Shop Owners Claim Big Musician Trying to Hijack Record Store Day

Some shops preparing for Record Store Day this Saturday (April 18) have found themselves at a crossroads after receiving a shipment of albums from an artist they did not request.

And at least one of those shops is refusing to sell the album altogether.

Chicago Record Store 'Not Thrilled' After Receiving Album Shipment

If you are into collecting vinyl and have spent any time on social media in recent days, you've probably seen some of your favorite shops posting about their Record Store Day inventory for their event on Saturday.

Record Store Day is a nationally organized effort to bring limited-edition and unreleased titles to independent record stores. In most cases, shoppers line up well in advance of the store's opening to get their hands on rare vinyl when it first goes on sale.

Chicago's Pinwheel Records is no different. The store has been keeping customers updated on social media about what will be in stock when the doors open on Saturday.

But a video shared on Pinwheel Records' social media on Thursday took a much different tone. The post talked about the store receiving a "surprise" album to put out on Record Store Day.

"We did not order or request this record – it was shipped to us by the artist's distribution arm in hopes we'd post to social media and talk about how excited we were to have copies of the album," the post states. "We're actually not thrilled at all and now we've been put in the middle of an obvious guerrilla marketing campaign for this artist – something we have no interest in doing."

Store Refuses To Name Artist or Sell Album

Throughout the nearly nine-minute video, Scott Schaff and Kim Foreit of Pinwheel Records discuss how they have been conflicted on what to do with their copies of the album for an unnamed artist they described as "problematic."

Pinwheel Records via Facebook

"It's not like we want to destroy them or throw them in the trash. I don't think that serves any productive purpose," Foreit said. "If anything, I think that actually makes the art unintentionally more powerful."

Both Schaff and Foreit were clear that the store did not pay for the albums. They did mention, however, that the record had been released digitally earlier this year.

Pinwheel Records customers who are interested in the album will be required to donate to a mental health advocacy group by scanning a QR code in the store.

"We didn't ask for this," Shaff said in the video. "And again, it doesn't seem to serve any purpose to throw these in a dumpster and make a big deal about it, or even not make a big deal about it. I don't think that really accomplishes much."

Pinwheel Records is not accepting any money for the album. They also made it clear that the album is not in any way an official Record Store Day release.

Who Is the Artist Sending Unsolicited Albums Ahead of Record Store Day?

Additional record stores have shared unboxing videos and photos of unsolicited albums as they arrived this week. But unlike Pinwheel Records, some stores were upfront about the artist's name.

Broken Records in Modesto, California, shared a photo of a letter from gamma., the company behind the latest release from Ye (formerly Kanye West).

"Enclosed please find 10 copies of our latest release, Bully by Ye, on an exclusive vinyl color variant available only through select independent retailers this Record Store Day," the letter reads. "Consider this our gesture of appreciation for everything you do."

In an Instagram post, Broken Records said the store was not expecting the shipment of Ye albums.

"It's amazing when big labels show love to small independent shops like me," the post said.

While it is not certain that the unsolicited albums that arrived at both Pinwheel Records and Broken Records are the same title, we do know that both have been confirmed to have been pressed on green vinyl.

Some music acts create controversy through their words and marketing techniques, while others do it through their album covers. Here is a look back at album covers that had to be changed after they were deemed to be too controversial.