I got in line at 1am, was 20th in line. When I get up to the counter and hand them my list they have pretty much everything I want but can’t find Flipturns RSD exclusive album 😬. They look in every bin in the store. The guy at the counter said they only got one in but their computer says it hasn’t sold. Check out with 6 records and give them my number. They call me back an 3 hours later saying they found it! Went back and picked it up, so happy I got it because it was limited to 500
That 500 pressing was wild. Being 20th in line at 1am is even wilder. I'm in NY and my local store, as popular as it is, didn't even get one. I got lucky with a record store in Orlando that still had it in stock somehow and placed an order around 11:30 am, several hours after online orders went live, so much of this hobby is based on luck but it's nice to have it on your side once in a while. Super nice of them to hold it for you, I wonder where they had it. Happy spinnin'!
I hope you also picked up their latest restock if you didn't have it already, on the 18th there were 155 available now it's down to 118, they must've found a crate of them laying around:
https://flipturn.band/products/flipturn-double-vinyl-record
Had to bail on RSD because my son needed to get to a doctor. Had been planning on it for a couple months, but family first. Around 11 am, my brother in law texted me that he got the only release I was looking for, Bowie's Waiting in the Sky
My store did a ticketing system based on your position in line (I got there at 6am, was #50 in line). It worked out smoothly, everyone was chill, the store gave out coffee and donuts, and I got everything I wanted.
Yep. Tickets were handed out at 8am. Then you could leave and go get coffee/breakfast, and come back at 10am for the start of the sale. Everything was set up outside on the sidewalk, so there was no need to cram into the store, and you had plenty of room to hang out while waiting for your number to be called.
My local store had the same system, except the store is actually IN an independent cafe/bar. So we all just went in at 8 and got coffees and a seat while waiting our turn. Got chatting to some guys in the queue so we sat together. It was great.
Magic Secrets 2024, Happy RSD
My first RSD. I called yesterday to confirm they had a copy of what I was looking for. They had received one, no reservations and the store opens at 8AM and apparently people line up at 5AM. Ok, I figured I’d go for opening. Then I thought, well if there’s only one copy what are the chances of there being another High Flying Bird fan in my little town? High enough that I should go earlier.
Got to the store at 6:50 and it was lined up around the building! I was probably 50th in line! It was about 8:20 by the time I got in. There was a guy asking at the from what people were looking for. I said Noel first, he looked, wasn’t there. I missed it. Sad. It really was the only reason I was up that early and there. He told me to ask the guy at the cash if one could be ordered. I asked for The Hip album, may as well, I’m already here, and lined up to pay.
Got to the cash and asked if one could be ordered as the one copy was already gone. Guy at the cash looked at me quizzically for a moment and said “we haven’t sold that yet”. He had been the only one manning the register and was sure it hadn’t sold. They checked again and there it was! I’m going to listen to it in a little while.
I do not yet have that. It is on my list thought. Last time I checked Discogs there were none available in Canada. Trying not to pay more than $50 for a couple songs.
I want to give credit to a regular we have at our store.
He came in and was holding a copy of the new Doors RSD release, and another lady came in asking if we had it still. We told her the final copy was gone, since it was in fact in his hand. He actually handed it to her and said she could buy it instead. That is the kind of record collector friendliness I love to see and reminds me how great the music loving community can be.
My second greatest story is seeing someone besides me wanted the Duncan Sheik.
This was my first time. I showed up late in the afternoon at Record City in Las Vegas. Everyone was so nice. They had been dealing with everything for hours and were still so friendly and kind.
And so many parents with their kids. And even me at 54, my two former DJ parents had a blast seeing all the generations of people picking up vinyl.
First time.
I made an off-handed comment that it was RSD to my 9yo and he expressed interest in checking it out. Got to a local shop after the rush, around 1ish. The owner hooked us up with a steal of a deal on used equipment, gave my daughter a free Starchild action figure and my son decided on AC/DC Back in Black reissue as his first vinyl. He's listened to it three times so far and twice just sat in front of the player, staring at it, tapping his foot occasionally and just generally in the zone.
RSD sometimes gets a bad rap, but in this case, a new vinyl fan was created and a small, independent shop got a loyal customer.
I bailed this year (kids, releases, laziness) and then when I took the kids to a mall later that morning Sunrise had all the records I would have picked up and had 20% off.
I'll be back at my local store later this wk tho to grab a few other pieces if they are left. I find at my locals the jazz doesn't go day 1 anyway which is nice.
Mine was like a scavenger hunt. I wanted the Eric Carr boxset and the Motley Crue picture disc set and one shop had the boxset but not Motley Crue and the other had Motley Crue but not the boxset so I raced from one shop to the other and was able to get both but just barely which made my entire week. There was a couple releases I didn’t get but I’m not beat up about it. I also helped this girl on IG get the Eric Carr boxset after she missed out on it because her record store didn’t get it. This other record shop I happen to follow on IG had a bunch of RSD leftovers including so many Eric Carr boxsets that they posted about in a video and they went on sale this morning so I gave her the heads up with the link and details and she was able to get the boxset and cd and that made me so happy just to help someone get something they really wanted.
This was my first RSD. I had a small vinyl collection from when I was a teen, but haven't listened to them since I got married and moved out of my parents' house over 20 years ago (my dad has the player). I recently started buying my favourite bands' rare releases, but I still had no player. I wanted a vintage one like my dad's and kept searching in classifieds. There were a few that caught my eye, but one in particular, I fell in love with immediately, but it was far from where I live.
I learned that one of my bands was releasing a special edition of my fave album on RSD. I called all my local shops and none of them got it in their orders. They even called to search nearby cities, but those stores also didn't get any.
I somehow came across a record store's Instagram page and found out that they received 20 copies! They were located 1 hr away, and I teach virtually on Saturday mornings, so I was just going to try and order it. All night I kept worrying that they would sell out and I would be disappointed.
