Formany collectorsof those spin out charge plate record of joy known as vinyl radical records , Record Store Day is better than Christmas . Every April ( and Black Friday ) , music lover emerge from their wintertime hibernation to line up at phonograph record store around the reality in hopes of getting their hands on exclusive and limited - liberation phonograph record exhort specially for the swelled day . It ’s also a day to get out and bump elbow at the record bins with like - minded vinyl group nerds and hold up independent , local brick - and mortar - memory . It can be a gust and it can be a bust , but it ’s a vinyl residential area event that must be experienced .

But what is RSD , as it ’s conversationally know , where ’d it come from , when is it , and what can you expect from it ? I ’m gon na break it down for you .

When is Record Store Day?

The very first RSD took place on Saturday , April 19 , 2008 . Amid the uprising of digital euphony andstreaming serviceslikeSpotify and Apple Musicno one other than serious vinyl radical collectors was thinking about records , and the formatting was on life story support . The 1,400 indie track record stores in the U.S. were dying and needed a little love , so they ring together and Record Store Day was abide .

Now , doubly a class , music lover and vinyl radical collector get a mean solar day just for them . With the spring conditions , the flagship RSD effect chance every April , with the 2025 edition coming on Saturday , April 12 . Record Store Day brings sole , limited - variant vinyl radical releases to indie record store in more than 14 body politic around the world , including the U.S. , Canada , Australia , France , Germany , Hungary , Ireland , Italy , Japan , Mexico , Netherlands , Poland , Spain , and the U.K.

In 2010 , the first RSD Black Friday consequence happened — because who say only big - box computer memory get to have all the merriment ? Instead of battle crowds forbudget video , why not score a rarified disc or two instead ? The list of handout might be smaller than April ’s RSD , but the flush and comraderie is the same .

What’s available on RSD?

A month or two before every Record Store Day event , a list of up to several hundreds of release titles is give out through the prescribed Record Store Daywebsites of each res publica . When the list are released , they ’re not hard to find — they ’re sharedall over social mediaand you ’ll often find them brand to the websites of your local record stores as well .

TheU.S. RSD listincludes all the title that will be distribute to American record stores . title include everything from rare releases and exclusives , colorful pressings , and boxful sets to 7 - inch singles , alive concerts , various creative person complication , soundtracks , and even cd ( gasp ! ) .

It ’s a expectant opportunity to append something alone to your record collection , and as someone who ’s stood in the rain in line for hours to get my hand on many cool pressure , when you ’re successful , it ’s like winning the drawing .

How do I get the most out of RSD?

Once the RSD list decease out , there ’s some body of work to be done to assist ensure you get and secure the records you ’re looking for . The list can be big , so take some time and go through it , jot down down the records you desire . Make note of the quantity of copies pressed — limited run pressings can total in the low-toned one C to several thousand . This will help you gauge the likeliness of you getting a transcript , but it goes without saying that so will the creative person and title — you ’re not going to be the only one standing in short letter for Taylor Swift’s7 - inch white vinylFortniteremixthat ’s on this yr ’s leaning .

Once you have your need list , as the weeks leading up to RSD glide path , your local record stores will in all probability start reaching out on social medium asking their customers to let them have a go at it what RSD record they require them to order . Do n’t be shy , let them know , either through their social ( if they ’re friendly like that , and most of them are ) , drop by in individual or give them a call . If you ’re not certain what record store near you are participating , each RSD website for your res publica will have ahandy locator or list of memory .

While you’re able to not pre - order RSD platter , your local stores will try their good to get in the ones their client require . But there are no guarantees : it ’s been my experience that the stores get what they get .

As the day approach , many book storehouse will post the RSD titles and quantities they ’ve get in on their socials or on their websites , and many will do this up to the day itself . Armed with this info , you’re able to now determine what fund or depot will give you the best prospect of securing that Limited RunTop Secret!soundtrackfeaturing Val Kilmer ( rest in pacification ) . Now all you have to do is get up bright and early and get in pedigree before everyone else and go for it does n’t rain down .

Cover your bases

Lastly , and this might be hard to hear : after all that prep , there ’s still a honest fortune you might not even get the record you desire .

So , here ’s what you do . Have the phone number of the other potential disk stores ready to hand in a note of hand on your phone , piece of paper or something , and call them to see if they have the records you ’re looking for . Some will send live inventory on their sites or mixer , but that ’s such a moving target it ’s best to just call . They may or may not hold it for you once the spate dies down , but at lest you ’ll hump where to go next .

Another right musical theme is to disunite and suppress . You for certain have other vinyl enthusiast friends , so work together , spread out to the other stores if you could to get the titles you each want .

RSD aftermath and hope

I ’ll get out you with a shaft of light of promise . When Record Store Day is over and done , record stores will probably allocate all their remnant titles to a RSD bin or crate in the store . I ’ve gotten lucky several times in the weeks and even months after the day and stumble upon records I missed out on in , for example , a Sunrise Records in a shopping promenade or something — keep your center peeled !

All this is to say that all is not lost , even if you do n’t get the record you wanted — you got a pretty great shared community experience out of the twenty-four hour period , irrespective . And while you wait six months for the next RSD , keep your crate fingers sharp and you never love what you ’ll see .

Happy Record Store Day hunting !