Goldmine’s RSD roundup and founder notes
Goldmine published a buyer‑oriented list of 10 Record Store Day releases to watch and ran an interview with co‑founder Michael Kurtz saying each year has “exceeded all reasonable expectations.” ( ) The pieces combine collectible shopping tips with a reminder that RSD remains a strong retail event. (goldminemag.com)
Goldmine used the final week before Record Store Day to do two jobs at once: tell collectors what to chase on April 18 and argue the event is still growing. (goldminemag.com) In one piece, Goldmine published a 10-title buyer’s guide drawn from the official 2026 release slate. In another, published April 8, Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz said the annual event has “exceeded all reasonable expectations.” (goldminemag.com) Record Store Day 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, and the official site says participating stores will carry more than 365 exclusive and limited-edition titles. The releases are sold through independent record stores rather than directly by the event itself. (recordstoreday.com) That setup is the point of the event. Record Store Day says it was created in 2007 by independent record store owners and employees, and the first edition was held on April 19, 2008. (recordstoreday.com) Goldmine’s shopping list lands at a moment when vinyl remains one of the few physical formats with real momentum in the United States. The Recording Industry Association of America said vinyl revenue reached $1.4 billion in 2024 and extended what it called a nearly 20-year surge. (riaa.com) The market data is not perfectly clean. Luminate said in its 2024 year-end report that methodology changes around independent retailers complicated direct year-over-year comparisons, and later coverage of the report noted those changes could distort apparent unit declines. (luminatedata.com, consequence.net) Kurtz’s pitch in Goldmine is that Record Store Day still works as a retail event even after nearly two decades. Goldmine’s companion buyer guide makes the same case more practically, framing the day as a hunt for scarce pressings that can sell through quickly. (goldminemag.com, goldminemag.com) The official Record Store Day site is making the same push from the other direction, with a searchable 2026 catalog and store locator ahead of April 18. For buyers, that means the annual ritual has not changed much: make a list, find a shop, and get there early. (recordstoreday.com, recordstoreday.com)
