Just for the Record

Park+Ave+CDs+in+Orlando+will+celebrate+Record+Store+Day+on+April+21.

Tess Nader

Park Ave CDs in Orlando will celebrate “Record Store Day” on April 21.

Tess Nader and Rebecca Newman

National Record Store Day (RSD) is on April 21, so Park Ave CDs plans to celebrate by stocking at least one of every 400 RSD-branded releases created for the U.S. market.

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,300 independently owned record stores in the USA, and thousands of similar stores internationally.

According to The Fader’s , 2017 was the highest year for vinyl sales since 1991. “All of my favorite artists release vinyls every time they put out new music, and I have bought a turntable for those records. I never actually thought I would be listening to vinyl,”Amanda Elman, 18, said as she browsed through some records in Park Ave CDs.

Vinyl LP sales accounted for 14 percent of all physical album sales in 2017, according to Billboard. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the top selling vinyl in 2017, 50 years after its release.

Tope Ekunsanmi, 19, said, “My favorite part about Park Ave is their gift-bag section, where you can buy a brown bag filled with random CDs, LPs, or even posters.”

But streaming services have become a huge part of the music distribution market, and some people, like Valencia student Maranda Mesman, 22, prefer streaming music than buying a vinyl record. “I use my Spotify constantly throughout the day, and I’m able to make mixes and skip songs really easily. You can’t really do that with a vinyl,” Mesman said.

Some other college students do enjoy a mix of both, however.  Summer Squadrito, 18, said, “I really like using my Spotify, but when one of my favorite artists releases a vinyl of their album, I have to get it. It’s something physical that I can keep, and you can’t beat the sound of a vinyl.”

Park Ave CDs opens at 8 a.m. on Record Store Day, and the list of RSD-branded releases is extensive and diverse, ensuring that stores and customers can choose the special releases of most interest to them. Park Ave CDs, located at 2916 Corrine Dr. near downtown Orlando, sells everything a music-lover could possibly want: vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, posters, books, and trinkets of all kinds.  For more information about RSD, cheek out the official website at https://recordstoreday.com