Record Store Day 2020 postponed due to coronavirus
"No one knows what things will look like in any given place in the next five weeks, and decisions for that time period need to be made now, using current facts."
Record Store Day 2020 has been postponed due to the spread of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.
The annual event, which sees over 200 independent record stores across the UK come together, and worldwide events take place, has been rescheduled until 20th June 2020.
Originally due to take place on the 18th April, RSD released a statement about the postponement via their website: "Record Store Day is a worldwide event involving thousands of people and small businesses—In our discussions over the last few weeks, as information came and changed daily, and then hourly, we’ve taken all of them into consideration as we go over various options: Stay the course. Move the date. Change the structure of the event. No one knows what things will look like in any given place in the next five weeks, and decisions for that time period need to be made now, using current facts.
There is no perfect solution. There is no easy answer. We’ve decided that the best of all possible moves is to change the date of Record Store Day this year to Saturday, June 20.
We think this gives stores around the world the best chance to have a profitable, successful Record Store Day, while taking into consideration the recommendations of doctors, scientists, the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, and the need to be good citizens of both local and worldwide communities.
We’re working with all of our partners and our stores to make this change as smooth as possible for everyone who participates in Record Store Day: customers, record stores, artists, labels and more. Record Store Day is everywhere and we want to hold our party when everyone can gather around safely to celebrate life, art, music and the culture of the indie record store.
(And hey! Anything with the April 18, 2020 on it just became that much more special!)"
It's the latest in a series of global events to be called off due to fears of the spread of COVID-19. Tomorrowland Winter, Ultra Abu Dhabi & Miami, Coachella, SXSW, Rampage, Snowbombing, and Timewarp have all recently either postponed or cancelled.