Boston, MA | 11 Best Boston-Area Record Stores for Record Store Day: Shop vinyl and score some exclusive deals. Vinyl is making a comeback. Fans say they prefer vinyl’s collectibility and richness of sound compared to streaming services like Spotify. In 2007, independent record store owners got together and created Record Store Day to celebrate the culture and impact of records and independent businesses. Record Store Day has been celebrated every year since, and became a global sensation with big-name artists like Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam, Metallica, and Brandi Carlile adopting the role of “Record Store Day Ambassador.” This year, it falls on April 22 with Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires as ambassadors, releasing a special joint EP titled The Sonic Emporium EP with new songs from the two musicians.
Milwaukee, WI | How Lilliput Records Saved This Beloved East Side Shop: A new record shop in a familiar space on Farwell Avenue. Tanner Musgrove thought about owning her own store while working at the Farwell Street location of Wisconsin record store chain The Exclusive Company. But “it was more of a pipe dream,” she says. Then, when Exclusive announced, in early 2022, that it would close all of its stores, her dream morphed into a mission to save the beloved shop, with the help of her co-worker Brian Kirk. Vinyl-loving patrons opened their wallets to help, kicking in over $22,000. The plan worked, and Musgrove and Kirk are now co-owners of a new store in the location called Lilliput Records. “Record stores are such special places,” Musgrove says. “We didn’t want to lose this one.” This month, Lilliput Records is celebrating Record Store Day. On April 22 there will be coffee, live music, raffles and, of course, sales on some of their inventory.
Lansdowne, PA | Vinyl Revival celebrates Record Store Day with live music and special promotions: Vinyl Revival, 26 N. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne, will celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store on Record Store Day, April 22. The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. This year’s Record Store Day will feature a variety of artists and a diversity of releases. Vinyl Revival will stock a wide selection of releases, including exclusives, which are physically released only at indie record stores; RSD First, titles that are found first at record stores but may be released to other retailers or web stores at some point; and small run/regional titles, titles that are either regionally based and sold at specific stores or are press runs under 1,000.
Melbourne, AU | Old Plates Is Fitzroy’s Cosy New Record Store Bar From PBS’s Long-Spinning DJ Manchild: Dig through an impressive collection of rare vinyl with a cocktail in hand — and catch guest selectors on the decks three nights a week. Melbourne’s bar culture and its music scene are friendlier than ever these days, as listening bars continue to sprout across the city. You’ve got beloved spots like Waxflower and Music Room ingraining themselves into our lives, not to mention newcomers like the soon-to-launch Stella’s within the newly revived Saint Hotel. And now, Fitzroy has scored a music-fuelled drinking den of its own, with the arrival of Brunswick Street bar and record store Old Plates. This one’s got some serious musical pedigree behind it, too, as the long-planned brainchild of Ethan Hill. Best known by the moniker DJ Manchild, Hill’s been the guy behind PBS FM’s The Breakdown for almost two decades, and has been spinning funk and soul records around town since his high school days.
UK | Record Store Day 2023 in Scotland: When is it, what exclusive records are available, how to buy, and will records be available online? Last year vinyl outsold CDs for the first time in 35 years – meaning that this year’s event celebrating the reinvigorated music medium is likely to be more popular than ever. Record Store Day has become a major event for vinyl lovers since the inaugural event in the US in 2007 sold barely more than 10 different limited edition pressings by artists including Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M. and Stephen Malkmus. Now over 200 independent record stores across the UK take part each year, selling thousands of copies of exclusive vinyl, from new releases to old classics. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event.
St. Petersburg, FL | Record Store Day in Saint Petersburg: On April 22nd, Record Store Day (RSD) will be back to “celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role they play in their communities.” This annual event is celebrated at thousands of independent record stores nationwide, including stores in St. Petersburg. The record stores in town will do more than sell exclusive releases; they’ll celebrate the day with fun activities and parties. Not to mention, some of the biggest artists in the world will be releasing exclusive titles to vinyl like Taylor Swift’s “folklore: the long pond studio sessions,” The 1975’s “Live with The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra,” Beach House’s “Become,” and other works by artists like The Grateful Dead, Dolly Parton, Elton John, and Stevie Nicks. Fans online from all over the world are expressing their excitement about this upcoming records store day, as well.
Vancouver, CA | ‘You never know what you’re going to find’ at the Nanaimo Record Show: The Nanaimo Record Show brings music lovers and vendors from around the Island and Lower Mainland together to find gems for their collections. The Nanaimo Record Show returns to the Bowen Park Auditorium this Sunday, April 16. Cheekily referred to as Vancouver Island’s longest running record show, the show sees vendors from all over the Island and Lower Mainland hawking their wares. In its seventh year, the show will welcome back previous vendors while also making space for some new faces. Organizer Jack Tieleman tells The Discourse the show has become a source of pride. “It used to be you had to go to Vancouver to go to a record show or big record fairs in Texas and New York. It’s pretty cool to have in our town.” The show presents an opportunity for seasoned vinyl lovers and new collectors to meet and mingle. There will also be a range of goods for sale.
Chico, CA | Outpatient Records provides a welcoming space to discover new music: Upcoming concerts and record store pop-ups in Chico offer connection through music. “I find music to be an essential aspect of good mental health,” said Matthew Garcia, a licensed clinical social worker who moonlights as an event curator and vinyl record vendor. Garcia runs Outpatient Records, hosting pop-up record shops and monthly live music events. Beginning April 16, the next few months will feature concerts Garcia is excited about, as well as Outpatient Records’ first-ever Record Store Day pop-up on April 22. All the events are an opportunity to provide the community with what Garcia described as “a place for people to feel welcomed, safe and learn about something new, could be a record, could be seeing a live music act.” Garcia has been organizing events with a focus on connecting through music in the Chico area since 2014. The name “Outpatient Records” is a nod to his work at outpatient mental health clinics, where he works with his brother who is also a mental health professional. The two dreamed of opening a record store together where they could also provide mental healthcare.
