Each year, artists create special tracks or releases just for the day. Participating stores buy the records and CDs they want and sell them only for that day. Some stores do live music and giveaways along the way.
Gallagher says his store will have about 400 new titles for sale. Other local shops are participating in varying capacities:
Recorded Memories will have some of the special releases and, depending on the weather, a sidewalk sale.
The Bachelor Pad will have a half-off sale on some records and boxes of others for 25 cents each. If the weather's nice, they'll have food and beer in their backyard patio.
The Long Ear in Coeur d'Alene is offering 20 percent off vinyl and CDs, 22 percent off everything else they sell and extra price cuts if you share their Record Store Day ads on your Facebook.
(Search the full list of participating stores here. If you know a participating local location we missed here, comment or email me at heidig[at]inlander.com.)
For Gallagher, it's a huge day for business because of the sought-after special releases that bring dedicated fans to browse and stand in line (this year, he says, look for the new Flaming Lips and a live Built to Spill album).
"This is the most wonderful thing to happen to the music business," Gallagher says. "I'll be paying back taxes and past due rent with this."
(By the way, that awesome poster above was designed by the Inlander's own Derrick King.)
