Record Store Day has been gracing fans with music performances and limited edition vinyl bundles for fans since 2007, but they weren't successful at first until a band surprisingly supported the event.
According to the co-founder, Metallica has to be credited as why the annual event "exploded" because they struggled to find support during their early years.
In an event moderated by Variety, Michael Kurtz revealed that he found little enthusiasm in music stores when he was developing the concept before they launched in 2007.
"In the beginning it was very hard, because almost nobody carried vinyl unless it was used, and most used vinyl was 25 or 50 cents," he said. (via Power96 Classic Rock KQCL)
At the time, there was no business model for vinyl as it had been "completely dismantled."
When he approached record store owners about the idea, their first response was negative because they stopped carrying vinyl.
The time came, and small organizations were interested in the event. Kurtz later approached the legendary band and asked them to participate.
He recalled the experience as a "big explosion for everybody involved" because everyone was a little down after the Tower had gone out of business, but Metallica stepped in and put their vinyl records on the first Record Store Day.
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"When it happened, it exploded, and then it became as if it had always been there or something," he added.
Over the past years, the event has become big, and they celebrated its 15th anniversary recently. This year's Record Store Day got the support of over 1,000 stores in the United States, more than ten times the number from their launch year.
Record Store Day 2022
Over the past weekend, many fans who got limited-edition copies of their favorite artist's vinyl rejoiced as this year's Record Store Day debuted.
According to USA Today, artists who participated this year include Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, the Rolling Stones, and Taylor Swift.
Many of the bundles released this year are very rare as it was the first time an artist released their album or single in the form of vinyl.
Limited-edition vinyl from artists includes Nicki Minaj's "Beam Me Up Scotty" in psychedelic Fuschia vinyl and Taylor Swift's rare 7-inch single of "The Lakes" from her album "Folklore."
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