A record store is for life, not just for Record Store Day!

The Official Charts Company has teamed up with Record Store Day to launch a brand new chart reflecting sales through the UK’s coolest and most vibrant independent record shops.

And with less than 24 hours to go before the Official Record Store Chart launches, we spoke to several independent record shop owners up and down the UK to find out what they think of having their own dedicated chart.

“Record Store Day is a world-wide celebration of record shops and their unique position that they have in their local community,” says London’s Rough Trade East manager and Record Store Day organiser Spencer Hickman. “The idea of the Official Record Store Chart is to take Record Store Day and keep it in people’s minds throughout the whole year. It will give a true representation of physical sales across all the indie stores up and down the country.”

While Alan Jordan, owner of Reflex in Newcastle, and Lawrence Montgomery, MD of Rise in Bristol, both feel that the chart will help to highlight underground acts who are yet to break through to the mainstream.

"People love charts and lists of all kinds, this gives us a chance to highlight some of the more leftfield albums which indie stores sell in decent numbers, but which fail to impact the mainstream charts," says Jordan.

“The launch of the Official Record Store Chart will be able to provide a platform for the tastes of the discerning music fan and help us as shops to further showcase the scores of great albums released every month that often slip under the radar,” adds Montgomery.

Rupert Morrison, manager of The Drift in Devon feels the Official Record Store Chart will put indie stores, and the people who shop in them, on the map.

“Events like Record Store Day and Black Friday highlight that independent music retailers are still a very important part of music consumption,” says Morrison. “The Official Record Store Chart will be a fascinating insight into the musical identity of these fine independent institutions… and of course the people that frequent them!”

Record Store Day 2012 takes place this Saturday (April 21). Log on to www.recordstoreday.co.uk to see the full list of participating stores, what exclusive releases will be available and which bands will be performing in your local record shop.

You can also check out a video of Gossip and Public Image Limited frontman John Lydon talking about their favourite record stores below. Do you have a favourite indie record store? Tweet us @officialcharts and let us know!