They say music is a universal language that brings people together.
And one needn’t look any further than an online group founded in Halton Hills to realize the truth behind this sentiment.
Dubbed ‘The Record Player,’ this growing movement of music enthusiasts has drawn members from across the GTA, Canada, the United States and overseas, reaching places like Scotland, Australia and Germany.
The Facebook-based group where all things music are discussed was started a little over two years ago by Scott Galloway. Having worked in the industry and being a lifelong music enthusiast, the Georgetown man said it was common for him to be chatting about the topic online with friends.
“One night I had about five different chat boxes open at the same time, and I thought, why are we all talking about this separately?” he recalled.
With Facebook requiring a name to start a group, and a record playing in the background for inspiration, The Record Player was born.
“We all chatted in the group for probably half the night,” said Galloway. “Within a few days we went from seven or eight people to 30 or 40 people. And in a month or two we had 200 to 300 members. To me, that was amazing.”
With the group now sitting at close to 2,000 members and counting, it’s clear that Galloway’s desire to talk about music struck a chord with many.
To help manage the growing entourage, he brought friend Heather Black on as a group administrator.
They had business cards made, with Galloway being dubbed ‘the keeper of musical knowledge’ and Black ‘the doer of things.’
In addition to leading the charge on many musical discussions in the group, Galloway started doing virtual interviews with Canadian artists, which are posted on The Record Player’s YouTube channel.
To get the ball rolling, he reached out to a member of the Canadian new wave band, the Spoons, and was pleasantly surprised when he received an immediate response agreeing to an interview.
“Next thing you know, I was talking to Rick Jackett from Finger Eleven,” he said.
Black then began emailing record label representatives and reaching out to musicians through their websites and social media platforms, which garnered positive responses as well.
Galloway has now conducted over 40 interviews with known musicians from a variety of genres - something Black ultimately hopes to have in a podcast format as well.
“One day we’re going to send an email to someone who’s stupidly famous, they’re going to say yes and we’ll be in heaven,” he said.
The Record Player has its own logo and merchandise, with sales helping raise money for YWCA Canada, which provides childcare, literacy and life skills, employment, counselling and shelter for victims of domestic violence.
While the group has grown so much, Black said they’ve still been able to develop some really strong connections with other members.
“Some of the people in other provinces have become good friends of ours,” she said. “It does become like a family, and these are your people.”
