Record Store Crawl 2024: Busload of Vinyl Fans and Quarters of Change Usher in Return of Warner Music Tradition

Warner Music Group’s revived Record Store Crawl returned to New York City final weekend after a five-year absence, full with a bus stuffed with music and vinyl followers — together with Billboard’s Retail Track — that kicked issues off at Tower Records’ Tower Labs house in Brooklyn with a rocking efficiency from 300 Entertainment recording artists Quarters of Change.

The crawl’s bus, transporting about 40 music followers, went on to go to Academy Records in Brooklyn, Audio-Technica showroom in decrease Manhattan, Generation Records within the West Village; and at last, Rough Trade Records up in Rockefeller Center, all on Saturday (May 18).

Upcoming crawls are scheduled in Seattle on June 14; Austin on July 20; Nashville on Aug. 10; Chicago on Sept. 28; and Los Angeles on Oct. 19. Tickets for every crawl prices $77.45. Just just like the New York Crawl, these cities will possible function an artist efficiency and thus far, Joe P has been lined up for those in Seattle and Austin; Knox for the one in Nashville; Deux Visages for Chicago; and Alicia Creti for Los Angeles.

What’s extra, vinyl and music lovers can go to the Record Store Crawl web site to vote for which U.S. metropolis would be the winner of a crawl slated for Sept. 7. All the crawls are sponsored in partnership with Audio-Technica and HeadCount. When followers vote on the WMG Record Store Crawl web site for which metropolis ought to obtain the September crawl, the location asks if the voter is registered to vote in U.S. elections. If they aren’t, or are merely uncertain, a hyperlink takes them to the headcount.org web site the place they will both verify their standing or register to vote.

The final time WMG had a Record Store Crawl was a 12 months previous to the COVID-19 shutdown. Before the pandemic, the then-named WEA (now named WMX) held 40 Crawls in cities throughout the United States from 2016 by 2019, based on WMX senior director of retail & platform advertising (RPM) Gina Williams. In NYC, they had been primarily held on Record Store Day. However, these days report shops have lots happening that day, Williams stated, so WMG’s workforce selected different days to deliver a site visitors increase to shops.

While the Record Store Day Crawl was occurring in New York, WMX’s RPM workforce was internet hosting some 165 early listening occasions for Twenty One Pilots‘ new album, Clancy, out now on Fueled By Ramen. According to a press release issued by the corporate, “hundreds of followers nationwide packed into their native report shops to listen to the album early, join with fellow followers and expertise what impartial report shops are all about: group and love of music. Moreover, within the prior 12 months, 2023, the RPM Team hosted 972 listening occasion indie retailer activations in 2023 for 12 releases. The RPM Team and Atlantic Records had been nominated for a 2024 Music Biz Bizzy for our Barbie, The Album listening occasions.”

In New York, Record Store Crawl followers lined up at midday exterior Tower’s efficiency house in Williamsburg to get a bag of swag from the Warner household of labels. Retail Track’s bag contained the Keith Sweat Make It Last Forever limited-edition black ice vinyl album and a “Brother” 45 from Needtobreathe, plus stickers and different tchotchkes; in addition to a raffle ticket, which might are available very useful on the bus journey between stops on the crawl.

Inside Tower, the crawlers had been handled to a high-energy seven-song set from Quarters of Change, who carried out tracks from its debut album, Into the Rift, and its simply launched follow-up, Portraits.

After the band’s set, the tour loaded onto the bus and headed to the subsequent cease: Academy Records Annex in Greenpoint, the place Retail Track scored a couple of singles: O.V. Wright’s “Precious Precious” on Hi Records; Arthur Prysock’s “I Wantcha Baby,” on Hy Weiss’ Old Town Records; and Shirley Brown’s “Woman To Woman” on Truth Records.

After that, the bus headed to Manhattan through the Williamsburg Bridge and the mom of all site visitors jams, shifting actually an inch at a time. That led to loads of alternatives for WMX’s RPM senior supervisor Ross Srodo to point out off his emcee prowess, whereas WMX RPM artistic supervisor Eden Mili equipped pithy gildings in her function as ace ticket quantity reader because the duo raffled off loads of Record Store Day exclusives and different restricted version and/or deluxe vinyl records — all from the Warner Music household of labels, naturally. During that journey, Han Mu, one of many crawlers, stated he heard in regards to the Record Store Crawl by an Instagram submit. He additionally hailed the crawl’s pricing, saying, “it’s completely value it.”

In Manhattan, the primary cease was at Audio-Technica House, the audio tools model’s collaboration house in SoHo, the place crawlers had been handled to Banshee Winery wines and a music trivia sport with the winner taking residence a turntable. The remainder of the crawlers acquired an Audio-Technica report cleansing equipment.

Up subsequent, a fast journey to Generation Records, the place crawlers had the pleasure of flipping by the stacks whereas eating on Williamsburg Pizza. Retail Track hit the downstairs used records cut price bin and scored 10 vinyl albums, together with ones by The Association, Dakota Staton, Gene Pitney, Jimmy Ruffin, Joan Armatrading and Renaissance — the latter on Warner Bros. Records.

The Record Store Crawl itself wasn’t the one attraction, as Hannah Tebo purchased a ticket particularly to see the efficiency by Quarters of Change, as did Ellen Cainsford, who flew in from Austin as a result of she stated she needed to “see the band in a particular venue for an intimate efficiency.” Besides her, two others traveled in from North Carolina for the Record Store Crawl, whereas two extra music followers got here from Philadelphia, WMX RPM supervisor Mel Hoch reported to Retail Track.

Finally, the day culminated at Rough Trade the place Retail Track scored Quarters of Change’s Portrait LP. “It was nice to have a busload of keen report followers of all ages pop in and take over our retailer briefly,” retailer supervisor George Flanagan tells Billboard. “It was an excellent day already after which the music followers from the bus supplied a pleasant spike. We offered quite a lot of music.” 

Much like final month’s Record Store Day, Retail Track as soon as once more heard the siren name of (this time) a chilly Budweiser, which was simply scored across the nook from Rough Trade on the Pig & Whistle pub. After all, Retail Track wanted one thing to scrub down the wine style from again at Audio-Technica House.