Record Store Day Tomorrow

Record Store Day hits U.S. shops on Saturday, April 18, with a national drop of limited-run vinyl that will be sold only through participating stores. (recordstoreday.com) The official Record Store Day site says the 2026 list includes nearly 360 titles, and stores order them individually through distributors rather than from Record Store Day itself. There are no pre-orders through the event, and organizers say most stores will not stock every release. (recordstoreday.com) (billboard.com) Record Store Day divides the list into three buckets: “Exclusive” titles sold only at indie stores, “RSD First” titles that may reach other retailers later, and “Small Run/Regional” releases with pressings under 1,000 or limited geographic distribution. The official site says stores with a “Pledge Badge” are the ones eligible to carry the special releases. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2) That scarcity is the point of the event and the source of the scramble. Record Store Day says releases start at brick-and-mortar stores on April 18, and unsold copies may move to store websites or marketplace accounts starting Sunday, April 19. (recordstoreday.com) The event lands as vinyl keeps growing in the U.S. The Recording Industry Association of America said on March 16 that U.S. vinyl revenue topped $1 billion in 2025 and marked the format’s 19th straight year of growth. (riaa.com) Record Store Day began after a 2007 meeting of independent record-store owners and employees, and the first event was held on April 19, 2008. The official site now says the celebration spans nearly 1,400 independent stores in the U.S. and thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com) This year’s ambassador is Bruno Mars, who was announced on January 30. Record Store Day says his exclusive release is a compilation called *The Collaborations*, built around tracks with Mark Ronson, Lady Gaga, ROSÉ and Cardi B. (recordstoreday.com) (rollingstone.com) The release slate stretches from catalog rock to current pop, which is how the event tries to pull veteran collectors and newer buyers into the same line. Billboard’s preview singled out titles from acts including The Cure and Bruce Springsteen, while the official list shows pressing counts that can range from a few thousand copies to far smaller runs. (billboard.com) (recordstoreday.com) For shoppers, the practical advice from organizers is simple: find a nearby participating store, check what it actually ordered, and expect that some records will be gone early. By Sunday, the hunt shifts online — but only if a store still has stock left. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2)