National Record Store Day 2013 on April 20: Featuring Limited Edition Vinyl Releases

Princeton Record Exchange and Record Store Day April 20, 2013

Record Store Day is a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA and hundreds more stores abroad (www.RecordStoreDay.com).  It is held on the third Saturday in April; this year 4/20/13.

As one of the leading independent record stores in the country, Princeton Record Exchange is pleased to participate in this exciting event, and we hope you will join the thousands of others coming from all around the East Coast to celebrate it with us.

On this date, hundreds of limited edition titles are allotted only to independent record stores (no chain or "big box" locations), freebies are given away, and special events take place.  See below for the list of announced titles.

The quantities of many of these pieces are extremely limited, so we're not making any promises about stock levels. We have ordered heavily on the titles we expect to be in high-demand, and our distributors do like us, so keep your fingers crossed.

As part of the celebration, this year we are pleased to be screening the “premier” of the official Record Store Day film, “Last Shop Standing: the Rise and Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop”.  It is a U.K documentary that has received excellent reviews.  Independent record stores like Prex are being offered the opportunity to show it before the U.S. release.  We are partnering with our friends at the nearby Princeton Public Library to show the film on Friday April 12 at 7:00 pm.

Hope you get a chance to visit us on this very special day!

Record Store Day 2013 Indie Exclusives at Princeton Record Exchange

Please note these titles are sold come, first served. Please do not call us to ask for something to be held...we want to be fair to everybody. Along those lines, please note that we will be limiting purchases to 2 of each title per person (on the first day...after that whatever we have left over is fair game!). For you folks who are not familiar with us, please know that we are a bricks-and-mortar, walk-in store only; sorry, no mail order.

Princeton Record Exchange and Record Store Day April 2012

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Click to Watch our Record Store Tour Buy and Sell CDs, DVDs, LPs. Browse 140,000 new & used titles

We've participated in Record Store Day since it first began, and every year we've had a fantastic turnout. This past April, we were thrilled to have the Grammy-award winning band They Might Be Giants help us celebrate by performing a free concert in the nearby Princeton Public Library courtyard. The weather was great, the band was in fine form and the turnout was fantastic! Over 1,000 folks showed up and the band spent hours at the store after at a meet-and-greet posing for photos and signing autographs. It was truly a memorable day.

Below are a number of articles in the press written about both our 30 year anniversary and record store day.

"At 30, Princeton Record Exchange Is Still Groovy"

Published in US 1, April 2010

"The store will draw nearly 800 people before closing this night — and this is just on an otherwise unremarkable, non-shopping-season weekday. On a normal Saturday there might be 1,500 customers wending their way through 4,300 square feet of entertainment at 20 South Tulane Street, just off Nassau Street in downtown Princeton. [...And] how low are the store’s prices? “People make a living off us,” Lambert says. The few used record and CD dealers (including people who sell online or still make the flea market circuit) often come in to buy items that they in turn sell for a profit. It doesn’t bother Weisfeld, and if it did, it wouldn’t change anything" .... Read the full article.

"Prex, the Shop Heard Round the World, Celebrates Thirty Years Next Weekend"

Published in Town Topics, April 2010

"Prex will be raffling away eight days of prizes, starting small with T-Shirts and gift cards, ramping up to a USB turntable and a grand prize of both the stereo and mono Beatles box sets (a $400 value). These free raffle tickets will be available at the library concert and at the store throughout the week. Read the full article.

"No One You Can Save That Can’t Be Saved"

Published in Town Topics, April 2010

"In putting together the store’s impressive stock of merchandise, Mr. Weisfeld travels to collectors’ homes for bigger purchases. One huge purchase took place earlier this year on the NFL’s championship Sunday. He and a buyer left for Manhattan at 6 a.m., arriving at a Park Avenue apartment at 7:30, and purchased about 10,000 CDs, 2,000 DVDs and 2,500 records."... Read the full article.

