RSD: Goldmine picks

Goldmine has turned Record Store Day 2026 into a collector’s scavenger hunt, publishing a 10-release shortlist five days before the April 18 event. (goldminemag.com) The magazine’s list, published April 13 by Dave Thompson, pulls from Record Store Day’s official 2026 release slate and flags titles with small press runs, archival material, or unusual formats. Thompson highlighted releases by The Doors and Pink Floyd and noted that copy counts can shape future scarcity. (goldminemag.com) Record Store Day’s own site says the 2026 titles will be released at participating independent stores on Saturday, April 18, and that stores choose for themselves which records to stock. The organization also says there are no pre-orders for the special releases. (recordstoreday.com) The official list groups titles into three buckets: “Exclusive,” which stays at indie stores; “Record Store Day First,” which may reach other retailers later; and “Small Run/Regional,” which covers local titles or pressings under 1,000 copies. Goldmine’s shopping guide is aimed at readers trying to sort through that larger menu before doors open. (recordstoreday.com, goldminemag.com) Goldmine reported in February that this year’s event includes more than 350 special releases. Its earlier preview singled out Joni Mitchell’s *For The Roses*, Bruno Mars’ *Collaborations*, Brandi Carlile’s *Live at Easy Street Records Vol. II*, Bruce Springsteen’s Asbury Park set, Ethel Cain’s *Inbred*, and Robert Plant’s *Saving Grace: All That Glitters*. (goldminemag.com) Michael Kurtz, a Record Store Day co-founder, told Goldmine on April 8 that 2025’s main event and Black Friday edition brought “bigger parties, more people celebrating, and higher sales than previous years” at most stores. He said, “We are in our 19th year and it hasn’t happened yet” when asked whether he still worries an event could fall short. (goldminemag.com) Kurtz also pointed to a pattern in the 2026 slate: albums restored to artists’ original intent after label interference or shelving. In Goldmine’s interview, he cited Joni Mitchell, Billy Squier, and Tommy Keene as examples of records returning in revised or previously unreleased forms. (goldminemag.com) Record Store Day says the event began with independent record store owners and employees in 2007, and the first official day was held on April 19, 2008. The organization now describes it as a celebration of nearly 1,400 independently owned stores in the United States and thousands more internationally. (recordstoreday.com) For buyers, the practical rule has not changed: the records start in physical stores on April 18, and leftovers may move online from participating shops on April 19. That leaves Goldmine’s 10-pick list less as a ranking than as a map for the line outside the door. (recordstoreday.com, goldminemag.com)