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The End of All Music hosted a listening party on Friday night for pop star Sabrina Carpenter\u2019s new album, \u201cMan\u2019s Best Friend.\u201d The event included free swag like stickers for fans and the chance to win a vinyl copy of the album.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMan\u2019s Best Friend\u201d is Carpenter\u2019s seventh studio record, and it follows on the heels of Carpenter\u2019s Grammy-nominated 2024 record, \u201cShort n\u2019 Sweet,\u201d which included the Billboard Hot 100 Top Five single \u201cEspresso.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019s previous album.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut one of them was a bit slower and sounded a little more serious, which was when I was like \u2018OK, she\u2019s actually, like, changed up a little,\u2019\u201d Abbott said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Staff from End of All Music, located on the Square, distributed stickers and vinyls for those who ordered them before the event. A \u2018rock, paper, scissors\u2019 tournament was hosted to determine which attendee would win a free record of \u201cMan\u2019s Best Friend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Listening parties like this one have become more popular in recent years as artists reach out to local record stores to host the events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople like to send the swag and make a whole thing out of the release day,\u201d End of All Music staff member Ian Kirkpatrick said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople like to collect,\u201d Kirkpatrick said. \u201cI personally like having my record collection, and it\u2019s a nice thing to have in the modern era of streaming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n End of All Music encapsulates the charm of buying physical music for some locals and students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI usually take my friends who are new to Oxford, \u2018cause they usually love it,\u201d Mayor said.<\/span><\/p>\n Although physical music can be found at large retailers, many consumers make a point to shop for music locally whenever they have the chance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The event was free, but many fans opted to purchase Carpenter\u2019s record, sealed in an envelope with the album\u2019s provocative cover. Fans left with more than just a round plastic disc, though.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c(Purchasing a record is) a way of buying what you love and having it for yourself,\u201d Kirkpatrick said.<\/span><\/p>\n