Tomorrow, as you now doubt are well aware by now, is the fourth annual official Record Store Day, in which we all get together and celebrate the brick-and-mortar shops that have managed to survive through the economy and the Internet stealing all of the action.
But, really, just how bad are things in the record store business? At the risk of sounding callous, they might not be so bad.
The Texas Music Office, which is a real thing that Governor Rick Perry (a known fan of music) runs at least in title, just sent out a press release to promote the annual holiday-of-sorts, with it including links to all the record stores in the state's major metro regions, which is something the office keeps tabs on.
And how many record stores do you think still exist in the North Texas region? After all of the sob stories we've heard in recent years, you'd think it'd be low. But, actually, the number is shockingly high.
Turns out there are well over 75 stores still open in the region. Granted, some of the ones that pop up on the list don't deserve to be there -- like, uh, local show promotion company Parade of Flesh -- but, regardless, it's a staggering figure. And that doesn't even count the likes of Best Buy, Target and Walmart.
Check out the list in full here. Then see if you can beat me to figuring out what, if anything, this means.