Staff Writer 

Record stores are not dying, Bull Moose Music Operations and Marketing Vice President Chris Brown said.

“The reality is the individual stores are doing great,” he said. “What most are doing now is adding different things. At Bull Moose, half of our store is movies now. It’s just like in the mid-90s when we said ‘Hey, there might be something to this rap-rock stuff.’ We’re always continuing to broaden.”

Record stores are so alive, Brown said, nearly 1,000 independently owned record stores across the globe have agreed to participate in the second annual “Record Store Day,” on April 18. 

In Maine, Brown – a South Portland resident – said local and regional bands such as “Dominic and the Lucid,” “Killswitch Engage” and “All the Real Girls” will join nationally-recognized performers “Disturbed” at various Bull Moose stores to celebrate the event. He said many bands will spend the day performing and signing autographs, even if it doesn’t make sense with where they are in their musical careers.

“When an album comes out, you go on tour, sign T-shirts and talk to fans. It’s just part of the gig,” he said. “‘Disturbed’ hasn’t put out an album, they don’t have to do autographs, but they are.”

In addition to live appearances, Brown said many bands agreed to release never-before heard live performances or unreleased songs in the spirit of the event. Ultimately, Brown said any independently-owned record store can participate in “Record Store Day,” and how they become part of the event is up to them.

“Some have DJs, others focus more on the ‘record’ than the ‘store.’ For us, it’s bigger than Christmas,” he said. “Whatever they want to do is cool.”

Being cool is what brought “Record Store Day” about in the first place, Brown said. He said the concept for an international musical celebration came to him in June 2007. He said several major music production companies were receptive to the idea and agreed to make an effort for their bands to visit a record store near regularly scheduled venues. 

“I just thought, ‘We like your bands, is there any way for us to get some cool stuff for our customers?’” he said. “Wherever they are, do an event all on the same day.”

Brown said one European-based company particularly liked the concept of “Record Store Day,” and agreed participate the first year. Some Canadian stores also agreed to celebrate the first “Record Store Day,” but Brown said the event received worldwide attention when British musician Billy Bragg performed at a local record store in the United Kingdom. 

“I really didn’t think it would spread,” Brown said. “Then all of a sudden I was getting calls from stores in Tokyo.”

Last year, approximately 600 stores participated in the event, a number Brown said he is hoping to double this year despite the grim economic outlook. 

“The stuff is inexpensive and being there is really fun,” he said. “Good times or bad times, people are always looking for something fun to do.”

A New York native, Brown said he has been spending countless days in record stores since he was three. 

“When I was seven my favorite toy was the radio. I’ve always been a music person and a collector,” he said. “Back when you could ride your bike places I would ride my bike to the record store.”

Brown said he met Brett Wickard at Bowdoin College in Brunswick before Wickard opened the first Bull Moose Music Store. Although he wasn’t originally involved with the business endeavor, Brown said he eventually realized Wickard was going to need somebody to help him run the company. 

“In 1995 it really started cranking,” Brown said. 

Brown said he joined the Bull Moose team around the same time the company opened its Lewiston store. He said his experience living in “an old mill town” in New York helped him evaluate what it would take to make the new store successful.

“It was like ‘Oh, I get it,’” he said. “I understood the Lewiston crowd.”

Musically, Brown said Maine and New York are “similar in that music is really important to people.”

“Central New York is really a rock crowd. I didn’t know WBLM but I grew up listening to stations just like it. Up in Lewiston, they have their heavy metal and that’s it. If a heavy metal album won’t sell in Maine, it won’t sell anywhere,” he said. “There’s a lot more going on [in Maine] than you would expect, which makes it a great place to have a record store.”

A former musician, Brown said his experience in the music industry has convinced him the key to success is “paying attention to the fans.” He said the days when “prefab bands” – groups arranged by music producers for a specific audience – ruled the airwaves is over. 

“You really need to play well with all the people who can help you,” he said. “The image can be deceptive; Courtney Love may look like a disaster, but at some point ‘Hole’ showed up and played.”

For more information on “Record Store Day” and an updated list of appearances visit www.recordstoreday.com.