If the music business is on the skids, record stores are supposed to be begging for clientele, right? And yet, on a sunny Saturday, when it seems like everyone on Queen Street is bursting to get outdoors and christen patio season, in front of Criminal Records there’s a lineup to get inside. At the back of the shop, Alternative Press cover boys The Matches are performing a short acoustic set in advance of a sold-out gig at the Phoenix. The 60 or so teen fans soon swarm the space, leaving those of us behind them thankful there are flatscreen monitors set up and that the singer is wearing a tall hat.

It’s the kind of event that’s turning the city’s record shops into secret hotspots for live music. So far in 2008, Toronto music lovers have been treated to intimate performances by such diverse local and international acts as Bon Iver, Cursed, Julie Doiron, The Raveonettes, Laura Barrett, Plants & Animals and Attack in Black — all all-ages, all free.

In-store performances are hardly new in this town. But compared to Korn rolling a tank down Yonge Street a decade ago in a big-­budget PR campaign, this new wave runs on much less advertising and a lot more love.

“We’re not trying to create major events that attract 1,000 kids and TV cameras. We do what we consider a lot of fun for the fans and for the bands,” explains Criminal’s Paul Simcoe, whose biggest draw was Tegan and Sara. “Even with something like that, which was pure circus, we don’t make any money. It’s just what we think a good neighbourhood record store should do.”

The sentiment is echoed by Amanda Newman at Sonic Boom, who has helped bring such acts as Nada Surf and Jose Gonzales to the Bloor Street store.

“The Annex is known as a close-knit community and we wanted to be part of that,” she explains. “We have a lot of families in this area so [with a band] like Nada Surf we saw a lot of people with kids. We really like the idea that we can provide an opportunity for people to see a band they love that they might not otherwise [be able to].”

While a boost at the cash register seems like a more obvious reason to host these events, both parties claim in-stores have negligible effect on sales. When Cuff the Duke played Criminal for a CD release, the store moved about 70 discs, a welcome anomaly. Newman says, “[Sonic Boom] might not sell a lot of records that day, but it puts us in people’s minds.”

The right in-store can even make international news: note Radiohead’s (aborted) attempt to perform at Rough Trade Records in the UK this January, or our own Crystal Castles’ chaos-causing in-store over there. Certainly, who of the 200 attendees could forget Fucked Up’s special 7-inch vinyl release party at Sonic Boom last Christmas (pictured), with cameos by Sloan’s Chris Murphy and Santa Claus?

“That show would not have worked in a club,” explains Fucked Up guitarist Mike Haliechuk (a.k.a. 10,000 Marbles). “It was important that there were no barriers — no admission, no age limit, and also little things, like having it during the day. The employees spent a few days making it perfect.” According to Haliechuk, the gig raised $6,000 for the George Herman House charity and a load of food donations.

Even if in-stores don’t give fans the full set, or the full set-up, shops owners treat them like real gigs. Criminal makes silk-screened posters. Soundscapes (which arguably kick-started the revival by regularly hosting the best of Toronto and beyond) maintains a small PA and gear. Sonic Boom provides bands with a rider. And so music lovers have a reason to just come hang out in record shops again, no purchase is required.

For Criminal, at least, the strategy is paying off: the relative newcomer to the biz was recently voted among the Top 10 independent record stores in Canada by a national CBC Radio 3 poll, the results of which will be announced April 18. And fans can expect more big names in small spaces coming up. Next are Peter Moren (of Peter, Bjorn and John) at Soundscapes on April 24 and Tokyo Police Club’s Dave Monks’ acoustic set May 3 at Criminal. Even the Yonge Street stores are getting into it —?on April 19, when stores across Canada and the US will celebrate International Record Store Day, Sunrise Records at 336 Yonge hosts a free show from 1-7pm with Ill Scarlett, Neverending White Lights, Sunparlour Players, Laura Barrett and more.

 Amanda Newman says she’d like to program a regular series at Sonic Boom, and work with festivals such as NXNE or Over the Top. She also confesses the real reason behind the booming of the in-store scene: “We’re all music fans. We want these bands to come and play for us.”

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