As Record Store Day’s stature has grown over the last seven years, it’s easy to lose sight of the international music retail celebration’s humble beginnings. Here, on the eve of Saturday’s (April 19) event, Billboard sat down with RSD co-founder Michael Kurtz who explained the inspiration behind the event (Tower Records closing, Free Comic Book Day), some stores’ initial resistance (claims of being a “sell-out”) and the event’s exponential growth (from 100 stores to nearly 2,000).
