Record Store Day (RSD) is a global annual celebration of independent record stores, held on a designated Saturday in April (with a secondary "Black Friday" event in November). Founded in 2007, RSD brings together artists, labels, and fans with exclusive limited-edition releases — special pressings, colored vinyl variants, previously unreleased material, and unique packaging available only at participating independent record stores.
Each year, hundreds of exclusive titles are announced weeks in advance, creating excitement and long lines at stores worldwide. Past RSD exclusives have included unreleased tracks from David Bowie, colored vinyl Beatles albums, live recordings from contemporary artists, and box sets of rare material. Some RSD releases become highly collectible, reselling for multiples of their retail price on Discogs.
To make the most of Record Store Day: check the official release list (recordstoreday.com) weeks in advance and prioritize your wants, arrive early (some stores open at 8 AM, with lines forming before dawn for hot releases), be friendly to staff and fellow diggers, and explore beyond the RSD exclusives — most stores run sales on regular stock too. Even if you miss an RSD title, some leftovers appear online in the following weeks, and RSD releases occasionally get wider distribution later.
The first Record Store Day in 2007 had about 700 participating stores. By 2024, over 3,000 stores worldwide participate annually.