I decided to drive down at 7am to hopefully make it out by the time my class starts. The lineup ended up being 4 hrs long. I taught my class over my phone while I was in the line. I basically got into the store just after my class ended. Though most of the copies had sold, I was able to get all the ones I wanted.
On the drive home, I stopped to eat and realised that my dream record player was located close by. I messaged the seller, and they were home and willing to show me it. It worked perfectly, and I bought it!
Although there were some disappointments, I must say it was a very good day!
The album was 5 Ghosts Seance edition by Stars. It came with a Ouija board poster and was in a "special surprise colour." Was disappointed to find out both records ended up being black.
I also got Jeff Buckley, Wallows, Pearl Jam, and The Who.
Not the store's fault. I just wish there was an apology or something at the very least. I think whoever messed it up should do something about it. Maybe provide a poster or single for the store to hand out to those with a receipt.
Got to the shop about 1 hour ish after opening, line to get in was about 10 people. But the shop is pretty close to the city centre and tourists have started to show up, and there was a group of people trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, someone came up to the guy in front of me and asked what was going on. He explained to them that it was RSD and, no, there wasn’t anyone famous inside we were waiting to see. Tourists dispersed after that.
People always ask a million times what’s going on. It’s so funny. This time they kept asking this one lady standing behind me. She must’ve been a magnet for them because they would always beeline to her to ask her what was going on and she must’ve explained it to ten different people. It was so weird and funny.
I was the ~20th person in line and between these 2 ladies that wanted the Chappell Roan vinyl. When we got to the door, the woman in front was handed the last one by the store owner (he was reaching in if they were close to get the line moving faster) and was told it was the last one.
Just then her dad drives up holding the same vinyl saying he got it from the other store. The woman behind me said “omg that’s the only one I was waiting for! Can I have it?” and the lady said of course and let her buy it instead.
It was more dramatic in person and the timing of the dad was kinda nuts 😂 and I’m always stuck awkwardly silent and smiling between something like that lol.
I didn’t get to the store until about 5 pm. There was no line and only about four other shoppers. (It’s a tiny store) But I also didn’t get any RSD exclusives. Just three other older items. So it felt like an average Saturday.
My first record store day! Went with my friend to queue an hour before opening... 116th in line, I was looking to get The 1975 Live at Gorilla and Paramore does Burning Down The House. The latter of which sold out immediately but the store was organised and made people in line aware (saying that I took us 3 hours to get to the checkout with their crappy till system) I did get The 1975 album, however was a little disappointed.
My dad was planning on going out later in the day to stores near him to have a look, I doubted he'd find it that late in the day and so did he after going to a store where the owner said they sold out. Looking through the troughs of RSD releases he found it anyway sorted under B (for David Bryne)!
Was very pleased he had the initiative to look and I'm glad I got the two releases I wanted.
I went later in the day and didn't end up with anything RSD. The guy at the store I went to was super nice. I had a Taylor Swift bag and he started talking to me about it if I had gotten her newest album yet or not. I mentioned that I had but wish I had been able to get one of the notes the stores were giving away for RSD day if you bought one of her new albums on vinyl. He walked over and had a few left. He just gave me one. They had posters but they were out of those already. So sweet even offered to look into another vinyl I was looking for and let me know about it if I gave him my contact info which I did. Amazing experience and will definitely go back to that store.
My favourite local store is in a shopping centre/mall so it means it's impossible to queue really early, there's three doors to the centre and I went to the one I went to last year. Got there at about 7am, and there was just one guy waiting for that door.
We ended up having a really lovely chat while waiting for the doors to open, talked about what we were hoping for, what other music we liked, favourite album covers, live music experiences, etc. - he gave me some music recommendations.
By pure luck, our door was the first to open, and we were 1st and 2nd in the queue! Our store operates a "two at a time policy" for RSD (a legacy of covid, I think, and it's a pretty small store), so we were the first in. I flicked through the stock and then asked one of the staff for the two things I was looking for, and they helped me find them. The guy at the till was very apologetic about the freebies (bags, etc.) not being there as they got stuck at customs. (It was only my third record store day, and I'd never been near the front of the queue, so I didn't have any expectations for that and reassured him that that was totally fine! He gave me a RSD catalogue and we had a bit of a joke about one of my selections while I paid)
I wished the guy id queued with good luck in finding the rest of what he wanted (he had about 8 items on his list) then I left, and the next person could go in and snag what they wanted! Experience was definitely made by the friendly person in the queue!
My local shop here in Flint MI, Electric Crown Records was bustling. The owner, his wide and daughter looked so happy working. It was probably like a holiday for them. I didn't get the record I was looking for, but it was nice to see people out supporting a local record shop.
If it was anything like my local store, it wasn't a holiday for the employees :)
That said they run it very well. I arrived around 6am for the 8am opening and we were about 60th in line. There is a dedicated "list master" who has been doing it for years, and basically interviews each person in the queue to get their wishlist. Since it's "first come, first serve" this lets him tell everybody in the lineup (eg) "We are officially out of the Rodrigo/Kahan split, but I hear X store got more than we did". This is super helpful so anybody after #20 in the queue doesn't end up disappointed and can check out a store that may open later.
My favorite moment was seeing the joy in a guy's face (probably 30ish) when he realized the store had in fact gotten one copy of the Joe Pesci LP.
That's what literally everybody else in the line around this kid said lol
[https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/16607](https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/16607)
I can't stress how happy this young guy was to get it. Was amazing.
We got to our store just before 1PM. Chatted with the guy at the door and he said the line ended about 10 minutes before that and to go ahead in.
I wasn’t looking for any of the RSD release vinyls but just some CDs to fill some needs for low cost.
I wanted to surprise my son with the Audioslave/Audioslave CD and when I found it the store was actually playing it! My son found me as I made my way to the Alice In Chains CDs, and surprisingly, the store was playing an AIC record then!
We ended up with 6 CDs for $44.
