Record Store Day plans

Record Store Day returns on Saturday, April 18, with independent shops bracing for early lines and fast sellouts of one-day-only vinyl releases. (recordstoreday.com) The official 2026 list will be sold through participating brick-and-mortar stores, and Record Store Day says stores choose their own orders, with no guarantee that any shop will stock every title. (recordstoreday.com) The releases fall into three buckets on the official list: “Exclusive” titles sold only at indie stores, “Record Store Day First” titles that may reach other retailers later, and “Small Run/Regional” titles with pressings under 1,000 or limited local distribution. (recordstoreday.com) The event started after a 2007 meeting of record-store owners and employees, and the first Record Store Day was held on April 19, 2008. The organizers say it now centers on nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States and thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com) This year’s demand is being driven by a new official release slate that stores and collectors are already treating like a shopping list. Goldmine’s roundup on Monday highlighted titles from The Doors and Pink Floyd, with listed press runs of 7,830 and 15,400 copies respectively for those editions. (goldminemag.com) Local stores are planning around that rush. Worcester News reported that Spin The Black Circle in Worcester expects to stock more than 350 limited-edition records and is the only store in Worcester carrying them this year, one of only two in the county. (worcesternews.co.uk) In Baltimore, Trax on Wax said it will open at 9 a.m. on April 18, an hour early, and the owner told WBAL that the first 50 people in line are expected to get bags. He also said shoppers should arrive “very early.” (wbaltv.com) In Phoenix, Fox 10 reported that Zia Records is treating the day as one of its biggest of the year, another sign that stores are preparing for traffic beyond a normal Saturday. (fox10phoenix.com) Record Store Day’s own guidance to shoppers is simple: find a participating store, check with that store directly, and do not assume the listing means every release will be there. For collectors planning April 18, the line may start before the doors open, but the inventory will still depend on each shop’s order sheet. (recordstoreday.com)