When I think of Black Friday, the first thing that pops into my head is someone wheeling their shopping cart through a crowded parking lot, craning their neck around the 75 inch flat screen that's sticking out of it. While discounts on giant TVs and coffee makers are nice, Black Friday can also be a great day for music heads who love collecting physical formats of their favorite artists. This is also a wonderful way to shop independently this holiday season and put your money into local music stores that add to the cultural richness of the Bay Area.
Since 2010, the organizers behind Record Store Day have held Black Friday events at participating locations around the US. Record stores are given a limited amount of exclusive CD, LP, and single releases and usually extend their hours. Fortunately, the Bay Area has plenty of options with more than 20 record stores participating in the festivities in San Francisco and the East Bay including Amoeba Music, Rasputins, Thrillhouse Records, Econo Jam Records, and 1-2-3-4 Go! Records.
The great thing about these Black Friday releases is that stores aren't allowed to do online orders or hold them. All of these rare titles are sold on a first come, first served basis. Customers are also only allowed one copy of each title on the Black Friday list. So round up your friends and take a look at the full list of Black Friday 2019 releases so you can start prioritizing. Record Store Day releases are always highly coveted because they often have tons of colored vinyl and pictures discs.
Personally, I'm stoked for the the 7" single of "The American In Me" by San Francisco punk legends the Avengers on transparent red vinyl and the Dio Rainbow In The Dark Live picture disc (two great 1983 releases)! That being said, not every record store will have the release you're looking for. So, be sure to call up the spots you plan on hitting to ask if they'll be carrying it.
Happy shopping!