Ever since the early days of Record Store Day (RSD for short), I’d wondered why there weren’t more collaborations between record stores and radio stations on a day heralding the importance of local, independent businesses and media. Over the years various radio stations did set up tables at record shops during Record Store Day and even this year college radio station WSOU-FM is doing a remote broadcast from a nearby record store. Given all of that, I was interested to hear about yesterday’s launch of Record Store Day Radio on Dash Radio. We recently wrote about Dash Radio, as the Internet radio start-up will also be the home to a revamped East Village Radio (see my 2008 field trip here).
According to Record Store Day,
Record Store Day Radio is the only radio station that collects Record Store Day releases in one place and presents them to listeners in a commercial-free format via Dash Radio, the biggest original digital radio broadcasting platform in the world. Tune in to hear exciting rarities, classic reissues, b-sides, demos, and other material that was released to limited quantities exclusively for RSD — some of which is now out of print and unavailable online. The station will also be showcasing new releases that are coming out this Saturday, April 18, for Record Store Day 2015.
After week one, Record Store Day Radio will move into its regular format, playing a diverse mix of fresh and classic cuts alongside Record Store Day rarities. RSD Radio will be playing music that is popular in record stores, highlighting artists and songs that are often neglected by commercial radio. Several programs will be curated by record store owners from around the globe, giving them the control to share their local scenes with the world while creating unique radio shows with the personality of their individual stores.”
Billboard reported in January that, the idea for Record Store Day Radio was first broached by musician Chuck D. According to Billboard,
[Record Store Day founder Michael] Kurtz said the idea to have an RSD radio station was first brought to him by Public Enemy leader and co-founder Chuck D, 2014’s Record Store Day ambassador, at the organization’s Los Angeles press conference at Amoeba Records in March of last year. ‘He kept bringing up that we needed a Record Store Day radio station, so I said, “You really want this to happen?”‘ Kurtz tells Billboard. ‘”It would be so cool, one of the few cool things Record Store Day hasn’t done.” He started the whole conversation.'”
Record Store Day Radio’s Facebook page announced its launch yesterday saying that the station would feature “a whole week of music found on Record Store Day releases past and present.” I took Record Store Day Radio for a spin today on the Dash Radio app and website and heard a bit of The Velvet Underground’s “European Son,” a Miles Davis track, and a pretty song from The Julie Ruin. Take a listen at the Record Store Day Radio channel on Dash Radio.
