This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On April 19, 1775, minutemen in Lexington and Concord fired the first shots in their struggle for independence.
On April 19, 2008, independent record stores will launch a salvo they hope will stymie big-box retailers and allow record stores to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of putting another dime in the jukebox, baby.
Saturday is Record Store Day, a nationwide effort by independently owned record stores to celebrate their role in the community and persuade customers of retailers such as Wal-Mart to shop locally instead of sending their entertainment dollars to Bentonville, Ark.
The seven locations of Graywhale Entertainment and Salt Lake City's Slowtrain are among those that have planned a full day of festivities, ranging from concerts to goodie bags of free music and other gifts. Owners of the stores will strive to convince first-time customers that they can find diverse music - including up-and-coming local artists - they won't be able to find anywhere else. Especially not at Target.
"We hope something will resonate," said Dustin HanĀsen, a Graywhale regional manager who began as a part-time Graywhale store employee.
"We're not a corporate record store," said Anna Brozek, who opened Slowtrain in downtown Salt Lake City nearly two years ago with her husband, Chris. "[This is] a way of life."
Musicians and labels have lined up to support Record Store Day.
Mike Ness, legendary frontman of Social Distortion who will play The Depot in late May, told The Salt Lake Tribune that he was turned on to bands by knowledgeable record-store employees. And when he formed his own band, it was record stores that spread the word and hosted in-store concerts.
Country rocker Jesse Dayton, touring with Ness, said independent record stores "helped me fall in love with music. . . . I can't say enough about how important they are."
Recent customers at Graywhale said an abundance of local music and customer service keep them coming back.
"These guys will go out of their way to help you find what you're looking for," said Chris Speaks, 20, of Taylorsville. "They'll notice that if I pick up the Killers, they might recommend Franz Ferdinand."
One artist, though, told The Tribune that he can't blame customers for going elsewhere to buy music.
"You can't beat Best Buy, paying $10," said rapper Glasses Malone, adding that an independent record store that he loves in his hometown of Los Angeles charges more than $18 for albums.
Slowtrain and Graywhale owners said their prices are normally competitive with big-box retailers, but for Record Store Day, they will slash prices, give out free music and serve refreshments.
Along with recruiting new customers, record stores hope to resurrect album sales. Albums have declined in popularity as downloading singles becomes the norm for buying music. In 2000, according to Nielsen, U.S. consumers bought 785 million albums. In 2006, they bought 588 million, including those downloaded.
Record stores have suffered the brunt of that decline. The New York Times reported in July 2006 that only 2,700 independent record stores were operating after about 900 stores closed in the previous three years.
---
* DAVID BURGER can be reached at dburger@sltrib.com or 801-257-8620. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Check Web sites (http://www.slowtrainmusic.com for Slowtrain, and http://www.fatfin.com for Graywhale) for hours of operation and more specific details:
* Slowtrain, 221 E. Broadway, Salt Lake City, 1 p.m.: Six local bands will play, including Devil Whale's Brinton Jones and Laserfang.
* University of Utah Graywhale, 208 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City, noon to 6 p.m.: Eight DJs will spin records and 16 local bands will play, including Lump Sum, Task and Den of the Flow.
* West Jordan Graywhale, 1670 W. 9000 South, 9 a.m. to about 11 p.m.: All-day classic movie screenings from each decade, including "Casablanca" at 9 a.m. and "No Country for Old Men" at 8:15 p.m.
* Taylorsville Graywhale, 1763 W. 4700 South, 2 to 6 p.m.: Local band showcase sponsored by The Blaze and X96.
* Draper Graywhale, 256 E. 12300 South, 10 a.m. to about 10 p.m.: All-day classic music-related film screenings, including "Pretty in Pink" at 4:45 p.m. and "Gimme Shelter" at 8 p.m.
* Orem Graywhale, 575 E. University Parkway, Suite M-222, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.: All-day open-mike talent search with half-hour sets by local acts.
* Bountiful Graywhale, 500 W. 400 North, 1 to 8 p.m.: Video game tournaments, including Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Rock Band.
* Ogden Graywhale, 4066 Riverdale Road, 7 to 11 p.m.: Hardcore/metal showcase with more than five bands, including Gaza, Loom and Cherubin.