For years we’ve been in a renaissance of vinyl, and if you’re a lover of vinyl records there’s one day every year that you should look out for and it is called Record Store Day.
It’s one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar, and sees a number of independent record stores, music artists and audio brands team up to mark the occasion.
If you’re not aware of it, or want to learn a little more about what it is, who is participating and what’s happening during the event, keeping on reading to learn more about Record Store Day.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is held annually and sees over 260 independent record store shops across the UK joining together to celebrate the vinyl record movement. It’s not just in the UK that the event takes place, as shops around the world also take part in the one-day vinyl extravaganza.
Record Store Day was first conceived of back in 2007, and the first Record Store Day event was held the following year on April 19, 2008.
Record Store Day is usually celebrated by limited edition releases/special pressings of vinyl records. These types of records are only available in-store and not online, and they can only be bought on that specific day. Not all shops stock every release, so you’ll need to check before you head out, and once the stock is gone, you won’t be able to get anymore.
Any remaining stock will be sold in participating stores at 8pm on Monday 24th April, 2023.
There are usually discounts on turntables to be found as well. For instance, the Cambridge Audio Alva ST will be available from Richer
When is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day tends to be held towards the latter end of April. For 2023, it’s being held on April 22, which is a Saturday.
There is another Record Store Day in November, called Record Store Day Black Friday that sells records at a discounted price.
What records are being released on Record Store Day?
There’s a massive amount of releases scheduled for Record Store Day 2023, so we won’t go through all of them here, but if you’re heading to a store you can expected to find releases by The 1975, A Flock of Seagulls, Alan Silvestri, Alison Goldfrapp, Bastille, Billy Joel, Björk, Blur, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Brian Eno, The Cure, David Bowie, Dolly Parton, Echo & the Bunnymen, Ellie Goulding, Elvis Presley, Ennio Morricone, Garbage, Groove Armada, John Lennon, Kasabian, Miles Davis, and many, many more.
To see the full list of records being sold on that day, head to this link for a downloadable PDF.
Which record stores are participating in Record Store Day?
There will be stores in cities such as London (Sister Ray, Phonica Records), but also places such as Exeter and Dorset.
If you’re in the UK, head to this link to find the nearest store to you, head to this link.
If you’re not in the UK then head to Record Store international website and you’ll be able to find the closest store.
