National Record Store Day
Support your local record store, support your favorite bands, and find new ones all at the same time by adding to, or even starting, your record collection.
Drive foot traffic and vinyl sales by positioning Record Store Day as a nostalgia-driven community event where collectors and music fans discover rare records, meet artists, and support local independent retailers.
- Exclusive vinyl drops & limited-edition releases available only on Record Store Day
- Meet-and-greet events with local musicians and touring artists signing albums
- Vintage turntable giveaways and bundle deals to attract new collectors
- Behind-the-scenes stories from independent record store owners celebrating 15+ years of the movement
National Record Store Day brings people together to celebrate the culture of record stores and the roles they play in communities everywhere.
The day was conceived of in 2007 by numerous independent record store owners who wanted to do something more to promote the culture of local record shops.
This day now acts as an inspiration for individuals, musicians, record store owners and customers to nostalgia. They do this by allowing people to listen to the music they love by their favorite artists.
In fact, many musicians and artists have been supportive of and gotten behind the idea of National Record Store Day. One year, Metallica spent hours at Rasputin’s Music in San Francisco, signing copies of their albums and meeting a collection of their fans.
In 2009, Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes declared himself the “National Record Store Day Ambassador” to show how vital these stores were to artists and fans alike. Since then, other musicians have also taken on the volunteer role as Record Store Day Ambassador in support of the day and the record store owners.
Today, hundreds of artists, famous or local, head over to their local record stores to perform and spend time with their fans in observance of National Record Store Day. Artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, Metallica, Jack White and many others have all worn the ceremonial sashes as ambassadors on this day.
National Record Store Day allows independent stores all over the world to create special promotions for CD and vinyl releases, which aids in keeping them in business. Festivals also happen on this day, including live musical performances, cook-outs, parades, and perhaps most importantly, meet and greets.
This day is celebrated on six of the planet’s seven continents, except for Antarctica. Cities such as New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and many other cities across the United States and the world, have all declared National Record Store Day an official holiday for their local areas.
Record stores on this day celebrate the joy of music and the creativity that artists bring to the world today.
Buy Some New Music Locally
This is a day that just about anyone can celebrate because, after all, who doesn’t enjoy music? Record stores are filled with music of all different styles and kinds, so there’s something for everyone! Kids, classical, heavy metal, jazz, rock, opera and many other styles can be found at the record store. So this is the perfect day to head out to a record store and make an investment in life with a new record or compact disc (CD). It might even be fun to go to a record store for a collectible or just for a copy of your favorite CD. Share this holiday with your friends and family and support your local artists by buying their CDs.
Buy a New Record Player
Everything old can become new again! Once abandoned for the convenience of cassette tapes and compact discs, vinyl records are making a comeback due to the quality of their sound. Now would be a great time to invest in a new or vintage record player that allows records to be played in a classic, stylish way. From there, it’s easy to head down to the local record store on National Record Store Day and begin building that collection of vinyl.
Join In on National Record Store Day Events
National Record Store Day can be celebrated by heading over to a local record store and seeing what plans they have for participating in the day. Perhaps they will be hosting a reception, offering some giveaways, have some live musicians playing, or maybe even someone famous will be signing some autographs on copies of their records.
Volunteer to Help at a Record Store Event
Some local record stores might be looking for help with an event. Those who wish to support a local record store in putting on an event can get in contact with the managers on the National Record Store Day website. Invite friends, offer to help with promotions, or put it on social media. This is a great way to look into supporting and encouraging local and independent businesses everywhere!And, for those who are local musical artists, this could be the perfect opportunity to make a plan with a local record store owner and take the day to meet and greet with some fans. It’s a win-win because it creates a way to show support for a local record store, and it could also grow the fan base for the band.