This year’s Record Store Day has come and gone, but the Oxford vinyl scene is still spinning.

Last week, I popped into Riverman Records on my commute to the Schwarzman. Owner Andrew Tucker is always playing something worth listening to, and I often find new-to-me classics in his curated collection. This time, I picked up some albums by Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, and The Hollies.

Andrew and I love record stores for the same reason. 

Andrew: For me, it’s finding something new. I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ve got a lot of records, but there’s always something new that turns up. I think that is the interesting thing about record shops. If you want a specific record, then you go online and you buy it. If you go into a record shop, you’re looking to see what’s there, to see if there’s something to spark your interest.

I grew up with streaming services that compiled music recommendations for me. I believe vinyl has seen a resurgence in the last couple decades because it reinstates the active search for new favorites. I wouldn’t have chosen The Hollies on Spotify last week, but now “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)” has been playing on a loop. I passed up a copy of St. Vincent’s 2021 release Daddy’s Home (but this column does take physical media donations, for any readers feeling particularly generous).

Riverman Records. Photo by Julia Blackmon.

Me: How do you decide what to stock, and what is interesting to you?

Andrew: Well 90% or more of our stock here is used, so it depends. It is all from collections that I buy from people. People turn up with a bag or a box or a boot full of records and if I think they are interesting or sellable, then I’ll buy them and sell them on. So I never know what’s going to come in. I’ve got some new stock, but it’s not new releases. It’s old classic stuff. Kate Bush, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Lou Reed: stuff that I know people are interested in, that I maybe can’t fill up with used stock as often as I’d like. So I top it with some new bits and bobs.

I asked Andrew about vinyl’s endurance since the pandemic, and whether he thought Record Store Day had an input on record sales.

Andrew: Record Store Day was a big driver when it first started. It has been going for a long time, and it was very small to start with and it gradually built up as more and more well known artists got involved, and that really did push things forward, I think. It kind of peaked around 2019, 2020, and it has been constant ever since [the pandemic]. I don’t see it dropping off. You know, the sales of new vinyl keep going up every year. There’s still a huge demand for it.

The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. In 2022, vinyl records officially surpassed CDs as the most popular physical recorded media format for the first time since 1987, according to a report by Jilayne Jordan for Camoin Associates.

Riverman really does stock all the classics. Andrew also carries a variety of jazz and blues picks alongside indie deep-cuts and film soundtracks. There is something for everyone, so consider making Riverman your next study break destination.

If you are located further south, Truck Store covers Cowley’s vinyl (and coffee!) needs. Truck also hosts an annual Record Store Day event featuring live performances, limited edition vinyl titles, and music-related competitions. This year’s afterparty was headlined by Willie J Healey at the Bullingdon.

Truck’s Carl Smithson spoke to me about their take on Record Store Day after a hectic weekend of festivities and promotions.

Me: Tell me a little bit about Truck’s history with Record Store Day. What does it look like, how has it grown, and what are you excited about this year? What is important about Record Store Day across the UK?

Carl: We’ve taken part in RSD every year since we opened in 2011 and have seen it grow and grow into far and away the biggest day in our calendar. Over the years we have used the publicity the event generates to host some incredible events, including past in-stores with Young Knives, Stornoway, and The Wedding Present. This year we invited long-time friend of the store Willie J Healey to headline our RSD after-party at The Bullingdon, an event simultaneously celebrating our 15th anniversary on Cowley Road.

The great thing about the event is it’s up to the individual stores to play to their strengths and celebrate what makes them unique in their own way. Some stores go all-in on the limited titles, others go big on live music. For stores who are second-hand specialists, it’s a chance to run special offers … the beauty of independent music retailers is we are all different, and so approach the day in a way that suits us best!

Truck Store. Photo by Julia Blackmon.

Me: How does Truck interact with the local Oxford music scene? 

Carl: As we were originally opened in collaboration with the original Truck Festival founders, supporting and championing the local music scene has been a key part of our ethos from the get-go. We stock local music, put on local acts in-store and beyond, and do whatever we can to promote the thriving music scene in Oxford. It’s heartwarming to see familiar faces forming bands and a number of great Oxford bands have emerged directly from behind our counter… Shout out to Mandrake Handshake and Aftercare!

Me: Why do you think records have ‘come back into style’ in recent years? How has the industry changed?

Carl: I think a large part of the re-engagement with physical media, be it vinyl or more recently CD, is the generations who have grown up with streaming as the main means of listening are now discovering the joy of connecting with albums and a sense of ownership builds a connection which is something new. Many people are returning to vinyl as a listening experience, which forces engagement and focus in our increasingly distracted culture, and of course, in an era of endless playlists the idea of the album itself as a piece of art is something to be celebrated!

I decided to speak with another local favorite media hub to round out my self-guided tour of Record Store Day in Oxford. The Ultimate Picture Palace Cinema (UPP) is just around the corner from Truck Store and showed High Fidelity for their Record Store Day feature.

Steven Endersby, UPP’s marketing and communications manager, was the architect behind the UPP/ Record Store Day crossover.

Steven: It’s the first year that we’ve done it, and it’s no coincidence that it is the first year that I’ve worked at UPP. When I started, I said Record Store Day seems to be something that we should tie in with. I love record stores. I grew up in the 90s, and I grew up in record shops and fell in love with music that way. I feel like there’s a real kinship between cinemas and record stores- places that you gather, places of community. When they’re done right, places where you learn things. So it seemed like a really good fit.

UPP also showed Empire Records on April 8th for Rex Manning Day, the fictional cult-classic holiday which the film revolves around. Steven said that this year’s showing ended in a spontaneous round of applause, which is rare for films that aren’t brand-new and highly anticipated.

Steven: I’ve only seen that twice since I’ve been there, and the other was for a Sunday morning kid’s club. The atmosphere for High Fidelity seemed to be really good, as well. I imagine that 99% of the people in the room had seen it before, they just really enjoyed seeing it again.

The UPP’s lineup for May includes screenings of the Before trilogy along with Antifa on Screen: A Season of Anti-Fascist Classics. There will also be screenings of Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada and Max Walker-Silverman’s Rebuilding. Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons will be shown on 35mm. UPP has also initiated a new Director’s Cut series which will begin with Peter Strickland: https://uppcinema.com/show_type/directors-cuts-peter-strickland/

Book your tickets here.

The Ultimate Picture Palace. Photo by Julia Blackmon.

The team at UPP is currently at risk of losing their lease, and have launched a campaign to save the cinema:

“Not only is the UPP well loved by people in Oxford – it’s defying national trends in ticket sales – it has historical and cultural significance way beyond our city. Opened in 1911, the cinema is housed in an iconic Grade II listed building. It’s one of the oldest independent cinemas in England, and the only one which is community owned, with over 1,200 shareholders.”

You can learn more about the campaign by reading Nora Mackay’s article for The Oxford Student. If you would like to donate or volunteer, please do so on the UPP website. 

Local audiovisual media is at the heart of Oxford culture. Go to concerts with your friends, invest in a secondhand record player, or attend a screening of your favorite film at an independent picturehouse. As John Cusack’s character says in High Fidelity:

“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like … Books, records, films – these things matter.”