( CNN ) Like phone booths and typewriters , record stores are a vanishing breed -- another victim of the digital age . Camelot Music . Virgin Megastores . Wherehouse Music . Tower Records . All of them gone . Corporate America has largely abandoned brick-and-mortar music retailing to a scattering of independent stores , many of them in scruffy urban neighborhoods . And that 's not necessarily a bad thing . Yes , it 's harder in the Spotify era to find a place to go buy physical music . But many of the remaining record stores are succeeding -- even thriving -- by catering to a passionate core of customers and collectors . On Saturday , hundreds of music retailers will hold events to commemorate Record Store Day , an annual celebration of , well , your neighborhood record store . Many stores will host live performances , drawings , book signings , special sales of rare or autographed vinyl and other happenings . Some will even serve beer . To their diehard customers , these places are more than mere stores : They are cultural institutions that celebrate music history ( the entire Duran Duran oeuvre , all in one place ! ) , display artifacts ( Aretha Franklin on vinyl ! ) , and nurture the local music scene ( hey , here 's a CD by your brother 's metal band ! ) . They also employ knowledgeable clerks who will be happy to debate the relative merits of `` Blood on the Tracks '' and `` Blonde on Blonde . '' Or maybe , like Jack Black in `` High Fidelity , '' just mock your lousy taste in music . So if you 're a music geek , drop by . But you might think twice before asking if they stock `` I Just Called to Say I Love You . ''
Saturday is Record Store Day , celebrated at music stores around the world . It's a day to celebrate and buy records from your favorite artists or bands.