CREDIT: DUTCHSCENERY / THINKSTOCK
The London Record Show has been around for over 30 years, with it's first show being sponsored by the Fanshawe Student Union.

Centennial Hall in downtown London will be hosting the first of their bi-annual record shows this year on March 20.

According to event organizer and music lover David Richardson, shoppers can expect 50 vendors spread over 60 tables at the venue.

Richardson estimated that roughly 10 of these vendors will be local sellers, including a table for Michael Todd’s Speed City Records.

Other areas to be represented include Windsor, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo and points in between.

Richardson discussed the benefits of the unusually large selection available at record shows.

“If you’ve got 50 different dealers, all of which bring what they think are their interesting titles, you’re going to get more than you’re going to get at any one store…you’re going to have 30, 40 [or even] 50 thousand records.”

Additionally, record shows stimulate healthy competition between vendors, a rivalry that works in the favor of record buyers.

“[Vendors] want to sell what they bring, so they have to be pricing competitively. Maybe there’s a record that three or four or five different dealers at the show each have. The guy that has it for the most expensive price isn’t as apt to sell it as somebody who has more of a median price.”

These prices tend to be dramatically cheaper than those of the average retailer selling newly pressed vinyl.

“New records are very expensive these days. In a record store, if you’re going to buy new vinyl a lot of [them will be] $30 or more, plus tax. If you go to a record show you can get a lot of things for $5, and in very nice condition.”

Passionate collectors hunting for particular super-rarities may not find exactly what they’re looking for at a record show, but casual to seasoned record collectors can expect to be overwhelmed by desirable products.

“Some dealers bring some of their really special stuff, more to show it than to sell it,” Richardson said. “You can also make a connection with any of these dealers that might have something more specific that you’re looking for.”

Another benefit of record shows is that many vendors, including Richardson himself, sell from their private collections, which are otherwise not available to the public, making it an exclusive opportunity for collectors.

Other than 12 inch vinyl records, there will be 45 inch singles, CDs, DVDs, posters and other music memorabilia for sale.

The London Record Show, which has been around for over 30 years, has a historical connection to Fanshawe College.

“The first show I did was in 1983 at Fanshawe because the Fanshawe Student Union sponsored it for [around] the first 20 years,” Richardson said.