"Record Day attracts a record crowd "

Published in Princeton Packet / Central Jersey, April 2010

The event was the third annual National Record Store Day, a nationwide celebration of independent record stores. At the Record Exchange, buyers volleyed to get their hands on some of the 150 limited edition releases that were distributed exclusively to independent stores Saturday. Recently named the nation’s best college town record store by Phil Gallo in USA Today, the Record Exchange attracts buyers from throughout the East Coast with its extensive vinyl offerings. Mr. Gallo, co-author of the new book, “Record Store Days: From Vinyl to Digital and Back Again,” called the store “the best place between New York and Philadelphia.”... Read the full article.

"Fidelity for record stores still runs high"

Published in USA Today, April 2010

TOP COLLEGE-TOWN STORE IN THE US: The 30-year-old Princeton Record Exchange in Princeton, N.J., opened in an alley, then operated as a proper store before moving into a trailer in a parking lot. "It's the best place between New York and Philadelphia," Gallo says... Read the full article.

"Record stores fading out? 'Day' says no"

Published in Philadelphia Enquirer, April 2010

"Princeton Record Exchange, a legendary store, plans to use RSD to help celebrate its 30th anniversary. Jon Lambert, general manager at the Exchange, attributes its success not only to the number of heavily discounted CDs and resale opportunities, but, again, to the sense of community"... Read the full article.

"In the Groove: Record Store Day and Princeton Record Exchange celebrate 30 years"

Published in Princeton Packet / Central Jersey, April 2010

" It’s an unusually hot April day and Mr. Lambert is in one of the store’s back rooms. Classical music CDs are stacked on a long counter, and vinyl LPs line a wall of shelves. The iPad was released days earlier, yet another new device to tempt music lovers away from CD players and turntables, but Mr. Lambert speaks confidently of the store’s place in the market as it celebrates its 30th anniversary"... Read the full article.

Other Recent Articles

For a nearly-complete list of articles written about Princeton Record Exchange, visit the articles section of our website.

From the Holiday, 2009:

It was a blast in 2009, with Richard Barone at Princeton Record Exchange jamming out. Click on the above images to watch the videos. We've also included our 2009 post in full below, so feel free to read about the lead up too!

Mark the date - on April 18th, National Record Store Day takes on a new life at Princeton Record Exchange. Now with the backing of major labels, we'll have 75 record store day only promotional items. Between vinyl samplers, Beatles Lithograph, a special edition of Decibel magazine, posters, green reusable shopping bags, iron-ons and turntable mats, the place is going to be crazy! Come revel in the moment with fellow vinyl afficionados at one of the best independent record stores, and celebrate the day.

Record Store Day is the brainchild of Chris Brown and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally. It's about the intimacy and the overall experience of going to your local record store and supporting these hard working musicologists.

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores band together with artists to celebrate the art and influence of music in our culture. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products will be made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the US and in various countries across the world will make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off the first RSD at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and it is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

PREX is a proud participant in the celebration as are hundreds of musicians who remember and appreciate this historical audio medium:

"Immersing yourself in the environment of a real record store where music is celebrated and cherished adds real value to the experience of buying music. In some ways, that retail experience is as important as the music."& John Mellencamp

“There’s nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in LA, I realized what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I’m more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope that these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!”& Paul McCartney

"I buy CDs all the time. I'll go into a record store and just buy $500 worth of CDs. I will! I am singlehandedly supporting what's left of the record business. I hate to see record stores disappear, and I'm old-school in that I think you should pay for your music. But what my kids do is download a lot of things, pay for them, and then if they love something, they'll get the CD. That may be the future.” Bruce Springsteen

However if you thought RSD was going to be a once a year event, think again! The fine folks in charge have come up with another dynamic to help keep the independent record store bottom line workable. "Vinyl Saturday" will take place the third Saturday of each month and will offer music fans special vinyl releases that are limited and exclusive, along with highlighting non-exclusive but new vinyl releases and reissues.

