Record Store Day slate

Record Store Day returns on Saturday, April 18, with an official 2026 list that spans more than 350 special releases at participating independent stores. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2) The event does not sell records through its own site, and stores do not receive every title automatically. Each shop orders what it wants from distributors, and the official site says “most stores won’t bring in everything on the List.” (recordstoreday.com) That makes this year’s slate less like a single drop and more like a scavenger hunt across formats and genres. The official list includes categories for “Exclusive,” “Record Store Day First,” and “Small Run/Regional Titles,” with the last group covering press runs under 1,000 copies or releases aimed at specific markets. (recordstoreday.com) Music outlets are already treating the list as too big to browse casually. Billboard published 14 “worth digging for,” including releases tied to KPop Demon Hunters, Bruce Springsteen and The Cure, while What Hi-Fi? highlighted picks including The Cure, Nas, Miles Davis and Pavement. (billboard.com) (cashwalklabs.io) Collectors also have a strong archival lane to chase. Goldmine reported that producer Zev Feldman is behind 11 Record Store Day 2026 titles, including 10 archival releases and one rare reissue, concentrated in jazz, blues and related catalogs. (goldminemag.com) The official list shows how broad that catalog has become. One example is Miles Davis’ “The New Sounds,” a limited 10-inch mono reissue from Craft Recordings with a stated quantity of 2,000 copies for the April 18 event. (recordstoreday.com) Record Store Day says the celebration was conceived in 2007 by independent record store owners and employees, and the first event took place on April 19, 2008. The organization now says it represents nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States and thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2) For shoppers, the mechanics are simple and unforgiving: no pre-orders through Record Store Day, in-person sales start April 18, and unsold copies may move to store websites or marketplace accounts on Sunday, April 19. The official site says that is the point of the event — to send buyers into brick-and-mortar shops first. (recordstoreday.com)