Record Store Day, held annually on the penultimate Saturday in April since 2008, was started by independent record owners and employees to honor their “unique culture,” CNN reported. It is returning after two years of being on the shelf due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Billboard reported.
Swift said she was happy to be considered “the global ambassador” for the event.
“Record stores are so important because they help to perpetuate and foster music-loving as a passion,” Swift wrote in a statement on the RSD website. “They create settings for live events. They employ people who adore music thoroughly and purely. Those people and shops have had a rough few years and we need to support these small businesses more now than ever to make sure they can stay alive, stay eccentric, and stay individual. It’s been a true joy for me to watch vinyl sales grow in the past few years and we, the artists, have the fans to thank for this pleasant surprise. Happy Record Store Day, everyone! Stay safe out there.”
We are so happy to be back in record stores today! Thank you for celebrating the culture of the indie record store. Happy Record Store Day!!!#RecordStoreDay#RSD22pic.twitter.com/73yUxSdNG6
Independent retailers were selling 10,000 copies of Swift’s clear vinyl, 7-inch single, “The Lakes,” Variety reported. The two-sided record contains two versions of the song, CNN reported.
Many stores held lotteries for Swifties to obtain their favorite artist’s special vinyl, according to the entertainment website.
Some of the titles that were announced for Record Store Day, including those for Pearl Jam, Prince and Miles Davis, were delayed and will be released as part of a makeup event on June 18, Variety reported.
“We are so happy to be back in record stores today!” Record Store Day tweeted. “Thank you for celebrating the culture of the indie record store.”