Gia Records prepares for National Record Store Day
Vinyl record lovers looking for nostalgia and good music are gearing up for National Record Store Day.
Fox – 10 Phoenix
Holiday shoppers are in for a treat on Black Friday. For music lovers, there’s Record Store Day, an annual celebration of independent record stores, a format that continues to grow despite exclusive vinyl releases and streaming dominating the way we listen to music.
This year’s Record Store Day will take place on Saturday, April 18th, and approximately 380 limited edition vinyl records featuring artists ranging from Bryan Adams and Neko Case to Talking Heads and Wiz Khalifa will be in approximately 3,000 record stores across the United States and around the world. And, of course, there’s something from Taylor Swift.
Streaming music services are great, and their recommendation engines offer endless new songs to listen to. But vinyl records have a tactile appeal. When you’re browsing the shelves at a record store, sometimes the cover art catches your attention. When you get home with your purchased LP, you can open it up like a book and get full-color images, lyrics, and liner notes.
vinyl proof
The event comes as spending on records continues to rise, even as streaming has become the dominant form of music consumption.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, spending on recorded music in the United States reached a record $11.5 billion in 2025, with streaming music, including paid music streaming and other music streaming, accounting for 82% of all spending.
Record sales have increased for the 19th consecutive year, rising 9.3% in 2025 to exceed $1 billion for the first time in decades and continue to outpace sales of music CDs, the RIAA said.
“Records are a big part of the Record Store Day story because records are an incredibly big part of the Record Store Day story,” Carrie Colliton, who co-founded Record Store Day with Michael Kurtz, told USA TODAY in an email interview.
“It’s no coincidence that vinyl has grown for 19 consecutive years and we’ve had 19 Record Store Day events. Many stores never stopped stocking records. Many stores opened because of the resurgence of vinyl,” she said. “People want to take ownership of what they listen to, connect more closely with the artists making the music they love, and spend time focusing on the ritualistic aspects of working with physical records. And they want to do it in locally-owned stores where their neighbors and friends are the algorithms.”
Record Store Day legend Robert Plant talks about records
Robert Plant’s widely successful career, including as frontman for Led Zeppelin, and penchant for haunting record stores has earned him the Record Store Legend Award at Record Store Day. Elton John was named the first RSD Legend in 2017, while The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr won the award last year.
“Record stores have always been a part of my life. For me, when you get a physical record, it’s because you really know what the artist was thinking and you want to be a part of it,” Plant said in a statement.
“People want to take home something very special and enjoy all the elements of what the artist has put together. We want that connection to the music and the art as a whole,” Plant said. They also released “Saving Grace: All That Glitters,” which will be released exclusively on Record Store Day. Susie Dian. (You can watch the band’s recent performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on YouTube.)
Bruno Mars will serve as Record Store Day Ambassador in 2026
This year’s Record Store Day Ambassador is singer-songwriter and producer Bruno Mars, who released his fourth solo studio album, The Romantic, in early February of this year.
“I love collecting records. There’s nothing better than sitting on the couch, putting on a record, and just listening to music. It feels like a lost art,” Mars said in a statement.
Mars joins a list of previous ambassadors that includes Paramore, Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam, Jack White and Ozzy Osbourne.
How does Record Store Day work?
Record Store Day is designed to bring fans to local independent record shops. Shoppers often line up to get their hands on new releases early on Saturday mornings on Record Store Day.
Many releases are pressed in limited quantities and sold only at independent stores, typically available on a first-come, first-served basis, with no pre-orders, and no hard limits on how many each store will receive. See the complete list of new releases here.
Record Store Day, now in its 18th year, was conceived in 2007 and first held in April 2008 as a party to “celebrate and promote the unique culture surrounding the approximately 1,400 independent record stores in the United States and thousands of similar stores around the world,” according to the event’s website.
To find a store near you, visit the Record Store Day website.
Kate Perez and Mike Snyder cover national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at kperez@usatodayco.com or X @katecperez_. & Thread (mikegsnider), Bluesky (@mikegsnider.bsky.social)),X (@mikesnider) Email msnider@usatoday.com.
