Music moves

New Noise, a Chengdu-based indie label, is set to celebrate annual Record Store Day with offline activities, Chen Nan reports.

For music lovers, the joy of walking into a record store, flipping through album covers and holding a physical disc cannot be replaced by clicking a download button on digital music platforms. The feeling is particularly missed and treasured during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic when many public spaces have closed their doors.

For music lovers in Chengdu, Sichuan province, there's something to cheer. On Saturday, music labels and record stores from around China will gather offline to mark the annual Record Store Day there.

As a global event to celebrate independent record stores and encourage music fans to support them, the tradition of Record Store Day started on April 19, 2008. It has since become a single day celebrated worldwide on April 23, with exclusive vinyl and CD releases only available at participating record stores. It often features a variety of activities such as performances and DJs spinning records.