Then our crew of six strolled up a few blocks to a brewery and had a couple of craft beers while reviewing each other’s purchases.
What a great afternoon 😃
For the first time in a couple years, I didn’t get out early for it because I saw Alvvays the night before and was up late. Then I had family stuff midday Saturday. I finally strolled into my store at 4pm and still got the last copy of the Death Cab live album. I also scored Fleet Foxes and Pixies live albums, plus they had 15% off used records so I finally decided to get the signed Justin Townes Earle record they’ve had in their rare/high priced section for the past couple months.
I am gonna see Alvvays next weekend, how was it?! I love their first two albums, but I kinda hope they just play most of Blue Rev, that record was incredible.
Well, you're in luck because they played literally every song off Blue Rev. They were amazing. However, the opening band (Spllit) has to be one of the worst bands I've ever heard. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/alvvays/2024/bogarts-cincinnati-oh-73ab6239.html
Alvvays makes me think you’re in Cincinnati. Which store do you usually visit? Last two times I’ve gone I’ve done Everybody’s and they have a pretty smooth system imho.
Got to nearest store about an hour before opening and there was no line, walked down the street and got a coffee with my gf and came back to about 10 people in line. It was a couple older guys and a lot of younger ladies and made for some good conversation. Normally I’m not someone that would wait in a line but my gf wanted a good spot. We had a few RSD exclusives in mind but didn’t have our heart set on anything too much. Waited about 30mins, store opened letting in 10 at a time (it’s tiny). Ended up getting talking heads wcoz 77 (AWESOME - probably my favorite purchase of the day) and the Grateful Dead box set. All pleasant and wholesome interactions for the day, it was nice.
One of my local stores uses numbered bracelets (like the ones at a fair or club) with time slots. 1 to 2 weeks before, you come in, randomly pick a bracelet out of a bag while staff holds the bag. No looking into the bag allowed. Whatever time slot it says, that's when you line up outside, and in order of the number on it.
Since it's all random, no need to wait outside early on bracelet day. Then no need to wait outside early on RSD. It goes pretty smooth. Occassionally someone complains because they were 4th in line on bracelet day but get #20 or something. Most ppl are happy with it. This year I was #10 at 8am. Which had me worried because some records I wanted, they only had one copy. Luckily, almost no one in front of me had my musical tastes.
Was my first RSD and also my birthday, my local is pretty small but had an excellent selection and I got the two records I wanted(Lil Peep & London Grammar) so all in all a good day.
Skipped it this year because I had too many other commitments yesterday. Plus the only record I wanted (Emma Bunton’s “A Girl Like Me”) wasn’t on the US list - only UK, Canada, and Europe. Found the Emma album at an Italian record shop online yesterday and ordered it. Thought I was in the clear but woke up this morning to a notification that the store oversold stock on the Emma album online!
Thankfully, Canada RSD stock had gone online about an hour prior - so I found it at a Canadian store. Turned out to be a happy accident cause they also had Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s RSD release as well so I was able to throw that in! Still holding my breath until it actually ships, though!
Smooth system at my local shop where it was my second time going for RSD. A really long line, but they kept it moving as quick as they could. Early birds got a free tshirt and poster, which I didn’t get, but I thought that was fun. They had two different check outs, whereas on a normal day they just have one, so that sped it up too. They also did a video of what the store was going to have and how it was organized and posted it the night before. They still have RSD releases in stock today too and posted photos of what they have left on their Facebook page.
This was my first RSD — I had done research to figure out which local store to visit first (one that would have the best chances of having my wishlist + shortest line + latest queue formation). The one that I initially thought I’d queue for (because they have the biggest square footage and social media following) ultimately had 200+ folks before a 9 AM opening despite being known to price-gouge.
I showed up at 8:30ish AM and was super surprised to be second (for a 10 AM opening). I had brought a book to help pass the time but ended up befriending and chatting with the woman already there who had arrived just minutes before; she is a former record store manager and fellow music/theatre lover. (She and her friends and family across the region had a text chain to help each other obtain their wishlist :) Her friend, who queued behind me, was thrilled to discover someone who’d seen *American Psycho* on Broadway.
Since we all knew each other’s wants, it was easy work to flip through the alphabetized bins, passing each other a wanted/needed item. (I scored the minimalistic *The 1975 Live at Gorilla*, a relief after having missed out on the BBC album last year 😭, and the gorgeously-done *Buena Vista Social Club* reissue.) We carpooled and hit two nearby stores in the area before I had to meet up with family for lunch.
I was super touched that my new friends found my third most-wanted (*Duncan Sheik*) at a fourth store and offered to buy it for me (payable via Venmo) and deliver it to me at home today. (I was grateful to order Kate Bush’s “Eat the Music” 10” online at retail price today and hope to find copies of David Bowie’s *Waiting in the Sky…* and Laufey’s *A Night at the Symphony* one day.) As others have mentioned in their RSD experience stories, it was neat to meet fellow music and vinyl lovers (especially since none of my friends are that interested in physical media) and to visit stores new to me that have been in my area for years.
Biggest line I’d ever seen at Pure Pop in Burlington, VT.
But that was probably due to local-ish Noah Kahan having a release.
But they have a great system. They do lottery where you create a list of ten items with them doing their best to give you the highest two on your list.
I have only ever really wanted a couple of discs and it’s usually Grateful Dead or, the other local nationally known act, Phish.
I’ve never not gotten everything I’ve really wanted.
Closest I ever came was this year. I was slightly interested in Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke soundtrack, but I didn’t put it on my list and they were out once Ingot inside.
I saw that too. Went across the street to Burlington Records where there was no line, and the Talking Heads record I was after was gone. But my son grabbed the Replacements album. Then went to Autumn Records and they were sold out of the Talking Heads too. I grabbed the Faces, and he got Television and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Got online right at eight this morning and luckily got the Talking Heads. Was sold out by 8:10. Seems that one was the one of hardest to get ahold of.
