New Noise: Record Store Day 2012 Special

The fifth annual Record Store Day takes place this Saturday 21st April. To mark the occasion I interviewed the UK representative and Rough Trade East boss Spencer Hickman for a New Noise podcast special.

Musically - along with a few of Spencer’s favourites - there’s a chance to hear some of the most sought after releases of this year’s event: namely a split 7” which features Mastodon covering Feist and vice versa; plus The Dead Boys; the first new PIL song for over 20 years; new Beach House and an unreleased Top of the Pops recording of David Bowie’s ‘Starman’.

In the interview Spencer and I discuss the plans, logistics and limited releases of RSD ‘12, and the possibility that the event may have even become too big and commercial for its own good. We also cover the current state of independent record shopping and vinyl sales in the UK, especially in light of the decline of HMV, and I finally get the chance to ask why it is that Rough Trade is so blimmin’ expensive.