Music lovers to gather at annual record convention in Bridgeville
Music lovers from around the globe will gather in Bridgeville on April 29 when the 44th Pittsburgh Record and CD Convention rocks at the volunteer fire department’s Chartiers Room.
The event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. will feature local and out-of-state vendors selling LPs, 45s, 78s, CDs, cassettes, posters and memorabilia for fans of rock, blues, jazz, heavy metal and even polka. And the collectors who visit the show looking for their latest score aren’t just Pittsburghers.
“I know people who come from Japan, Germany, Canada and even Greece,” said Anthony Medwid, the convention’s organizer. “They make the rounds to all the record conventions and they’re prepared to spend money.”
A long-time fan of rock music, Medwid started the convention 21 years ago to help feed his and other collectors’ appetites for collecting rare records and memorabilia.
“I’ve been a collector for quite a while,” Medwid said. “The first rock and roll record I bought was The Monkees’ ‘Last Train to Clarksville’. I used to dabble in photography and promote bands. I was going to other people’s record expos, but decided to start my own show. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t know how I was going to compete with the other shows.”
Medwid’s first record convention took place in a bingo hall in McKees Rocks, and he said the show attracted less than 100 people and barely lasted a few hours. His twice-a-year show now is eight hours long, attracts 30 vendors and nearly 300 fans, and now features an early bird admission for hardcore collectors who want the first crack at the vendors’ tables.
Local celebrities such as the late radio DJ Porky Chedwick and the late television host ‘Chilly’ Bill Cardille usually made appearances at the convention.
Medwid spent 17 years holding the convention in Green Tree, but recently moved the show to the Bridgeville VFD.
“It’s a nice neighborhood, they have ample parking, and it’s very comfortable there,” he said. “They’re good people.”
Once deemed a dead format 10 years ago due to CDs and digital downloads, vinyl records are now the music industry’s hot ticket.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, sales of vinyl records are at a 28-year high, and revenue of vinyl records has surpassed free music streaming services like YouTube and Spotify. Today’s mega-selling pop artists embrace the format, and their vinyl record releases can be found in large chain stores, proving that LPs are no longer banished to dusty thrift shops or hard-to-find independent record stores.
Medwid isn’t surprised by the vinyl record’s current surge of popularity.
“Everybody was putting aside their vinyl because they wanted CDs,” Medwid said of the vinyl record’s resurgence. “But now, they like the sound better than the digital stuff. The vinyl format is bigger and the lyrics are bigger. People are tired of miniatures.”
Admission is $10 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.