Record Store Day roundup

Record Store Day is still ten days away, but the event already has a headliner: Bruno Mars. The singer was named the 2026 Record Store Day ambassador, and the official release tied to that role is an 11,000-copy LP called *Bruno Mars - The Collaborations*, set for Saturday, April 18. (recordstoreday.com) That ambassador title is not just ceremonial. Record Store Day’s own listing says the Bruno Mars release includes “Uptown Funk” with Mark Ronson, “Die With A Smile” with Lady Gaga, and “APT.” with Rosé, turning his biggest guest spots into a vinyl-only draw for independent shops. (recordstoreday.com) The event itself was built for stores like that. Record Store Day says it began in 2007 when independent record store owners and employees organized a celebration around local vinyl culture, and the first official Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. (recordstoreday.com) In 2026, that local-store idea is still the whole engine. The official Record Store Day site says the special titles on the 2026 list will be released at participating record stores on April 18, and news coverage in Florida says shops are pairing those exclusives with in-store programming and release-day crowds. (recordstoreday.com, palmbeachpost.com) The scale is part of the appeal. Regional coverage of the 2026 list says this year’s Record Store Day slate includes more than 350 special releases, which helps explain why shoppers treat the day less like a normal retail trip and more like a one-day treasure hunt. (tcpalm.com) One of the most visible artist tie-ins this year belongs to Elton John. Record Store Day lists *Positiva Presents: Elton John - The Remixes* as a limited-edition, glow-in-the-dark one-LP release for April 18, curated by John and built from his remix catalog. (recordstoreday.com) That vinyl is no longer staying vinyl-only. Multiple reports say the same Elton John collection will get a digital release on April 19, one day after Record Store Day, giving fans who miss the physical pressing a second path to hear it. (wcsx.com, mix987.com) The track list shows why that matters outside the collector crowd. Coverage of the digital plan says the set includes remixes of “Cold Heart,” Elton John’s hit with Dua Lipa, and “Hold Me Closer,” his collaboration with Britney Spears, which gives the release a bridge from classic-rock fandom to modern pop streaming. (mix987.com, aol.com) The strangest and most Record Store Day-specific story in this year’s buildup belongs to doPE. The project pairs Public Enemy’s Chuck D with John Densmore of The Doors, and their song “Every Tick Tick Tick” was selected as the 2026 Record Store Day Song of the Year. (billboard.com, recordstoreday.com) That song is attached to a full album rollout, not just a one-off single. Record Store Day says doPE’s debut LP, *No Country For Old Men*, arrives as a limited-edition vinyl release on April 18 in a deluxe gatefold package with original illustrations by Chuck D. (recordstoreday.com) There is a longer backstory behind that pairing. Reporting on the project says Chuck D and John Densmore first connected on a Record Store Day panel in 2014, and that exchange eventually turned into a collaboration that now lands on the same holiday that brought them together. (thatericalper.com) So the shape of Record Store Day 2026 is already clear before April 18 arrives. Bruno Mars gives the event a mainstream face, Elton John stretches an exclusive vinyl release into digital life on April 19, and doPE turns a niche store holiday into a stage for one of the year’s oddest cross-generational collaborations. (recordstoreday.com, wcsx.com, billboard.com)