It’s been called “the single best thing that has ever happened” for independent record shops.

Can you guess what it is?

Record Store Day!

This annual event – happening April 22, 2023 – was founded in 2007 by a group of independent record store owners. Every year, fans and artists across the world gather at their favorite independent record stores to celebrate the culture within through special appearances and performances, and the issuance of special edition vinyl records and CDs.

In this spirit, PBS Wisconsin shares three clips to celebrate Record Store Day.

Amarrass

Ankur Malhotra’s lifelong quest to find India’s very own blues music is told through this animated tale. After attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ankur and his best friend Ashutosh Sharma discovered a deep need to preserve Indian music and created Amarrass Records. Through this record label, they discover legendary masters of Indian music, such as Lahka Khan and Barmer Boys.

The Science Behind: Vinyl

Take a deep dive into the process of how vinyl records are made!

Are MP3s & Vinyl Better than Live Music?

If you’ve ever talked to a vinyl purist (or are one yourself) you know that people can be pretty passionate about what format is king when it comes to music. And based on how much people like to brag about what band they saw live and how many times, we clearly value the authenticity of the live performance above all else. So which is the most authentic, recorded music or live performance?