 West 4th Ave
Free Show after closing, 6:30 - 8:00PM
Yukon Blonde and No Gold

Other Participating Stores:

Audiopile - 2016 Commercial Drive
Highlife Records - 1317 Commercial Drive
Scratch Records - 1 East Hastings Street
Vinyl Records - 319 West Hastings Street
Dandelion Records - 2442 Main Street
SCRAPE Records - 323 East Broadway