International Record Store Day: Part of keeping vinyl culture alive - VP Records looks to celebrate in June
Published:Saturday | April 18, 2020 | 12:11 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
For the past four years, on a Saturday in April, VP Records has celebrated International Record Store Day with its free, vinyl-only sound system showcase at its retail outlet in Jamaica Queens, New York. It is a day dedicated to independently owned record stores across the world, said executives of the record label founded in the 1970s by the late Vincent ‘Randy’ Chin and his wife Patricia, who were the owners of Randy’s Records store which was located in downtown Kingston.
“It celebrates record stores and the ongoing role they play in the music industry entirely – record stores continue to be one of the main locations for buying vinyl, and while vinyl has been overshadowed in the new era of digital and streaming, we are happy to see its celebration and re-emergence.”
VP Records’ story would not be complete without the original Randy’s Record Mart in Jamaica where the husband and wife started out reselling used records out of their 36 East Street shop in the late 1950s. Randy worked for businessman Isaac Issa, who owned the largest collection of jukeboxes across the island. He would stock new records into jukeboxes and accumulate the ones removed. These records served as building blocks for what would eventually become a global pioneering reggae record company.
In the year of Jamaica’s independence, 1962, the Chins moved to 17 North Parade, which later evolved into Studio 17, which served as a creative outlet of reggae artistes like Bob Marley and The Wailers, Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs, among scores of other names from the 1960 to 1970 decade of talent. The name Randy’s Record Mart became synonymous with the golden era of reggae. In the mid-1970s, the Chins migrated to New York, setting up its record store, first in Brooklyn from which records were distributed, and, in 1979, relocated to Jamaica Avenue in Queens.
Vinyl culture alive
The label has pushed the sales of vinyl successfully over the years at their stores in New York and Florida, and they believe in keeping the vinyl culture alive. However, in accordance with the ‘New York State on Pause’ response to the COVID-19 outbreak, VP Records plans to celebrate Record Store Day 2020, not today, but on the rescheduled date of June 20.
“It is our hope to do the grand reopening of our Jamaica Avenue location, along with the annual showcase,” said Public Relations Manager Jennifer Valentin, speaking on behalf of the VP Records family.
Last year, for the first time, the event was streamed on the VP Records YouTube channel and, as part of its tradition, historical record collectibles were unveiled. VP’s Record Store Day Releases for 2020 will include Earth Feel It, a seven-inch box set compilation of singles from Fatis Burrell’s Xterminator label; Stop That Train, a seven-inch single from Clint Eastwood and General Saint, and Guidance by the Black Ark Players, described as a lost gem from Lee Scratch Perry’s famed studio that will make its first appearance on a 12-inch single.
VP Records executives say International Record Store Day can be promoted in more ways than one.
“Social media is a great platform to celebrate the original date. This can be done by doing live activations with sound clashes as well as engaging vinyl enthusiasts, simply by asking what their favourite vinyl record is. In this new normal, it is important to use the digital resources available to us in place of in-person events. VP Records looks forward to celebrating in June, but, in the event that is not possible, we will be looking into interactive online alternatives.”