Everything You Need to Know for Record Store Day, April 18

Record Store Day is a twice-annual event to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store." And the next one is Saturday, April 18.

Pretty much everything you need to know about RSD — from where to find a participating record store near you to an archive of RSD releases going back to 2011 — can be found on the Record Store Day website.

Tap THIS LINK for a comprehensive guide to Record Store Day from @recordstoredayus on Instagram.

HOW IT BEGAN:
Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently-owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. Today, Record Store Day is celebrated at independently-owned brick-and-mortar record stores around the world.

On the first Record Store Day, Metallica spent hours at Rasputin Music in San Francisco meeting their fans and now each year hundreds of artists — both internationally famous and from the block — flock to record stores around the world for performances, signings, meet and greets, and to fill their own shopping bags with music. 

Photo from @wachito_records

Wish every day was Record Store Day? Here's how to put more RSD in your life.

Go to THIS LINK for the Record Store Day Podcast with Paul Myers. Listen in on musicians such as Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Sleater-Kinney, and Nick Lowe talk about all sorts of record-related stuff. 
Click HERE to subscribe to Record Store Day videos for interviews, in-store performances, and more.

Find a new or vintage Record Store Day t-shirt (like this one from Amoeba Music) to show off your vinyl love all year round. Speaking of vinyl love, you can grab a Citizen Vinyl shirt right here.

Fun Facts

Check out this list of 5 Things To Know About The History Of Record Store Day, compiled by the Grammy Awards.

Here are some history facts about RSD and the history of recorded music, shared by the Birthplace of Country Music.

In 2012, on the 5th anniversary of Record Store Day, Vice Magazine interviewed RSD founder Michael Kurtz.

And here's Goldmine's interview with Michael Kurtz from just a few days ago — checking in on how the event has grown in the past decade-and-a-half.

Finally, click the video below for The Vinyl Den's take on Best Record Store Day releases of the past.