Though it may sound like a preposterous notion, yesterday was known as Record Store Day. Hey if we can have World Rabies Day, it is only fair we can spend 24 hours observing the place where a lot of people shape their musical tastes.

As most of you know, I spent 8 and a half brilliant years working in a record store before I was suddenly hit with something blunt and sold my soul to become a corporate fat cat. My tenure behind the counter at Atlantis Music was deeply rewarding and one that will live with me forever. There was nothing better than connecting with the punters on a personal level, trading music suggestions and advising against purchasing certain albums. I would like to think I was partly to blame for the relatively poor sales of 12 Memories by Travis.

Other times, no matter how hard I pushed an album, it would remain neglected and eventually heavily discounted and still neglected. The Feeler's Communicate is a killer album and if you can spare three dollars you can also own it.

As I approach a year out of the record store I have glanced back at my musical purchases since and while it has been a pretty good hit and miss ratio it is glaringly obvious that it is missing something: new artists.

Everything I have bought in the past 12 months has been from bands and singers I am already accustomed to from anticipated sophomore efforts (Lupe Fiasco's The Cool) to tried and true acts (Counting Crows) to bands I would never have guessed I would hear from again (Crowded House). Great albums but safe purchases one and all.

So why haven't I purchased any new artists? There are a number of excuses but sheer laziness on my behalf is a good starting point. I don't really listen to radio these days, I can't recall the last time I tuned into Rage and music magazines have been eradicated from my usual reading material.

I let my subscription to Rolling Stone lapse because the journalism was bordering on rubbish. Q magazine got the flick because if I wanted to read Top 100 lists every month I would gather at a pub with my mates and thrash out our own Top 5000 Guitar Riffs of all time. I can tell you now, The Beatles wouldn't make a fucking appearance either!

Something had to be done about listening to new artists before I suddenly became that 40 something white collar worker who is only interested in bands that formed before 1983.

It therefore made sense to put my faith in the very people I used to be.

So last week I called up my old store and asked them to put together a list of artists I should check out. I would either do a bit of homework on the net and say yes or no or go with my gut and their sage advice and take a chance. Currently I have them sending me an album by a girl called Rachael Brady and they have supplied me with a list that will keep me busy for a while.

But I must also be a bit more pro-active. My affiliation with a record store 1800 km away means my exposure to new music down south will focus on live gigs from bands like The RGBs.

Either way it is time to stop mucking about and get back into the game.