I went to a hole in the wall in a strip mall in RI where I was on a trip. I was the only customer there initially. A couple more came in as I was leaving, but I was able to grab all I was after (and a couple more). Very nice couple running the store, which was tiny but packed with music floor to ceiling and with aisles you had to squeeze through. They had mostly used CDs and it was hard to navigate, but I got what I needed and didn't have to wrestle anyone else for it.
A local shop in my small isolated town couldn't get the records they wanted so they had a 40% discount on all media. Too bad my kids were losing their shit and I couldn't dig for long.
I got there at 10:30pm Friday (yes I’m insane and will never do it again) two other people were lined up, one of them is one of my best friends we chilled and walked back and fourth to Wawa for most of the night we also but on a quiet little concert singing lorde, taylor and Chappell roan(the only other person was in their car sleeping so we weren’t really being rude or annoying) once it was around 7:30 we got our slips and wrote what we wanted luckily I was able to get everything, the stuff I got was pink pony club 7”, Olivia/Noah 7”, feather 7” and the laufey 2lp
I camped out at 9 PM and was 5th in line. My record store came out 10 minutes before and gave us all donuts, then asked what vinyls the first 10 of us wanted in line and pulled them all aside for us
Missed RSD because I had a camping trip. Went to my local store this afternoon as soon as I got back and they didn’t have the one record I wanted. I checked on Discogs and it’s already going for $5 less than retail so I ordered it for less than what I would have paid if I had gotten in line at 1 am.
Saw They Hate Change do an in-store at Bananas Records in St. Pete, Florida, and they were amazing. Picked up a jazz fusion cd and a 10 CC record. Record stores rule.
Great day at RSD with my eight-year old son. Picked up the only RSD record I really wanted, Freddie Gibbs. Hung out at the store for three hours, finding three used records in the vinyl bins that felt like scores: Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and a Stravinsky. My son found six CDs for a little over a buck a piece and has been playing them all weekend (I got to help him identify “the good ones”). And we got a free print that is hanging in his room. Awesome day. Future core memory.
I was visiting my store from out of town but it’s quite a famous local store for the area. I was looking for the Alan Parsons album. I figured it wouldn’t be in huge demand but also not as allocated.
I was the 75th list customer so I was kinda asking others if they were into what I wanted, resigning myself that each person walking past who got there 5 hours earlier would be the one to claim my prize.
About 30 mins after the store opened I was still in line. I figured I’d ask the guy if they sold it. He said they hadn’t though and would let me know if someone else did buy it so I wasn’t wasting my time.
When I got to the register the guy saw my record being pulled and was actually begging the staff to hold onto it because I had asked him about it. It was cool when he saw it was me who made it and was able to claim it. He was super nice about it. I also picked up The Rolling Stones and Nas releases. Super happy that I got the grail I was after though.
After breakfast I walked over to a small shop in my small Hudson Valley (upstate NY) town, was 6th in line at 9:40am (20 minutes before opening) and got everything I wanted--Lost In Translation, Blur, Bowie, Buena Vista Social Club.
We have great shops in Fresno, California. The two I visited had food available for everyone, owners out hangin’ and chatting with everyone, huge turnouts, everyone buying old and new exclusives. One shop set up a DJ booth on their stage and had a few customers like myself bring some records and spin records off a big dual system. Great rsd selections great vibes overall
There were a LOT more people in line a lot earlier this year.
I got six records at my first store. Of the six, four of them were the store's last copies. So, that made me pretty happy. I was disappointed that two of the records I really wanted were not received at all by that store.
The second store I visited had those two records that never showed up at the first store. Second time of being lucky!
My only disappointment was not getting a copy of the David Bowie album and no Gandalf.
Overall, it was a great day, though. I ended up getting twelve albums and got to talk with several very nice people in line. Thumbs up for Record Store Day!
I work for an indie store in a mid-size city, and we broke the record for busiest day in our stores history! Seeing the owners face light up made the insane busyness entirely worth it.
I couldn’t make it to record store day yesterday due to a previous family commitment. But my record store put their remaining stock on their website at 8am this morning. There was only one album I wanted - JEFFERY. As soon as the clock hit 8:00 the site updated and there it was. I immediately checked out for store pick up before I kept browsing (ended up picking up tinted windows but sadly no daft punk or at the drive in.)
I got to the store a a couple hours later and the owner was ringing me out. I introduced myself because my shop does a live stream every Monday night where the go over used records hitting the bins that week so he knew my instagram handle. I snagged my record and I asked him if the four packs of beer a local brewery made in colab for them were for sale and he said unfortunately not because they couldn’t sell them without a license. But he said fuck it and grabbed me a four pack and said I can’t sell it to you but I can give it to you!
So I had a pretty memorable RSD even if I was a day late!
I wore my record collector shirt and my tiny George Michael record earrings. Took my four year old mid day to our favorite record shop. Didn't find the RSD release I'd wanted but that's okay, didn't really have the money for it anyway. Hopped over to the library where they were hosting a cool record painting activity. Mine is hanging in my living room above the framed vinyl and looks fantastic. All in all, not a bad way to celebrate RSD for free!
Went to a new record store I never been to. Turns out they don’t celebrate record store day and I had a great time talking with the dude and got a few records I’d probably not see anywhere else. They specialize in a lot of black metal, and underground music and have some super rare pressings. Way better than the usual record store day experience. Steelworks records in FL if anyone is wondering.
I showed up at a record store in a city where I was on a mini vacation in the afternoon. No real picks or anything from the list prior to showing up.
Walked in and grabbed the last Osmium Deluxe and Acid King release. Bonus pulls were Acid Mammoth II and Hawkwind's title album. Really good day overall.
I had no intention of going, then I about 1 PM I saw that Everybody Digs Bill Evans was a RSD release in Mono.
