Record Store Day 2025: A guide to the annual celebration for vinyl lovers everywhere

Yahoo

11-04-2025

Record Store Day is Saturday, April 12, when crate diggers descend on thousands of independently owned brick-and-mortar record stores around the world to browse hundreds of new and exclusive vinyl releases by artists big and small.
The annual event began in 2008 to celebrate the people who work at and frequent indie record stores. It has since been embraced by musicians and bands of all sizes and genres.
'The whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring. I feel at home,' Post Malone, who is serving as this year's Record Store Day ambassador, said in a statement after being chosen as the 2025 honoree. 'It's really an unexplainable feeling to hit up a shop and dig through crates, just see what grabs your eye. You can be looking for something super specific and end up finding something totally different. It's the best.'
Vinyl lovers would seem to agree. While streaming services now account for most of the music industry's revenue, record buying in the United States continues to grow. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, sales of vinyl records outpaced that of CDs in the U.S. for the third consecutive year in 2024. There were 44 million vinyl records shipped last year, compared with 33 million CDs. And revenues from vinyl records grew 7% to $1.4 billion in 2024 — the 18th consecutive year of growth.
All of which means it should be another busy day at record shops on Saturday.
To find a participating record store near you, check this searchable list. Below is a quick guide to just some of what's in store for those participating in Record Store Day 2025.
Austin City Limits, the longest-running music series in television history, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. And Howard, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Alabama Shakes frontwoman, is releasing her electric 2024 performance on the show for Record Store Day.
Speaking of exclusives, Slow Magic is a collection of never-before-released songs by Jeff Bridges (yes, that Jeff Bridges) culled from a cassette tape labeled 'July 1978.' According to notes from the record label, the music sounds like 'The Band playing at CBGB' or 'Arthur Russell and the Talking Heads collaborating on a suite of mutant disco.' And it most definitely doesn't sound like the Eagles.
Deadheads have a lot to celebrate on Record Store Day, with four new releases, including this 1976 live recording of the band at New York's Beacon Theatre, available for the first time on vinyl.
Ahead of their long-awaited reunion tour, which kicks off later this year, the Britpop band's entire singles collection from 1994 to 2009 is being released on vinyl for the first time since its initial pressing in 2010.
The singer and 2025 Record Store Day ambassador is releasing his COVID-era 2020 livestream tribute to Nirvana, which featured Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums and included covers of Nirvana classics like 'Come as You Are,' 'Heart Shaped Box' and 'In Bloom.' All net proceeds from the sale of this record will be donated to MusiCares's addiction recovery and mental health efforts.
The A side of the soundtrack to this 1984 cult classic film contains six songs performed by Kilmer, who died earlier this month. (Its release on vinyl for Record Store Day was announced well before his death.) The B side contains selections from the film's score.
The Stones have embraced Record Store Day in recent years, and this year they're rereleasing the remastered Out of Our Heads, the 1965 studio album featuring their iconic hit '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.' Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood have new live solo Record Store Day releases too.
The biggest and likely heaviest release for Record Store Day 2025, this 1970 live recording by legendary jazz pianist and bandleader Sun Ra spans six LPs and comes in a hardboard box.
Swifties like vinyl records too! And 'Fortnight,' from The Tortured Poets Department, is getting the RSD treatment. The exclusive 7" white vinyl release features both the original single featuring Post Malone and a remix by Blond:ish.
The soundtrack to the ubiquitous 2024 film adaptation of the musical features 12 songs by Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and the rest of the cast, including one previously unreleased duet. Crucially, the limited-edition double LP released exclusively for Record Store Day was pressed on green and pink glitter vinyl.