The End of All Music hosted a listening party on Friday night for pop star Sabrina Carpenter’s new album, “Man’s Best Friend.” The event included free swag like stickers for fans and the chance to win a vinyl copy of the album.
“Man’s Best Friend” is Carpenter’s seventh studio record, and it follows on the heels of Carpenter’s Grammy-nominated 2024 record, “Short n’ Sweet,” which included the Billboard Hot 100 Top Five single “Espresso.”
Sophomore Riley Abbott, an interdisciplinary studies major, attended the party with junior early childhood education major Aarah Mayor. Abbott and Mayor worried the songs would sound too similar to Carpenter’s previous album.
“But one of them was a bit slower and sounded a little more serious, which was when I was like ‘OK, she’s actually, like, changed up a little,’” Abbott said.
Staff from End of All Music, located on the Square, distributed stickers and vinyls for those who ordered them before the event. A ‘rock, paper, scissors’ tournament was hosted to determine which attendee would win a free record of “Man’s Best Friend.”
Listening parties like this one have become more popular in recent years as artists reach out to local record stores to host the events.
“People like to send the swag and make a whole thing out of the release day,” End of All Music staff member Ian Kirkpatrick said.
Local record stores serve as apt venues for listening parties, too, as more fans have started to covet physical music like CDs and vinyl records.
“People like to collect,” Kirkpatrick said. “I personally like having my record collection, and it’s a nice thing to have in the modern era of streaming.”
End of All Music encapsulates the charm of buying physical music for some locals and students.
“I usually take my friends who are new to Oxford, ‘cause they usually love it,” Mayor said.
Although physical music can be found at large retailers, many consumers make a point to shop for music locally whenever they have the chance.
The event was free, but many fans opted to purchase Carpenter’s record, sealed in an envelope with the album’s provocative cover. Fans left with more than just a round plastic disc, though.
Kirkpatrick said that purchasing a physical copy of the studio album solves the modern-day predicament of being able to listen to music but never really having anything to show for it.
“(Purchasing a record is) a way of buying what you love and having it for yourself,” Kirkpatrick said.
