The band Paramore held a worldwide listening event Feb. 7 for their newest album, “This Is Why,” at Repo Records on South Street in Philadelphia.

Repo was one of 82 stores in the U.S. chosen to hold the event ahead of the album’s Feb. 10 release, along with 17 stores in 14 other countries.

Originally from Franklin, Tennessee, Paramore is an emo band most known for their songs “Misery Business” and “Still Into You.” Their new album includes songs like the titular “This Is Why” and “Running Out Of Time.” 

The store allowed 100 fans inside at 5 p.m. to listen to the record and also browse the store. At 6 p.m., they allowed another 100 people into the store and played the album again. During the first hour, 30 fans were allowed to buy a pre-release of the album on vinyl. 

In-person events like these are rare nowadays, according to Dan Matherson, owner of Repo Records, so he was happy to host fans in the store.

“It’s just nice to do,” Matherson said. “Before the pandemic, we used to have more in-store events, and a lot of signings from the band members.”

Even before the pandemic, digital releases were starting to replace in-store listening parties. But the mood inside the store suggested fans were happy to be back.

Alli Abad, a lifelong fan of Paramore, attended the listening event. 

“This is one of the first times I’ve been able to attend something like this,” Abad said. “The community that forms around listening to this kind of music or a certain kind of band was always really cool to me.”

Meeme Choi, who has been working at Repo Records for eight years, said she appreciates that artists are willing to support local businesses like Repo.

“It was a clever way for them to bring in people to the store instead of having people listen virtually at home,” Choi said. “Especially for a band of [Paramore’s] caliber, it benefited us.”

Matherson also said that events like this are great because of the connections they build between artists and local record stores. Plus, it’s good business for the hosting stores.  

“We have a great business, but there’s still a lot of people we don’t reach,” Matherson said. “A lot of people just don’t buy physical stuff, only digital stuff, so [these events] absolutely bring people here that haven’t been here before.”

Paramore’s album “This Is Why” released Feb. 10 and is available on all major streaming platforms.