Physical music formats still hold popularity, as Medicine Hat celebrates 'Record Store Day'. Djtomsten Hammarsten/Dreamstime.com

By Jayk Sterkenburg

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat embraces physical media and gives ‘Record Store Day’ a spin

Apr 12, 2025 | 5:39 PM

Saturday was a time for the people who make up the world of the record store — the staff, the customers, and the artists — to celebrate the special role they play in Medicine Hat on Record Store Day.

Music enthusiasts young and old still embrace the record as a favourite way to listen to music.

Charmaine Snow, owner of Poprocks Candy and Vinyl, said there are lots of reasons people still collect records.

“They just love the music, and music is universal,” she said.

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding independently-owned record stores.

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The phonograph record, or LP — standing for “long play” — was first introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, and was soon adopted by the public as the new standard.

“It’s a unifying experience with friends and family. You get your tactile senses, if you can hold something, read the liner notes,” Snow said.

Snow said with the invention of digital audio file distributor Napster and music downloading, it changed the face of brick and mortar record stores.

She said, however, that people are coming back to music stores.

“I think there’s a lot of different reasons why people are coming back to this medium, as opposed to streaming or downloading,” she said.

“It’s just so much more enjoyable.”

Snow said music downloads changed the face of brick and mortar record stores.. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Shopping for records Saturday, Mike Buist said there is no real barrier of entry for anybody who wants to start collecting.

“To have something that unites everybody of every age and status- you can come here, in this record shop,” he said.

“I’ve got a stack here of cheap, used vinyl. That makes it quite affordable.”

Mike Buist said there is no real barrier of entry for anybody who wants to start collecting records. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Pete Rose, owner of Round Again Records, said physical formats are definitely still popular, with younger crowds as well.

“I see lots of younger people in here,” he said.

“Probably over half my clientele are probably, I would say, 20 to 25 or younger, so it’s not just old guys like me buying records,” he added.

“It’s mostly young people, which is great to see. It keeps the interest alive.”

Rose said the younger demographic finds that with music, there can be more to it than just flipping through a phone and pushing a button.

“Some of the guys I talk to, they come in, they tell me, ‘Oh, I got my dad’s collection of this, or my grandfather’s collection of that, and it piques their interest,” he said.

“I think they just find it interesting.”

Pete Rose said physical formats of music are definitely still popular, with younger crowds as well. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Snow said she loves to hear customers shopping together reminiscing about memories, upon coming across certain albums.

“We also have a large number of customers that really enjoy that experience of coming in, having a dig, finding a treasure, and I think that’s what keeps people coming back and coming into these stores,” she said.

“It evokes a lot of feelings of nostalgia, happiness, something that you remember, maybe when you were a kid,” she added.

“It was your dad’s favorite record, and then you get to find it there for five dollars in the nostalgia bin.”

Snow said the look of excitement on someone’s face, when their day is made by finding something they’ve searched for, is a “beautiful thing”.