Saturday is like Christmas for music lovers who covet vinyl. That’s because it’s Record Store Day.
This is the 16th anniversary of the retail holiday, typically held on the third Saturday in April, to recognize the 1,400 independent record stores across the U.S. Special editions of albums from Dolly Parton and Billy Joel to Miles Davis and Madonna are released exclusively in stores that day and artists often do in-store performances and appearances.
Record Store Day co-ambassadors Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell, husband and wife musicians, will each be performing at a store on Saturday: Shires at Plan 9 Music in Richmond, Virginia, and Isbell at Central Square Records in Seaside, Florida.
“You know, we spent a lot of time making friends in (record stores),” Isbell said recently on the Record Store Day podcast. “We played a lot of shows to promote our work and to get closer to our fans. And you know, to both of us, it”s very special to be Record Store Day ambassadors, because we truly do care a lot about record stores.”
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“I fell in love with Leonard Cohen at Ralph’s Records in Lubbock, Texas. I found Big Star at Offbeat in Jackson, Mississippi,” Shires says in a release. “Record stores are environments where you can be yourself, like what you like and love what you love.”
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Nearly all of the 270 or so special releases available Saturday are on vinyl. Record stores often bolster their stock of used and new records and CDs ahead of Record Store Day. Among the few CD releases announced for the event is Pearl Jam’s “Give Way,” a recording of the band’s 1998 show in Melbourne, Australia.
Particularly popular are vinyl releases that are half-speed mastered or 33 rpm releases that are now set to 45 rpm, the slower turn of the turntable allowing for more musical details to hit your ears – delivering a level of sonic fidelity that simply didn’t exist a half-century ago.
For example, one upcoming re-release will be Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Red Rose Speedway,” that iconic band’s first major U.S. release in 1973, which is delivered now as a limited edition half-speed mastered disc.
Among other notable releases amid the dozens due:
- “Beggars Banquet”: The 1968 album from the Rolling Stones, will be available on 180-gram vinyl, a heavier weight than standard vinyl which translates to greater fidelity. This is also a special pressing on grey, blue, black and white swirled vinyl, a reference to a lyric Mick Jagger sings in “Salt of the Earth.” The album will also come with a reproduction of the window display poster created by the Stones’ UK label Decca in ‘68.
- “folklore: the long pond studio sessions” is on tap from Taylor Swift, who served as the day’s ambassador last year. Taylor and her collaborators recorded the Grammy-winning release during the COVID-19 lockdown, but didn’t get to play their work together until Sept. 2020, when the Long Pond Studio Sessions brought together Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner (The National) and Jack Antonoff (Bleachers) for a live recording and Disney+ documentary.
- “The Sound Emporium” is the EP offering from co-ambassadors Isbell and Shires, featuring brand new music that includes a reimagined version of Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit’s “Tour of Duty” as well as a cover of Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing.” Shires also makes the list with a solo EP, “Live At Columbia Studio,” featuring tracks recorded at the legendary Nashville studio in the run up to her critically acclaimed 2022 album, “Take It Like A Man.”
- “Billy Joel – Live at the Great American Music Hall, 1975”: This live recording, which comes on two gray, opaque vinyl LPs, initially came in 2021’s The Vinyl Collection. It captures the piano man’s Streetlife Serenade tour and the earliest recordings of “New York State of Mind” and “James,” which would appear on his “Turnstiles” album. Also heard: Joel’s imitations of Joe Cocker, Elton John and Leon Russell – a staple of his early concerts.
- “Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era (1964-1968)”. This 50th Anniversary edition comes on five LPs and expands on the original with 42 additional tracks – curated by Lenny Kaye and supervised by Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman.
Taylor Swift helps vinyl sales continue to rise
Vinyl records beat CDs for first time in decades since 1987, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Leading the way was Taylor Swift, whose “Midnights” album sold the most physical copies: 945,000 on vinyl, 640,000 on CD and 14,000 on cassette, according to entertainment data tracking firm Luminate. Swift also sold 174,000 “Folklore” vinyl LPs in 2022.
Overall, consumers bought 41.3 million vinyl LPs and 200,000 vinyl singles in 2022, an increase of 3.2%. CD sales decreased 28% to 33.4 million albums and 100,000 CD singles.
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Spending on vinyl LPs, which typically cost more, passed CD revenues in 2020 with $643.9 million for vinyl and $483.2 million for CDs, the RIAA says.
Vinyl album sales have slowly risen since accounting for only $14.2 million in revenue in 2005. In each of the last two years, sales of vinyl LPs have surpassed $1 billion in revenue; vinyl increased 20% to $1.2 billion in 2022.
Which stores are participating in Record Store Day 2023?
Which artists are releasing vinyl on Record Store Day 2023?
- Record Store Day releases: For the complete list of Record Store Day releases go to recordstoreday.com.
You can start your Record Store Day shopping plans on social media, which is turning up the volume as the event approaches.
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