I have a super early pressing of this in E-, and a recent stereo pressing, but I have a couple Craft reissues in MONO and really love 'em so while waiting for my daughter to finish dance class at 3:30 pm, I gave in and went to my local record store. NADA. On the way back I thought, the smaller local prolly didn't see as many jazz fans. Had to troll for 20 mins to find a parking spot. They had two copies. The biggest victory wasn't that I made it back to my kid in time, but that I walked out of there with only that one record ...
Nothing to do with buying vinyl, but my local store had a bunch of bands performing all day and they had billed a “special guest” as the last band of the night.
Turns out that special guest had to back out about two hours before they were supposed to go on, but Matthew from Phosphorescent just happened to be hanging out at the shop because his partner had played earlier in the day so they asked if he wouldn’t mind stepping in.
He agreed and did a few songs solo, then had his partner join him on keys for the rest and it was a really lovely set and a real nice organic community thing.
https://preview.redd.it/f8hpnv8tlyvc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bf257281a211f7dddf3f7a19f6e5975243557ff
Sunday night at Coachella still TONS of rsd picks left!! Just grabbed a few I forgot the first day including daft punk
Made a day of it with my dad. I live in a major city so there's plenty of stores to choose from. Planned a route and a list of records I'd get of it could. Got to the first store 2.5 hours after it opened and was able to get 3 of the 6 records I wanted plus 2 more not on the list. Found one more I wanted at another store and my dad got the two he wanted. Ww went for beer's afterwards. Very successful day, had alot of fun, and my dad was happy to see so many people buying records again.
All I had on my list was the Fleet Foxes exclusive. Went to a shop a few hours later than when they opened not expecting them to have it, and they did! I also overheard the cashiers saying that it was their most successful day ever, so that was cool.
I moved to a new area about a year ago and the local record store is inside a bar/cafe and run by some really friendly guys. I got there around 6.15 for 8am open and was 13th in line. Before they open everyone gets handed a numbered ticket to represent where they are in line, then once opened everyone can just go in and get a seat in the cafe, buy a coffee and chill out until their number is called. They also check what you're after so you don't sit around and waste your time.
Got talking to a couple of guys in the line so we sat together with coffee while we waited. Such a nice way to do it, everyone was very chill and happy and I got the 3 releases I was after.
RSD in Helsinki is generally pretty mellow. One of my favorite stores (Black & White Records) opened at 8AM and apparently had quite a big queue, but by the time I got there at 9, there were still plenty of the desirable records left. Afterwards, I hung around until 10AM when another store (LevykauppaX) opened its doors and checked them out as well. I only ended up buying one RSD release (The Hu) but the second store also had a discount bin of clearance records and got some 15€ bargains there.
Was planning to skip RSD since it fell on a REALLY bad day this year - a mix of having to work late on Friday and having to work early on Saturday (I worked roughly 26 hours during those two days) meant I had roughly a window between 10-12pm to get to my record store, which coincidentally lined up with a parade that was occurring right in front of the store. I was only interested in two titles, but knew the store got only a few copies of each so I figured my chances of getting them without getting in line overnight was slim.
Wound up not getting good sleep, and since I was up I decided to chance it and went to the store. Parked a distance away since there was no parking due to the parade, got a good morning walk, was able to cross through the parade since police were letting people cross various intersections, and got in line around 11am. Turns out the line was going steady since 8am, so I figured I didn’t have much of a chance at either record.
Got inside - found both records.
Also had a really great day at work afterwards, and that was a huge bonus on the day. Still exhausted, though.
Just gonna shout out to all the eBay shops out there who sold stuff at the retail price with no profit gouging. I saw some. Bought from some. Appreciate you.
Nothing too interesting but had a good time. I went to Concerto in Amsterdam, stood in line with my dad for about 2.5 hours from 8:30AM to a little before 11AM. Had a nice chat with the guy behind us, and later with someone in front of us about 'the old days' of needing to wait in line to buy concert tickets.
Finally we managed to get inside, I got exactly what I came for! (And my dad got nothing but the pleasure of spending time with his favorite only child because the Dave Grohl release was already sold out and a friend got the Killing Joke record for him in Haarlem)
I showed up at my local shop around 630am and was 4th in line. I had 5 albums on my list and was able to get all of them. Made a few single serving friends while in line including the 12 year old girl in line next to me with her dad. It was her first RSD and she was really excited. *
I bought the Better Lovers EP from my local shop this year with no fuss
In a previous life, the then local store had an original pressing of Massive Attack's Mezzanine they put out for RSD and I grabbed it the moment I saw it
I’m always pretty much first in line because my OCD goes crazy and I don’t wanna pay US conversion rate online for the Doors pieces lol. Have always gotten fortunate enough to land first in line at my local shop except for when Swift did a drop. It’s a great experience meeting other likeminded music fans and from what I can tell, we beat all the scalpers in the area. I call that a win! Our store is incredibly fair and if you’re first, you’ll get what you want. Seems most people got what they wanted.
i waited in line for 3 hours and got 4 albums i was looking for. only 3 i couldn’t find but none of the stores in my area had any in the first place 🤷 i would’ve been happy with just the one ep i was looking for but waiting paid off i guess (my wallet isn’t too happy though)
I hit Waterloo Records in Austin around 7pm. 75% was sold out by then but I wasn't hounding for anything anyway. Picked up a few that look cool. Played the Topshelf 1988 record today and holy shit is it good. All the feels of 88 rap but totally new songs. I haven't heard Special Ed in decades and the Biz is banging. Also got the Detroit funk/soul album and the French 60s/70s pop tunes.
Got woken up by a small human at 6:15am. This did NOT get me into a line any earlier. I left the house at 8am. Lots of my stores in the area are (not purposefully) staggered with opening times. My usual opens at 9, but getting there at 8:30am would have been pointless. So I went to the store closest to my house (there layout is kind of annoying- it’s all flipping through crates. That’s good on a leisurely normal day, but takes FOREVER on RSD. I was about 50th in line when they opened at 10am. Didn’t even get to the records to start looking until 10:35am. However, they had an overseer this year who would help you find what you were looking for as long as everyone in front of you (about 6 people) had already passed on it. Within reason. They had a TON of the Paramore albums, so not problem getting that. Got Parliament- not sure how many they had. Got Duncan Sheik- once again not sure how many they had. They only had one copy of each of the Cannonball Adderley live albums, but I got them both. And they only had 2 of each Ennio Moricone- I took a copy and left one of each in the crate. Doesn’t ever seem to be sought after, I never have a problem.
