Record Store Day 2024 Brings Crowds to Milwaukee’s Own Lilliput Records

Hundreds of people lined up outside Lilliput Records on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side on April 20 for its Record Store Day 2024 event. The store opened its doors at 7 a.m., but some record collectors waited since as early as 6:30 a.m. the previous day in order to secure limited edition vinyl.  

Record Store Day was created in 2007 by a group of independent record store owners who wanted to put a spotlight on the subculture of record collecting, which was experiencing a surge in popularity. The record store owners wanted to capitalize on this increase while also spreading their love of the once overlooked medium. To increase public interest in the event, its creators held sales in their stores and enlisted the help of artists and record companies. Artists like Metallica performed at stores nationwide and limited-edition records were made, specifically to be released on record store day. 

The event was an instant success and has only increased in popularity, with record company Fluance, calling it the best thing to ever happen to record stores. Year after year, it has proven to be the single highest-selling day of the year for independent record stores. The event is now being celebrated in almost 1,400 stores across the country and many more internationally.

This year’s event included 387 limited releases, some from up-and-coming artists like Laufey, and some from musical legends from the Beatles. One particularly popular release was a collaboration where Olivia Rodrigo covered Noah Kahan’s hit song “Stick Season” and Kahan covered Rodrigo’s song “Lacy”, which retailed at $17.99 but is now being resold for upwards of $40. The releases spanned all genres, providing fans of all types of music an opportunity to find something special. 

“I’m really stoked for the David Byrne and Paramore collab,” said Alison White of Milwaukee, who waited in line all night to secure a spot at the front of the line. 

Vinyl records were once considered a dead medium, with CDs and later streaming services becoming the most popular way to listen to music. While many moved on to a more convenient format, many audiophiles and music fans continued to listen and collect vinyl. Some of these collectors were nostalgic about the music of their childhood, while some enjoyed the unique sound that records provide. The music we listen to today on CDs and on our phones is digital, which is created by binary code. Records, however, are analog sound, which provides a more exact representation of what was performed in the studio, since it does not need to be compressed.  

These fans helped keep vinyl alive, and in 2006 record sales increased for the first time since the 1990’s and have continued to rise ever since. While the nostalgic collectors remain, many new vinyl fans are too young to have remembered the original popularity of vinyl, but now see it as a new way to enjoy their favorite music. Some also like the idea of having a physical copy of their music, in case it were to be removed from streaming services. 

“What are you gonna do when music on streaming platforms anymore?” said 26-year-old Johnathon McLaughlin. “If in say, 15 years, these artists decide not to put their music on streaming platforms, there’s going to be no music.”

Record Store Day is certainly an influence on this surge in popularity, as its variety of limited-edition releases offer both re-releases of classic albums as well as first-time pressings of newer music.  

“I’ve gotta get Young Thug’s ‘Jeffrey’, that’s at the top of the list,” said McLaughlin. “Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Luv is Rage’ is on my list too.” 

Young Thug and Lil Uzi Vert make trap music, a subgenre of rap known for its heavy bass and violent lyrics about criminal activity. It’s not a genre that appeals to the older generation of collectors, so the fact that these albums are being released on vinyl shows that record collecting has become popular with a younger crowd and that music labels are acknowledging this pattern.