This Saturday, record junkies worldwide will be descending upon their local record stores to celebrate the unique culture (as well as the unrivalled music knowledge) of record shops. The idea was founded in the states, but has grown in popularity and an impressive number of stores across the UK now participate too. Although you can buy music so easily online now, nothing beats the sense of occasion and the experience of immersing yourself in the buzz of a shop, trawling through endless records and leaving with something brand new that you can take home and listen to. They’re just about the only place you can go to where you’ll be practically forced to listen to brand new, fresh music rather than whatever’s popular. Isn’t that what music’s all about – falling in love with a brand new, life-changing band?

Rotosounds’ Jason has been collecting vinyl since his dad brought home the great ELO and Queen albums from the late 70’s – and is the proud owner of the first ‘Jam’ album and ‘Wreckless Erics’  (now very collectable on Stiff Records) 10” brown vinyl EP ‘Reconnez Cherie’. I doubt that people will remember their first online purchase so fondly! For me, I remember my dad always going to our local record shop when I was little to find his latest musical treasure – the people in the shop were uber cool and the shop always smelt of freshly brewed coffee. Anyway, if it’s been a while since you’ve shown your local store some love, pop along this weekend to show your support. You can see the list of participating stores here.