By Natalia Serrano
Activities held during the Mitski listening party at Heroes and Villains. Photo courtesy of Heroes and Villains.
Since the rise of social media and streaming services, physical media has taken an unfortunate backseat. After we were all locked in our houses during COVID, the “listening party” had come back into popularity and is becoming more standard day by day.
I went to Heroes and Villains, a locally owned comic/game/record store, and spoke to one of the managers, Ofelia Ledesma, to get a little more insight into this popular event.
According to Ledesma, the listening party is an event hosted by Record Store Day (RSD). RSD is a company that works closely with record labels to help promote the release of a new album to the fans and general public.
They reach out to local businesses and choose which parties they would like to host based on their audience. RSD also hosts another highly popular event under the same name and is known for its special releases and pressings.
The purpose of RSD and these listening parties is to help not only the labels but also to promote shopping at locally owned record stores as opposed to Target, Walmart, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
Ofelia Ledesma promotes the JOJI Indie exclusive album at Heroes and Villains. Photo by Ofelia Ledesma.
These listening parties can be a really good way for community outreach as well. Ledesma said, “I like seeing people come out because they’re always very happy, especially when we have stuff from their favorite bands.”
She said the parties are always a fun event to host, adding that their favorite part is getting to see people in high spirits.
“People are very friendly, and it makes me happy to see people talking to each other about the things they like,” she said.
The event also helps their name get out there. As a locally owned business, they try to get people interested in music, but also physical media in general. Heroes and Villains isn’t the only store that does this either; Zia Records and Wooden Tooth Records also host these events from time to time.
The main goal of hosting these events is to bring the community together. Listening parties are free events with no sign-ups required, so anyone can go.
You can even bring home some cool keepsakes, such as stickers, posters, wristbands and more, depending on the location. Some locations also offer giveaways to get album-themed items.
Activities held during the Mitski listening party at Heroes and Villains. Photo courtesy of Heroes and Villains.
Ledesma wants to have Heroes and Villains be a safe place for people and hopes to host more fun events for fans and listeners in the future.
Find Heroes and Villains on Instagram for more information on these events and future events here: @hnvtucson.
Zia Records: @ziarecords. Wooden Tooth Records: @woodentoothrecords.