Kate Bush Announced As Ambassador For Record Store Day UK
Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Written by Jon Stickler
Kate Bush has been revealed as this year's ambassador for Record Store Day UK.
The British singer will release a one-off 10" Record Store Day edition of her single Eat The Music exclusively via independent record shops on April 20. The track was originally intended for her 1993 LP 'Red Shoes', but was shelved in favour of Rubberband Girl.
The Wuthering Heights and Running Up That Hill singer shared a rare public statement on her website to confirm the news. She explained that it was "a huge honour" and "great privilege" to champion the culture of record shops all over the UK and celebrate the art of vinyl:
"What a huge honour to have been asked to be Ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day. It really is a great privilege.
Isn’t it great to see how the resurgence in vinyl has taken the music industry by complete surprise? It had decided to leave vinyl far behind, but it would seem that not everyone agrees! I love that!
I know there are many, many artists who are just as excited to see the audience turning the tide.
In the same way that some people like to read a book on Kindle but also want to have a book as a physical object, a lot of people like vinyl and streaming. Both have different appeals.
The added bonus of vinyl is that it encourages people to listen to albums. An art form that I’ve always thought can be treasured in a unique way.
An album on vinyl is a beautiful thing, given a strong identity by its large-scale artwork. There’s a much more personal connection with the artist and their work.
It’s been fun putting designs together for some of the previous RSDs. This year’s design echoes the cancelled release of Eat the Music as the first single from the album, The Red Shoes.
The image was intended to be on the cover of the single bag and is now on the disc as a UV print.
The title, Eat the Music, is meant to be a playful nod to 'If music be the food of love, play on,' from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Each year Record Store Day gathers more attention, more momentum, and attracts more people who cram into indie record stores all over the world to see what’s up. What’s new?
This year, I hope you have a fantastic time at this very important event, and that you get to celebrate music that’s been specially released for you.
Very best wishes,
Kate"
Previous Record Store Day ambassadors include The 1975, Taylor Swift, Sir Elton John, and Noel Gallagher. Paramore were recently confirmed as the official global ambassadors for this year's Record Store Day.
Record Store Day 2024 will take place on April 20, with over 270 small and independent shops set to take part, the highest in its 17-year history. Head here for more information and to check out a full list of Record Store Day releases.
Last November, Bush was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Additionally, her song Running Up That Hill became the first '80s song by a female artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify, due to a surge in popularity after its use in the Netflix series Stranger Things.
Bush has put out 10 studio albums to date, her most recent being '50 Words for Snow', which was released in 2011 via her own label, Fish People. She also put out the live LP, ‘Before The Dawn’, in 2016 and the compilation record 'The Other Sides' in 2019.
'Eat The Music' 10" tracklist:
1. Eat The Music
2. Lily
3. Big Stripey Lie
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