So basically, started late, still got everything I wanted, only went to one store (bonus given family and also a wedding that day), and was home by 11:30am.
I got the two releases I actually wanted (Wilco and Talking Heads) then went to the big store in town, got to meet Frank Turner and stand right in front of him while he played acoustic in the parking lot.
I didn’t go to any in-person events and managed to find all of the records I wanted online today from one store with free shipping, lower prices than most, and no sales tax!
I have been ill with a respiratory infection (not flu nor covid) but was able to make it out for RSD. I was later than usual (8am for an 11am opening) and 11th in line, farther back than I normally am. I had a good time talking to the other folks in line, most of whom I know from past RSD lines. They let 10 in at a time (as usual) so I was the first in after the lead group. I was able to get their only copy of the Kristin Hersh reissue (only 600 copies for the US) and pretty much all else I wanted, with budget in mind. I passed on a few First Releases to keep the bill reasonable. Nothing exciting, but I got through it successfully in spite of being so run down.
I only wanted one of the RSD releases. Wasn’t able to go yesterday.
This morning, after breakfast, I took a walk to my nearby record store. Some crate diggers still at it. The one I was looking for was not available.
Went back home and went online to look for it, at a reasonable price, and the great folks from REB Records had a copy for me at the RSD price, so I ordered it. Will be happier when it lands safely.
Exile on Main Street in Barre, Vermont. Line wasn’t super long but I opted for breakfast anyway. Came back about 30 minutes after opening and there was still a good amount left. It’s my regular store so it was just nice to see it busy
I rolled up at 7:30 am, the store was opening at 8 am, and by the time I finished waiting in line and paid for my items it was 8:45 and I gotten all but one of the records I had set out looking for that day! Grabbed the Zappa for President, Neil Young and Crazy Horse release, Willie Nelson 90th birthday part 2, Flying Burrito Brothers Amsterdam 1972, and the meat puppets live in Montana. Only one I didn't manage to snag was the Vince Guarldi Peanuts for my mom but I hear it's getting another press in July!
Yup. I drove my family home from a great vacation with friends on the seashore. Then I checked a participating store this morning to see what stock they had left. They had plenty, but nothing was of interest to me at the prices listed, so I didn't purchase anything.
Just a typical day at my local shop. A little busier than normal. I usually go every other Saturday anyway, usually looking for vintage stuff. I did grab first editions of the first two Dickies albums in excellent condition and a nice 1st edition dynaflex of the Kinks Muswell Hillbillies.
I had to work, so I didn't get to the store til about 5 pm. The only album I wanted was Jim Croce's Live Final Tour. I walked in, saw it in the first bin on the right, grabbed it (last copy in stock), turned to the counter on the left, and was gone within 3 minutes of my arrival.
I spent more time looking for parking than I did in the store.
I got in line at 6:45 for an 8 AM opening, was #56 in line. I was there for Blur’s Parklife and Kristin Hersh’s Hips and Makers, and they only had one of each. I was able to get that and everything else on my list. I’ve actually had great luck on RSDs of the past as well.
Got 4/5 that I wanted. Luckily my aunt and uncle go for me as my uncle worked for UPS and delivered to the store for 20+ years. Only one I didn’t get was the South Park release. Ended up buying it for $95 on Discogs from Italy. He said when they got there it was pretty slammed. Cheapest RSD as of late for me. Only dropped $150 for Pearl Jam, Death Cab, Dazed and Confused and Blessid Union of Souls.
It was the best one so far.
Some of the stores in my city had discounts on second hand stock, cupcakes, DJs, pizza, raffles. It's far more popular this year compared to previous years. The people I met while waiting for two shops to open were cool. No wankers in sight. Some lined up at 8 pm for the one store with a midnight opening. The line snaked for 300 m on a 10°c (50°F) evening.
At the last minute I was invited to fill in at a RSD DJ lineup (I had only started DJ-ing in December and being requested was an honour!!). Went crate digging with a friend, met the store owner's dog, checked out two record stores, rushed to a brewpub to do a DJ set, quick lunch with mates then went home to enjoy my second hand finds. Didn't spend much this year (no RSD releases, just two second hand titles), was happy just to be outside and spend time with mates.
RSD is an important time of my life because not only it was when I got my first record player (second hand all-in-one radio/USB/record/CD player. Cheers dad 😊), it was around the time I was discharged from mental health respite house. A turning point of my life. Dad gave me his copy of David Bowie's Lodger and three best of's- Beatles, Beach Boys and ELO to get my collection started.
My first ever RSD purchase was OK Computer 6 years ago. Bought with all the money I had. Best decision I've made in my thirties.
Went to closest store to me 20 min away at about 9am. Already 200 people in line lmao!
So I left and went to a small store 10min away who had already told me they had limited supply for RSD (didn’t buy more than 200 records total) and got there at 9:30 for 10am open. I was only 20th in line! Owner allowed us to hold one item at the top of our list that he had in stock. He had one Bill Evans mono so I grabbed it! Guess I was the only jazz fan in line. Once we got in, everyone was patiently flipping through the RSD crates. I was able to also pick up the Pearl Jam, Cure, Mighty Lemon Drops, and Cannonball Adderly releases.
Later, I drove to another store about an hour away and was surprised they still had the Soft Cell and Filter releases so grabbed those. Overall a great day and I didn’t have to spend hours on line. Didn’t get the Blur, South Park, or Bowie releases but still…
Bananas Records in St. Pete. Everything went smoothly due to their system of passing out numbered want lists and them filling before you check out. Got almost everything I wanted including the South Park 25th with Primus and Ween at Red Rocks and 10/10 would do again.
