It hasn't gotten as much publicity as the now sacred Record Store Day but Cassette Store Day just celebrated its first rendition in the United States (year one only occurred in the UK) and apparently did so with success.
The idea behind the event is fairly simple: New, exclusive cassette releases for those who show up at record stores to get them. We're not sure how many of the recordings are exclusive to Cassette Store Day or how many will be available online in the weeks following it, but some big name acts chipped in as well. Karen O's Crush Songs became available for tape fans while Gaslight Anthem offered its 2010 album American Slang and They Might Be Giants went all out, releasing four albums in cassette form.
Unfortunately the nearest record store to our hometown of Columbus, OH that was taking part was in Toledo so we didn't get to check it out. However we also noted that many of the big name Lower East Side record stores that are staples of Record Store Day didn't take part either. Clearly a movement that's getting its feet wet at the moment and we hope to see it expand widely assuming it comes back for 2015.
We personally only own two cassettes (Creedence Gold by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury by the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy) but we're not going to criticize anything that inspires people to actually buy music. You can check out Music Times earlier report on the RIAA's midyear findings and tell that the industry needs a shot in the arm somewhere.