The first Record Store Day Presents "Vinyl Saturday" was on Saturday, June 20th and it featured a special Green Day 7" single that was limited to 4,000 copies and other special releases. Each single was numbered. The 7" single featured two tracks. Side A is "Know Your Enemy" and Side B is "Hearts Collide" (a previously unreleased track.)

Other specials have followed and we are now proud to celebrate “Vinyl Saturday” this November 7th with a special 40th Anniversary edition of Abbey Road that includes the vinyl album, and a t-shirt that featuring the original artwork for the “Come Together”/”Something” 7”single, along with a corresponding poster. This limited edition deluxe package will limited to 5,000 copies, check with your local store for availability.

Quotes from 2009:

Jon Lambert (GM)

"I cut my music-retail teeth managing a couple of mall chain record stores in the early eighties. Keeping abreast of the top pop charts for a couple of years, I thought I knew most of what there was to know about music. Then I got a job in a large independent record store and was absolutely blown away. The staggering scope of genres, musicians and titles that flew (and continue to fly) through our place humbled, excited and overwhelmed me. 20 odd, and I do mean odd, years later, not a day goes by when I don’t see something I have never seen before. I love working with the dedicated and knowledgeable staff, the incredible customers with their passions and loyalties, and the never-ending adventure of discovery. The climate is exhilarating….long may we (all) rock!"

Jersey Beat Magazine

"I love trolling the used CD bins and discovering new or half-forgotten treasures, which you can pick up for as little as 99 cents. [Princeton Record Exchange is] also a great place to look for used vinyl as well as pick up all those new releases you just can’t live without. The staff is friendly and helpful, and yes, they will buy your used CD’s and vinyl. All record stores deserve our support, but Princeton Record Exchange is a very special place that feels as much a part of the New Jersey music scene as Maxwell’s or the Court Tavern. I can’t imagine life without it, and I hope I never have to."

CentralJersey.com

The Princeton Record Exchange will offer giveaways with loads of stickers, buttons, iron-ons, reusable tote bags, promotional 7-inches and CD samplers from music labels such as Merge, UMG, Motown and Red Eye. The store will also sell exclusive 7-inch vinyl recordings from artists including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Flaming Lips, Flight of the Conchords and Modest Mouse.

NJ.com

"There were 30 people waiting outside when I opened the store," said Lambert on April 11. Some of that may have been the allure of limited edition records from famous artists only available during RSD. "Springsteen was gone in half an hour, Bob Dylan was gone in half an hour."

Browse through over Five-Hundred 180 Gram recordings when you visit our Independent Record Store. Whether it's RSD or not, our store has the widest collection on the east coast with over 140,000 music and movie titles, many of which are at used prices and in mint condition. RSD is being celebrated at over 1,000 stores across 16 countries, but the one place you'll want to be is the store with the best selection - Princeton Record Exchange.

Get First Dibbs on 2009 Releases

For example, Queen's first EP, unavailable until now in the United States, will be issued as an exclusive, while an autographed Brian May guitar will be raffled from the RSD web site. Meanwhile, Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Slayer and Brandi Carlile will each be releasing an exclusive 7-inch single.

Have you been watching the indie sensation Flight of the Conchords on HBO lately? Get ready for their limited-edition single, which is to be released by Sub Pop along with Blitzen Trapper, Obits and Vetiver, as well as an 18-track CD featuring a live set from Iron & Wine's 2005 tour in support of "Woman King".

Epitaph is joining with Anti to issue Tom Waits, Booker T. Jones and Bad Religion 45s. Wilco's got an exclusive advance of its DVD, and Jane's Addiction, the Pretenders, Elvis Costello and Pavement will all be joining in with their own exclusive releases.

We look forward to doing business with you.

PRINCETON RECORD EXCHANGE, INC
20 South Tulane Street
Princeton, NJ 08542
www.prex.com
1.609.921.0881

We are passionate about recycling unwanted CDs, DVDs and Records into the hands of music and movie lovers who can appreciate them all over again.