Rocker Jack White has been appointed Record Store Day Ambassador.

The former White Stripes star has issued a video statement, announcing his new role as the spokesman for struggling independent record stores.

In the comic three-minute promotion for the upcoming Record Store Day in April (13), White states, "I'm proud to invigorate whoever will listen with the idea that there is beauty and romance in the act of visiting a record shop, and getting turned on to something new that could change the way they look at the world, other people, art, and ultimately, themselves."

He then attacks video game fans and those who choose to download their music, adding, "There's no romance in a mouse click. There's no beauty in sitting for hours playing video games (anyone proud of that stop reading now and post your opinion in the nearest forum). The screen of an iPhone is convenient, but it's no comparison to a 70 millimetre showing of a film in a gorgeous theatre. The Internet is two-dimensional... helpful and entertaining, but no replacement for face-to-face interaction with a human being.

"Out there, people are still talking to each other face-to-face, exchanging ideas and turning each other on. Art houses are showing films, people are drinking coffee and telling tall tales, women and men are confusing each other and record stores are selling discs full of soul that you haven't felt yet.

"So why do we choose to hide in our caves and settle for replication? We know better. We should at least. We need to re-educate ourselves about human interaction and the difference between downloading a track on a computer and talking to other people in person and getting turned onto music that you can hold in your hands and share with others."