In the past two and half years we have seen the demise of Aron's Records, Tower Records , The Virgin Megastore on Sunset, Sea Level Records, and Rhino Records in Los Angeles. The tradition of combing the stacks for a rare find, donning oversized foam-padded headphones at the listening station, and spending hours roaming the aisles trying to remember what's on your "must listen to" list is fading, or obsolete, for most of us already.

Today, though, is Record Store Day, which is a national assemblage of independent music retailers celebrating the vanishing art of what they give us. "On this day, all of these stores will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally."

All around the country today, participating shops will be having in-store events and performances, including our own mecca of the tangible disc, Amoeba in Hollywood. The fun kicks off at noon, and the day's events will feature live DJ sets from The Donnas, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Daniel Ash and David J (of Bauhaus/Love and Rockets). Amoeba tells us, "every hour, on the hour from noon – 7pm we’ll be giving away a $50 Amoeba gift certificate, Record Store Day t-shirts and more big prizes!!" Looks like they'll also have some exclusive vinyl and cds up for sale, too. So go rediscover what it's like to hold an album in your hand and appreciate the record store.

Amoeba Records
6400 West Sunset Blvd, Hollywood
Event hours: Noon-7 p.m.