New vinyl album releases give record stores a kick

[April 20, 2012]  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- It's that time of the year when music artists pay homage to the hometown record store.

This year there will be more than 300 vinyl releases from artists as varied as Katy Perry, David Bowie and the Misfits to celebrate the fifth Record Store Day.

The event was hatched to give a boost to independent music retailers who've been facing competition from online music sales and streaming music services.

Hundreds went out of business several years ago, but the number has stabilized in recent years.

Ken Glaser is vice president of sales for Alliance Entertainment, the nation's largest wholesale distributor of compact discs, DVDs and vinyl records. He says between 1,750 to 2,000 stores remain in business today.

[Associated Press; By DAVID SHARP]

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