Record Store Day turnout

Record Store Day drew some of its biggest crowds yet on Saturday, April 18, with independent shops in England and Spain reporting long lines from early morning. (recordstoreday.com, oxfordmail.co.uk, lavozdealmeria.com) In Oxfordshire, Truck Store’s locations on Cowley Road in Oxford and in Witney said this was their busiest Record Store Day to date, with customers filling both shops through the day. (oxfordmail.co.uk) In Almería, La Voz de Almería reported queues outside Discos Caverna from 8:30 a.m. on April 18, alongside live music tied to the event. (lavozdealmeria.com) Record Store Day works by sending limited-run titles to participating indie shops for one day, usually sold first-come, first-served. The official 2026 list says the special releases were issued at participating stores on April 18. (recordstoreday.com, recordstoreday.com) The event has expanded far beyond a single U.S. promotion. Record Store Day says it was created in 2007 by independent record store owners and employees, launched its first event on April 19, 2008, and now includes nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States plus thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com) Artist exclusives remain a major draw. The Concert Chronicles reported that Collective Soul released its new 10-track album, *Touch and Go*, as a 180-gram colored-vinyl exclusive for independent record stores on April 18. (theconcertchronicles.com) The sales backdrop is still strong. The Recording Industry Association of America said U.S. vinyl revenue reached $1 billion in 2025, up 9.3% from a year earlier, as total recorded-music revenue hit $11.5 billion. (riaa.com, riaa.com) That helps explain why fans still line up for physical releases in 2026: the records are limited, the stores are independent, and the event turns a sales day into an in-person hunt. On April 18, that formula again put queues on the sidewalk before many shops had opened. (recordstoreday.com, oxfordmail.co.uk, lavozdealmeria.com)