SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- eBay, one of
the world's largest and most dynamic marketplaces, is coming
together with Record Store Day (RSD), the organization behind the
country's largest annual celebration of independent record stores,
to uplift thousands of record shops across the country at a time
when it matters most. Normally a single-day music event, RSD has
instead created a series of drops between now and the end of
October, each of which featuring a curation of musical legends and
shining new stars sourced directly from expert record stores with
deep knowledge of the industry. Starting today, shoppers can
explore the first drop and know their patronage is supporting a
small business.
"This year, I've been amazed as I watch record stores react to
the world around them and shift their business model to include
online sales as a way to reach their customers where they are —
which is mostly at home — and continue to provide them with
entertainment, distraction and fun, while keeping their own
important small business afloat," said Carrie Colliton, Carrie
Colliton, a Record Store Day co-founder. "eBay has been a
great way for stores to grow and expand their reach."
"We look for every opportunity to support small business on
eBay, especially right now as they adapt to these challenging
times," said Chelsea Walsh, Senior
Category Manager, Media & Musical Instruments. "Our partnership
with Record Store Day comes at the ideal moment when we can help
elevate independent record stores and bring them new customers, all
while celebrating music and vinyl collecting."
Record Drops from Small Businesses
Vinyl collecting
has seen a massive resurgence in recent years, and eBay's 182
million active buyers worldwide — coupled with RSD's following
among music lovers and business owners — make for a curated online
shopping event unlike any other. With nearly 400 titles spread over
the three RSD drop dates, including albums from Billie Eilish,
David Bowie, the Notorious B.I.G.,
Fleetwood Mac, Miles Davis and many more, there are records for
every musical taste. The RSD drops schedule and release highlights
are as follows:
August 29:
- Charli XCX, "Vroom Vroom EP"
- Billie Eilish, "Live At Third Man Records"
- David Bowie,
"ChangesNowBowie"
- The Pretenders, "Live! At the Paradise, Boston, 1980"
- U2, "11 O'CLOCK TICK TOCK (40th Anniversary Edition)"
- Midland, "Live From The Palomino"
September 26:
- Fleetwood Mac, "The Alternate
Rumours"
- The Notorious B.I.G., "It Was All A Dream: The Notorious B.I.G.
1994-1999"
- The Rolling Stones, "Steel Wheels Live (Atlantic City, NJ, 1989)"
- Britney Spears, "Oops!...I Did
It Again (Remixes and B-side)"
- The Doors, "The Soft Parade: Stripped"
October 24:
- Miles Davis, "Double Image: Rare
Miles From the Complete B*****s Brew Sessions"
- The Rolling Stones, "Metamorphosis UK"
- Cheap Trick, "Out To Get You! Live 1977"
- Johnny Cash, "Classic Cash: Hall
Of Fame Series - Early Mixes (1987)"
- Beck, "No Distraction / Uneventful Days (Remixes)"
This collaboration comes at a time when record stores and other
small businesses are adapting to the unforeseen impacts of
COVID-19. While some businesses adopt curb-side pickup or delivery
services to stay connected, others turn to ecommerce and
marketplaces like eBay.
Karl Groeger, president of Looney
Tunes Record Store and participant in the upcoming RSD event, said
the following of his experience using the platform: "The last few
months for our 49-year-old brick and mortar store have been
difficult, to say the least, dealing with the complications of the
coronavirus. Our saving grace has been our eBay store. Our online
business has skyrocketed from 15% of our business in 2019 to now
over 35%! We would love for our customers to pop into our store but
if they can't, check out our eBay store - we really don't know
where we would be today without it."
Celebrating Records with Vinyl Week
eBay is also
celebrating the third-annual Vinyl Week starting September 28 at eBay.com/vinylweek. The special
"vinyl obsession" shopping moment will include a series of
exclusive collections sourced from RSD-pledged stores, including
rare finds and staff picks offered by participating shops. Further,
there will be two additional special events that week: One
including a sale of top albums, each of which accompanied by a free
three-month Tidal subscription, and another in partnership with
MusiCares to offer a curated auction with all proceeds benefiting
the charity.
These small business-focused events come on the heels of eBay's
efforts to provide resources and relief to entrepreneurs navigating
impacts of the coronavirus. In the initial months, eBay launched
its "Up & Running" program which focused specifically on
retailers without an online presence to help them reach new
customers through ecommerce — today, tens of thousands of small
businesses have joined eBay to sell through the program. Looking
ahead, the marketplace continues to identify opportunities to
elevate and educate sellers turning to online marketplaces as part
of their business operations.
Music and record lovers can shop the first drop now, and follow
@eBay on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the marketplace's
latest offerings.
eBay by the Numbers
- eBay has 1.5 billion plus listings
- eBay has 182 million active buyers worldwide
- 71% of items ship for free in U.S., U.K. and DE
- 81% of all merchandise sold on eBay is new, and our wide
selection keeps growing
- $17.1 billion mobile volume on
the eBay platform
- 530 million downloads of eBay Inc. apps across the globe
About eBay
eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY) is a global
commerce leader including the Marketplace and Classifieds
platforms. Collectively, we connect millions of buyers and sellers
around the world, empowering people and creating opportunity for
all. Founded in 1995 in San Jose,
California, eBay is one of the world's largest and most
vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique
selection. For more information about the company and its global
portfolio of online brands, visit
www.ebayinc.com.
About Record Store Day
Record Store Day, the
organization, is managed by the Department of Record Stores and is
organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media
Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and
promotes independent record stores year-round with events, special
releases and other fun things.
Record Store Day, the global celebration of the culture of the
record store, has taken place annually in April. Due to the
Covid-19 pandemic, the 13th annual Record Store Day will be
replaced by RSD Drops, three separate title drop dates set to take
place on three Saturdays in the 4th Quarter of 2020: August 29th, September
26th and October 24th.
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SOURCE eBay Inc.