• Marty Giles

  Online editor

“At five in the morning there were already people in front of the shop, while we open at 9 in the morning,” says Jorn van der Linde of the Concerto shop. in Amsterdam. “In the afternoon, there were queues of no less than 200 meters in front of the door.”

These lines didn’t exist today for a major artist, but in Record Store day. On that day, many long-running exclusive records will be released all over the world Sold: From a record with one-of-a-kind recordings by Taylor Swift to a compilation album of K3 songs.

It was the busiest day of the year for Van der Linde. His store in the center of the capital was staffed full time to manage the flow of visitors. “I heard from my colleagues that it was very busy everywhere in the country,” says van der Linde. Because of enthusiasm, his store had a maximum of one copy per person. “You want to prevent inventory from running out immediately.”

about some release There was already a pre-hype: this is how the American magazine Variety named Taylor Swift Long pool studio sessions Most Requested Album on Record Store Day 2023. The album has sold 115,000 copies worldwide: an exclusive, beating Swift’s usual sales figures.

Maaike Schneiders (29) from The Hague was at the door of Paagman Library at 07:30 to get a copy. “I strategically and deliberately considered going to a bookstore that also sold records.” In the big record stores in The Hague, she was afraid that she would be caught behind the net for Swift.

“You can see from people what records they’re coming for. You feel kind of competitive in the queue.” Schneider was lucky: “I got my second Taylor Swift from this store.” Her backup plan was Doe Maar: especially on Record Store Day, the famous Nederpop group released their double EP lime bars Outside.

A fellow Schneider enthusiast got up early for nothing: She came for a special live album by English band The 1975 and couldn’t get it. “There were only a hundred of these available in the Netherlands today,” van der Linde replies from the concertos.

It has seen a growing interest in vinyl in recent years. “Since the emergence of Corona, we see more and more young people in the store.” For example, teens flock to artists like Harry Styles and Yungblud. But there is also a lot of interest in the records among people in their 20s.

“Ten and twenty years ago, vinyl buyers bought music mainly from “dinosaurs,” van der Linde continues, pointing to U2 and The Rolling Stones, for example. “Now all kinds of music are bought on vinyl. We also sell artists recorded at the Ziggo Dome.” Not that the younger generation only comes for new artists, the head of the concerto assures: ABBA, for example, is also popular.

On Record Store Day, retailers are trying to attract more (young) customers to their stores using the so-called in storesFree mini shows by artists. Today many stores also offer the Dutch singer-songwriter Froukje’s single with a purchase.

Recent figures from industry association NVPI confirm the picture van der Linde paints. Last year, vinyl sales rose 30% to 37 million euros. “It’s a trend we’ve seen for years,” responds spokeswoman Eva de Vroom. According to Vroome, sales volume increased because records became more expensive, but also because more were sold.

Van der Linde, who is shopping for the concerto, finds that records are becoming much more expensive. “I’ve been thinking for a few years that the limit has been reached, and €30 is about the maximum a record is worth. But a new Taylor Swift, for example, costs about €60. Personally, I think that’s a lot of money. ” Van der Linde estimates that the price increase in the past four years has been about 25 percent.

This is partly due to higher costs on the part of the producers: the costs of raw materials, transportation and storage have increased. This is transferred to the buyer. But according to Van der Linde, record companies are also responding to the growing demand simply by ordering more work.

Schneider remembers a successful day when she got her first choice. And the hapless fans? They can seek refuge on sites like Ebay and Marktplaats, where first copies of Swift’s album are already being offered, although many fans will probably have to save more for it.