Happy Record Store Day!

Who knew that vinyl would survive - even in these tough economic times? Today is "Record Store Day"... a day to commemorate the (few) record stores that exist today.

Here in Toronto, record/CD stores have been closing at an alarming rate (the biggest blow being Sam The Record Man closing in 2007), but a few survive. My favourites include Soundscapes, a charming CD store located in Little Italy on College Street. Soundscapes specializes in rare and hard-to-find music from genres such as soul, pop, jazz, folk, americana, and country. They also carry many independent Canadian acts which are hard to find in HMV, which is still the most prominent music chain in Canada.

Sunrise Records also remains in business. While Sunrise generally just carries the latest hit recordings, they do feature a decent enough catalogue. I think, however, Sunrise is much better than HMV for purchasing DVD's, particularly their flagship store at Yonge and Gould, which has a superb DVD selection.

Sonic Boom, located at Bloor and Bathurst, is a huge warehouse-style store that carries both new and used CDs on their main level, and a decent selection of new and used vinyl in their basement. Rummaging through their many used titles can be a chore for the casual music collector, but if you enjoy CD treasure hunts, Sonic Boom is worth visiting.

Of course, there are many other great record stores in Toronto. Check out Queen Street West which has many great vinyl stores still in business.

In this digital age, some may laugh at the idea of people continuing to buy vinyl and CDs, but those of us who love the traditional method of purchasing music... HAPPY RECORD STORE DAY! Get out there and support your local record store.