Toledo, OH | Out for a spin: Record Store Day promises exclusives on vinyl. Twenty years of Culture Clash. More than 30 years of Allied Record Exchange. Five years of No Noise Records and Hi Fi. This year is a big year for Toledo area record stores, and Record Store Day, which will be held April 20, promises to be a hit for vinyl enthusiasts. Record Store Day, founded in 2008 by a consortium of independent record stores, is an international annual celebration of the distinctive culture surrounding indie music stores. The day is marked by exclusive music releases (mostly on vinyl) only for sale on Record Store Day. Toledo’s record stores are preparing for Record Store Day in a variety of ways.
UK | Record Store Day 2024: Why I’ll be battling the crowds and heading to these Scottish vinyl hotspots on 20 April. “It’s a ritual that connects the listener with the artist and their creation in a way that a remotely-hosted data file never will.” Over-hyped. Over-commercialised. Way too busy. Almost two decades since the decks began spinning, has Record Store Day become a victim of its own success? This year’s main event takes place on Saturday 20 April and no doubt queues will be forming outside some of the 270-odd UK record stores that will be participating hours before their doors open to fans and collectors. The RSD concept originated stateside in 2007 with the first official event taking place a year later, before the revival went global. …Of course, some of us never stopped buying albums, even when their existence appeared threatened by the advent of the CD in the early 80s and, more recently, by flat-fee or even free streaming services. However, the current vinyl renaissance appears to be underpinned by younger generations discovering the delights of spinning a 12-inch piece of plastic.
Boise, ID | National Record Store Day brings new sounds and friends: “To share music is to kind of share the expression of how you live your life. It’s the same thing, that’s why we share food, art, music, all sorts of things. It’s an extension of all our personalities too,” says Derek Anderson, the owner of Modern Sounds Vinyl and Music. …Vinyl sales are currently at an all time high. Nearly fifty million units were sold in 2023, marking a 14% increase in sales. …National Record Store Day is not only about purchasing new vinyl. Many local record shops host events to honor the day, and it is a great time for community to come together. “Record Store Day is super important.” Derek Anderson adds, “The people that started it knew the record format was at its absolute lowest when people began consuming music on the go. You lose so much when you’re not able to hold and have that tangible item…”
Birmingham, AL | Your guide to Record Store Day in Birmingham, April 20: Record Store Day 2024 is right around the corner, and Birmingham’s two record stores—Seasick Records and Renaissance Records—have a lot planned! Read on to learn more about Record Store Day 2024 + where to celebrate in Birmingham. Held annually since 2007, Record Store Day was created to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store” and bring together the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, their customers and the artists. Participating record stores often put on their own festivities, including live performances, giveaways, cookouts and more. One of the biggest draws to Record Store Day are the limited edition, special releases. Ranging from artists big and small and in a variety of different formats—vinyl, CDs, cassettes and more—these special releases are only available at participating record stores.
Columbus, OH | Record Store Day at Used Kids Records Saturday, April 20th! Used Kids Records is opening at 8am on Saturday, April 20th for Record Store Day. Some of the artists with exclusive releases are The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam, Ace Frehley and Eric Carr of Kiss, Def Leppard, Dio, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Motley Crue, Motorhead, Mr. Bigg, Rolling Stones, Todd Rundgren, Thin Lizzy, Voivod and Neil Young. There are hundreds more titles being exclusively released for Record Store Day. The full list is available at recordstoreday.com. We order heavy quantities of all titles. Stay tuned for our flip video on their Facebook. This video goes up a couple days before RSD and shows all titles and quantities. In addition to the exclusive vinyl releases, we are also giving away concert tickets and more thanks to our friends at Qfm96, Sonic Temple and PromoWest Productions. While you’re waiting in line Qfm96 will be out there early to hang out, offering FREE Timbits from Tim Hortons, coupons, and more!
San Francisco, CA | On repeat: The best record stores in the Bay Area. Stepping into a record store is like walking through a time warp — you never know which decade, genre or sonic adventure you’re in for. With inventory that ranges from must-have hits to the obscure and everything in between, these small businesses throughout the Bay Area are havens for music lovers. Tunnel Records: This Outer Sunset shop has a great selection of jazz, soul, world music, rare finds and more. With a friendly staff always willing to guide patrons’ discoveries, you’re bound to find something new-to-you. (Real heads know the shop’s stylish merch is just as much a part of the allure as the media it sells…)
Boise, ID | Classic Boise record store plans on hosting weekend long event: Record stores are a classic and one of the best shops to go to whenever you are having a bad day. One thing you can guarantee is that you will never leave a record store disappointed due to the variety of music that lies in store for you. Boise has some of the best record stores in the state and people from all over the Treasure Valley rave about all of the record stores in Boise including a Boise staple, Record Exchange. Record Exchange is preparing for its weekend-long event for Record Store Day. Per tradition, they stretch out Record Store Day for a days-long event starting on Thursday, April 20th. Everyone loves to shop here. Record Store Day is Saturday, April 22nd from 7:30 am to 8 pm. There will be 300 exclusive Record Store Day releases for sale in honor of the holiday and the first 25 in line for the store on Saturday will receive exclusive tote bags with one of them including a $50 gift card. There will also be free drip coffee from 7:30 am to 8 am.
Hull, UK | Hull record shop marking 30th birthday with re-release of 90s top-ten single in rare ‘Teen Spirit’ original form: Spin It Records moved into Trinity Market in 1994 and has survived a pandemic, recessions and the dawn of the internet. A record shop in Hull which claims to be among the oldest ‘vinyl-only’ stores in the country is gearing up for its 30th anniversary. Spin-It Records, in Trinity Market, has been a go-to destination for vinyl lovers since the mid-90s. Despite the dawn of the internet and streaming, vinyl records have made a resurgence in recent years with sales now at their highest level since 1990, according to the British Phonographic Industry trade group. To mark its milestone anniversary, Spin-it Records has partnered with Hull music producer Tinman to press its own limited edition remix of the 1994 top 10 single Eighteen Strings featuring the original Nirvana-quoting guitar chords.
Boston, MA | Tell us: What’s the best independent record store in Greater Boston? We’re updating our record store guide and want to know which purveyor of vinyl tops your list. Lest you may have been thinking that the resurgence of vinyl records was just a flash in the pop culture pan, take a look at this statistic: Vinyl sales in 2023 were up a whopping 14% from the prior year, with Americans buying 49.61 million platters in total during that period, according to Forbes. (Yes, Taylor Swift alone was responsible for 7% of those sales, but a stat’s a stat.) With that in mind, and with this year’s Record Store Day coming on April 20, we thought it would be a good time to update our guide to independent record stores in Greater Boston. Last year, readers ranked Deep Thoughts JP in Jamaica Plain as their favorite local record store, with strong showings for Inclusion Records in Norwell, Looney Tunes in Allston, and many others. You can vote for your current fave using the form below.