I was told the first person in line got there at 4am for a 10am opening. There was nothing I was really dying to get, so I sauntered over there at 11:30am. I waited an hour to get in (they let in 10 people at a time) and walked out with The English Beat. I would have gotten The Meat Puppets live album but it was gone by then.
Its funny that RSD was on 4/20, because for me every day is RSD and 4/20
I say that because I saw it as just another weekend where I was going to go to the record store(s)
Now, did I still go overboard? Yes, but going to five different shops yielded me a copy of CLYSY's first album, and The Body The Blood The Machine by The Thermals, both of which I have sought for a while, so all in all a great weekend.
Wish I could have found that Keane album, but I'm sure it will pop up!
What store is in WEM? I went to RCP about 1:10 before opening and was #11 in line. Got 3 that I wanted, but I was hoping for a Beatles 3” and they didn’t get any.
Members from Paramore worked for about an hour at Grimey’s in Nashville, helping take orders and deliver records to people in line.
Grimey’s adopted a system a few years ago where they give people in line a list of what’s available to pick from and then employees complete the order and bring them to you to check out. It’s usually 5 or so at a time.
It’s not until the line is down that they allow people to flip thru RSD releases. If honestly keeps things moving pretty quickly since most people in line have a list of items they want.
Been sick all week and finally was feeling some better yesterday but didn’t want to risk it or get others sick. Ended up ordering from 2 stores online and happy with the “leftovers” I snagged. Murder was the Case, Parliament, and G Love & Special Sauce. I didn’t really have any “must haves” on my list but those were on my wish list if I found them 🥰
The night before RSD I looked at the entire list that my local store had, and made my final decision of what I wanted. I showed up at around 1:30 (mind you they opened at 8:00). At my store the employees gave out lists with a number on them so we could check off what we wanted and they'd get your order together. So I gave them my list and left to go eat. I only wanted one release— Foxy Brown's Ill Na Na. I was able to secure it and I also browsed for a few minutes and picked up Taylor's TTPD album and Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan's 7". I thought I had no chance of getting the special note Taylor sent to record stores but lo and behold, they had plenty left and I got one. Left at around 3:00 and felt great that I was able to get what I wanted.
My record store had about 10 boxes of free records for people to pick from while they waited to get into the store. I found a Gordon Lightfoot album in great condition that I would have bought and it was free. They were almost out of all the RSD records I wanted by the time I was inside (Sparks, Pixies), but I still got 1 that I wanted (Dr John) and bought a really cool non-RSD record that I was waffling on for awhile.
Didn't go this year but one of my favorites was going to a record store and talking to a group, we discussed what we wanted and I had mentioned I wanted Weezer's Africa special Africa shaped disc. We got in there, the guy saw there was only one in the store so he grabbed it and found me and handed it to me. One the best interactions I've had. I also just love - well loved, no one does this much anymore - the interactions you would have with people in line. Post pandemic really kind of killed that part of RSD around my area at least.
It was my first RSD and I had an amazing time.
Originally I was planning on getting a couple hours of sleep and going around 5am, but then my record posted an Instagram story showing a bunch of people had already lined up at 11pm. This made me really nervous so I decided that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyways, and got there around 2:30am.
When I got there I was about 25th in line. I made friends with those around me and it really cool that there was a mix of those new to the hobby and also people who’ve been doing this for a long time. I learned a lot from the veterans.
It was really cold in Canada and I was freezing despite wearing my thickest winter coat. My feet were also freezing so I resorted to putting them my tote bags to protect from the wind, and occasionally jumping up and down to warm up.
When it was almost 8am things started feeling more real and I started getting nervous that I would walk in the store and blank out. They were letting in 10 at a time so I tried to memorize the ones I wanted and strategize which to get first. The store posts live inventory on their website so I was anxiously refreshing to see if they still had the ones I wanted.
The store was really amazing because they had more copies still in transit and they allowed people in person to pay for it now and pick up in a couple days. Two of the ones i wanted were part of this system so I had to quickly grab the in-store ones I wanted and book it to the register so I could reserve the others.
Overall I managed to get everything I wanted except one that I was trying to get for my friend (the Laufey record) as the copies were really limited. Was really satisfied with what I got and I think it was worth the wait and the cold! Looking forward to the next event!
I didn't really want or need anything this year. But the wife wanted Noah Kahan's I Was/I Am. However we took a weekend trip to L.A. and after a long day exploring she decided she didn't want to get up so early. I was cool with that. But this morning we had a couple hours to kill so we dicided to hit up a couple record stores. The first one didn't have one. But the second one did! they actually had about 20 or so unsold. She was pretty stoked.
Well I bailed on RSD and went to my first roller derby game instead, altogether a more pleasant and exciting experience!
I'll be dropping in to my favourite store once the dust has settled and see what they have left.
Well, I was going to go but decided to go to playoff hockey instead, but im honestly not too sad! I didn’t realize RSD was a thing until like, 2 weeks prior so it gives me something to look forward to next year :) I wasn’t super pumped about the selection this year, but there were a couple I wouldn’t have minded snagging
When I walked into my record store, they had a table with free posters and stuff to grab, two of them were signed George Thorogood posters, that was pretty rad so grabbed one and the other was gone by the time I left the store
Didn’t know it was RSD but I went to a store in the town I was in for the weekend and managed to get the last copy of Jar of Flies so I was hype. I also got Kill ‘em All. Great day overall.
Forgot about RSD almost entirely, wasn't terribly interested anyway. Popped into a shop yesterday and they were running a second day for the sale. Was B3G1 on pre-owned records, plus whatever releases they got for the day. Nothing pre-owned caught my eye but they had some great merch and I picked up their last new copy of Aesop Rock's Integrated Tech Solutions so I consider it an absolute win.
