Independent record shop collective Dinked is expanding its international series to 15 American indie record stores in partnership with Secretly Distribution.
The first release under the expansion is Mort Garson's Mother Earth's Plantasia, which drops in the US as a Dinked International Edition on September 4 via Sacred Bones Records, in celebration of the album's 50th anniversary.
Limited to 1,500 copies, the edition will feature an exclusive Spruce vinyl pressing, a plant journal featuring the original Mother Earth's Indoor Plant Care Booklet and a digital download presented on a real seed-paper card.
It follows the inaugural Dinked International reissues of Pixies' Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, which were announced earlier this summer. Dinked has also collaborated with Matador Records on edtitions of This Is Lorelei's The Singer In My Band, and Dead Oceans on Phoebe Bridgers' Lost Weekend.
"Secretly Distribution has long been a fan of Dinked and its focus on bringing independent labels, fans and retail shops together to support those artists who are making the world's most exciting music," said Shelly Worcel, director of physical account strategy at Secretly Distribution. "We are thrilled to participate in the next chapter, as they expand internationally, working with some of the US' most forward-thinking retailers."
Collaborating with other independent retailers has always been one of my favourite ways to build community in this industry
Dan Drinkard, Seasick Records
Run by Natasha Youngs of Brighton's Resident Music and Rupert Morrison, formerly of Totnes' Drift Records, Dinked UK is a not-for-profit collaboration and collective of 36 independent record shops geographically spread across the UK and Ireland, and now 15 more in the US.
Over the past eight years, it has worked on in excess of 400 new release campaigns and 30-plus special archive editions that have led to more than 250,000 records sold.
"Dinked [is] absolutely delighted to work for the first time with a set of USA based partner stores," said Morrison. "These first Dinked International Editions will be available at 15 retailers in North America who very much share the Dinked ethos and will be working alongside the UK's most proactive and industrious independent music retailers to expand the network and the Dinked International series."
The participating retailers include Electric Fetus (Minneapolis, MN), End Of An Ear (Austin, TX) Going Underground (Los Angeles, CA), Grimey's (Nashville, TN), Lunchbox Records (Charlotte, NC), Mills Record Company (Kansas City, MO), Park Ave CDs (Orlando, FL), Plaid Room Records (Loveland, OH), Reckless (Chicago, IL), Rust & Wax (West Palm Beach, FL) and Seasick Records (Birmingham, AL).
"Collaborating with other independent retailers has always been one of my favourite ways to build community in this industry," said Seasick Records' Dan Drinkard. "It's been amazing working with the UK Dinked team to create thoughtful and engaging exclusive releases that we'll be able to offer here in the US."
Sacred Bones will also host two special Plantasia anniversary events in Chicago, IL (September 10-11) and Kingston, NY (September 19-20), as well as still-to-be-announced events at independent record stores throughout September.
