Record Store Day releases

Record Store Day lands on Saturday, April 18, with more than 350 official releases headed to independent shops and Bruno Mars fronting the 2026 event as ambassador. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2) The official Record Store Day list says the titles will be released only through participating brick-and-mortar stores on April 18, and the organization says it does not sell the records itself. Stores place their own orders, so selection will vary by shop and many locations will not stock every title. (recordstoreday.com) Record Store Day groups this year’s releases into three buckets: “Exclusive,” “Record Store Day First,” and “Small Run/Regional.” Unsold copies can begin showing up on store websites or marketplace accounts on Sunday, April 19, according to the event’s rules page. (recordstoreday.com) The event was created in 2007 by independent record store owners and employees, and the first Record Store Day was held on April 19, 2008. The organization now says it includes nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States and thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com) This year’s list also doubles as a stress test for the vinyl supply chain. Trade outlet Hypebot reported a record number of “bio-vinyl” and recycled polyvinyl chloride pressings on the 2026 list, while official release pages for some titles describe “bio-attributed vinyl” and recycled packaging as a selling point. (hypebot.com) (recordstoreday.com) Mars’ role is not just ceremonial. Record Store Day’s official announcement quoted him urging fans to support local independent stores, and the site has also listed listening parties tied to his album rollout ahead of Saturday’s event. (recordstoreday.com 1) (recordstoreday.com 2) One ambassador-linked release is already on the list: “Bruno Mars - The Collaborations,” an Atlantic long player with an announced quantity of 11,000 copies. The Record Store Day release page says the set includes tracks with Mark Ronson, Lady Gaga and ROSÉ. (recordstoreday.com) Stores are pairing the limited records with live events and early-morning openings. Record Store Day’s events page shows April 18 programs starting as early as 6 a.m., with shops advertising giveaways, breakfast, live music and other in-store promotions. (recordstoreday.com) In Nashville, local guides say shops including Third Man Records, Vinyl Tap and Grimey’s are planning Record Store Day promotions and release-day traffic on Saturday. Similar local roundups in North Carolina point readers to store-specific plans rather than a single national playbook. (nashvillescene.com) (yesweekly.com) That leaves collectors with the same basic equation as every Record Store Day: check your local store’s list, get in line early, and expect the rarest titles to depend on how many copies your shop actually ordered. (recordstoreday.com)