Record Store Day 2025 is This Saturday? Remember to Bring Elbow Pads and Coffee

Ah yes, Record Store Day 2025—the annual Hunger Games for vinyl nerds. Once again, the eCoustics team will be waking up at a time normally reserved for existential dread and international flights to stand in a never-ending line of caffeine-deprived hopefuls, hipsters, and flannel-clad flippers who couldn’t name three tracks on the record they’re about to sell for a 500% markup on Discogs.

We’ve been willingly subjecting ourselves to this chaos for five years now. Why? Because buried beneath the overpriced reissues and novelty pressings, there’s occasionally something magical—like a lost jazz session or an unreleased live set from a band that actually still plays their own instruments.

So come Saturday, April 12, you’ll find us there—bleary-eyed, overly caffeinated, and questioning all of our life choices—because we live for that sweet, sweet moment when we score something rare… right before someone elbows us in the ribs to snag the last copy. My “Gordie Howe” elbows will be otherwise unavailable this year as I will be finishing up my last 5 days of inpatient therapy in Florida — where record stores will have to survive without me.

Whether you’re hunting for that limited pressing or just in it for the chaos and camaraderie, it’s one of the best days of the year to celebrate wax and the stores that sling it. Don’t forget to bring the coffee and biltong. And a raincoat.

The timing of Record Store Day 2025 is, let’s just say… less than ideal. With Shabbat, Passover, Easter, and AXPONA in Chicago all colliding on the same weekend, plenty of vinyl lovers will be otherwise occupied. Unless you’ve got a direct line to Moses and the Almighty, don’t expect any miraculous parting of those lines.

What is Record Store Day?

Record Store Day is an annual celebration of independent record stores and vinyl culture. It started in 2007 as a way to bring attention to the unique role these stores play in the music community. It usually takes place in April (with a smaller event in November on Black Friday) and has grown into a global event.

Here’s what makes it special:

• Exclusive Releases: Artists and labels drop limited-edition vinyl, often only available at participating indie shops. These include unreleased tracks, reissues, live albums, and weird rarities.
• In-Store Events: Many shops host live performances, DJ sets, artist signings, giveaways, and more.
• Community Vibes: It’s a day for vinyl lovers to line up early, dig through crates, and talk about records like they’re rare gems (because sometimes, they actually are).
• Vinyl Resurgence Fuel: It helped kickstart vinyl’s comeback by reminding people that music is more than just streaming—it’s also about ownership of your music collection.

Basically, Record Store Day is like Festivus for record nerds… with more weird foods, insults, caffeine, and elbow-jostling in the bins from Frank.

RSD 2025 Releases

All kidding aside, there are usually some great new releases actually worth standing in line for — assuming your local indie shop managed to get more than five copies, which continues to be a frustrating issue organizers really need to sort out.

Then there are the leftover titles destined for dusty bin purgatory — the ones no one wanted in the first place and probably never will.

Why go?

You’ll find everything from rare releases and exclusives to colored pressings, box sets, 7-inch singles, live concerts, various artist compilations, soundtracks, and the venerable CD — which should make everyone snicker. We’re huge fans of the used CD market and I may have hurt my own cause by writing so much about it. My usual haunts in NJ and Maryland have been picked clean but at least I was smart enough to add almost 200 used CDs for under $350 over the past 24 months.

For a comprehensive list of all exclusive releases and participating stores, visit the official Record Store Day website. For US vinyl fans — there is a U.S. RSD list just for you.

The Bottom Line

Remember, these special editions are typically produced in limited quantities, so plan to arrive early at your local independent record store to snag your must-haves — like really early. As in, five hours before they open, while it’s still pitch black out and the only other people awake are late-night bar hoppers trying to remember where they left their dignity.

Record Store Day is also a great way to support your local independent record store. These shops are vital to the music community and provide a space for vinyl culture to thrive. Participating helps keep them in business and ensures they continue offering a curated selection of music.

And remember — you don’t own your streaming library. You’re just renting it. Physical media is forever.

Related Articles:

• Craft Recordings Announces 7 Album Reissues for Record Store Day 2025
• Record Store Day 2023: Breakfast Sammies With Taylor Swift
• RSD: The Big Haul or Time to Rethink
• Podcast: A Look Back at Record Store Day 2021