You've been hearing it for years: Physical media is dead.
Except that it isn't—well, not completely. Adele's new album, 25, just broke the record for most US sales in a single week, topping *NSYNC's previous high of 2.42 million. In 2015, this is an insanely huge number. And Adele's projected 2.9 million sales are without the aid of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, avenues she's refused to use with this album, perhaps to bump revenue from more lucrative sources. While many of 25's first-week sales are coming from downloads at the iTunes store, just as many—if not more—are from fans physically buying her CD at stores, both online and at brick-and-mortar retailers.
Sure, Adele is freakishly successful, but I don't think these massive numbers are entirely an anomaly. The further we get from 1999's peak of physical album sales, and the more downloading and streaming become part of our media consumption, the more incontrovertible it seems that certain stubborn people still like buying actual albums—on CD and, particularly, vinyl.
This is a welcome fact as we enter the holiday season. A carefully chosen and personally selected album remains one of the very best things to give and receive as a present, and all the iTunes gift cards in the world won't change that. It's worth keeping this in mind as you read our rundown of Record Store Day releases for tomorrow's Black Friday. Sure, there are unnecessary vinyl reissues of readily available albums, and there's a surfeit of ludicrously priced fan-bait meant to fleece diehard collectors. But there's some pretty cool vinyl coming out this Friday as well—releases that'll have me waiting in line alongside all the other music fanatics and vinyl lovers. The things that made Record Store Day such a cool idea back when it launched in 2007 still hold true: Any excuse to visit the local record store is a good one. And you don't necessarily need to be interested in any of these special Record Store Day releases, either. It's always worth visiting Portland's great record stores any day of the week, whether you're looking for a terrific holiday gift or just want to treat yourself.