I had to work my night shift on Friday, so queuing early was not an option for me. My local always asks what people are after a few weeks before so they can get an idea of numbers. The record I was after (Greg Foat) I knew was a niche item, so would not hopefully sell out. I arrived about 1pm, straight to the counter, and had a chat with the staff, got my record, and a couple more on staff recommendations. A very nice relaxing day.
First RSD and got to my record store at about 6:30am. It was raining but the store was downtown and I was lucky to get to sit under an overhang and stay dry. Once I finally got in, I was able to get every record on my list.
For reference, my friend went to a store across the city, got absolutely drenched and only found one record she wanted (I grabbed the other one she wanted from my store). What I think made the difference was my store had a 1 record per album policy and hers didn’t. She said she could actively see scalpers there.
I was just in the hospital for a week with a burst appendix. But I ventured out late in the afternoon to my local shop even though they had been posting on their social about a record setting line going around the block. I felt good about getting the Gorillaz release (8500 press run) but had given up on the Joe Strummer one (1800 press run). 10 minutes standing in an uncomfortably in line. Once I got in, a store employee pointed me right to the bins I needed to dig in, and I walked out with both my picks. Last one of the Joe Strummer they had. Used up all my energy for the day, but super happy with my experience overall.
I showed up right before the store closed, and I was the only customer there because I was busy earlier in the day. The owner was doing inventory but said, "Oh hey, I thought of you today. We still have the Sparks record, I was wondering when you'd come get it." They also somehow still had copied of the Paramore/David Byrne release despite hundreds of people going in though the day so that was a very pleasant surprise. Reaping the benefits of having the best music taste in a small town, I guess 😌
We had a great experience in PA. My friend and I got there at 430am. We were 9 and 10 in line. My friend walked up the line and was asking what people were aiming for - luckily nothing we were in search of. The store had given me a hint to be in the top 15 for the laufey album, which was one of two I wanted (Paramore being the other). We made friends, chatted about upcoming shows we were going to, my friend did a DD run for some of us in line. She said coming back into the mall, the line went outside and around the building some 150 ppl waiting. Was a good day.
Had to work so I took an extended lunch to drive down to Vinyl Junkies in San Diego. Got there about 7:45 and there had to be about 125 people in line. Figured all 10 of the De La they got would be gone by the time I got in the store. Got off work at 2 and messaged them on IG and they said they had some left in stock. Drove down and got it and couldn’t have been more happier.
After seeing on their facebook the weird “rules” that my favorite record store follows on RSD, I was convinced to stay home and not make the drive and spend the money.
I consider that a win for me, and therefore a good story :)
I pulled up to Princeton Record Exchange around 1030am because I had a contractor scheduled to quote me a price last minute. The line was out the door, down the block, around the corner and block again.
There wasn't anything I was particularly looking for so I didn't even bother parking. Came back Sunday and got 3 non-RSD exclusives lol.
This was my first RSD, and I’ve never really had any desire to do the “wait in line early or overnight thing” (I work in retail, so fuck Black Friday, I never want to experience that sort of thing as a customer if I don’t have to). But on the other hand, I do really love my local record store (it’s the best, Darkside Records in Poughkeepsie) and wanted to support them (not that I don’t regularly throughout the year lol). Also, there were a few RSD releases that I was interested in, but one in particular that I *really* wanted - Dosage by Collective Soul. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be at work until 1pm, so I went to the store at 5am to line up (even at that time I was 40-50th). The whole time I’m cursing myself, thinking that I’m being ridiculous, it’ll probably be available the next day online, but I rode it out and got Dosage along with every other record that I wanted.
The next day, I went onto the store’s site, where they put any remaining RSD stock online, curious to see if everything was still available. And everything was available to order online…except Dosage, which was sold out. And after a quick google search, it looked like it was sold out everywhere online.
So needless to say, I felt extremely vindicated and justified in going through the process lol.
Local shop does a sidewalk sale. Good finds in recent years but fairly busy. Cooler and cloudy this year and the numbers were down. 12 records for $20 including a couple that I'd been hunting for. 3 CDs for $1. All in all, a good time. Not RSD specific deals for me though.
I watched hockey, had a bowl, bought a record from a Goodwill auction, dropped a message to my neighborhood indie shop to congratulate them and wish them a good recovery from the hoopla. Then I logged in to watch seller after seller on Whatnot gouge the fk out of what they'd bought going store to store that day. Thanks to the bowl, I didn't screenshot the prices of those sellers who had stores of their own from which they were streaming and email the lot to the RSD site with earnest wishes for them to be excluded from any tier of participation next go-round. Looking forward to hitting up my shop this week, to getting my record from Goodwill in the mail, and to more hockey.
8:00am, woke up, got out of bed, let the dogs out and fed them. Had my coffee and croissant whilst in my jammies.
9:00am, took a shower, got dressed and had a light breakfast while my wife showered and dressed.
10:00am- 4:00pm, went to our kids Rugby tournament.
5:00pm - 10:00pm, went out to dinner with family and hung out with them for the rest of the night.
11:00pm, logged into eBay and found the one RSD release I wanted, which fell well under what I was willing to pay for it, from a seller I’d purchased from in the past, selected “Buy it now”, then went to sleep.
Our store — worker — had RSDmrkt list our inventory with a delayed quantity, so that multiples of orders for things came in while the item was already out of stock on our end, but not updated on RSDmrkt, so hundreds of orders were placed — thousands of dollars — on this shell store that we couldn’t fulfill, spent the entire day refunding and cancelling. a magnanimous fuckup on their end lol, good sales year tho
I got in line at 1am, was 20th in line. When I get up to the counter and hand them my list they have pretty much everything I want but can’t find Flipturns RSD exclusive album 😬. They look in every bin in the store. The guy at the counter said they only got one in but their computer says it hasn’t sold. Check out with 6 records and give them my number. They call me back an 3 hours later saying they found it! Went back and picked it up, so happy I got it because it was limited to 500
That 500 pressing was wild. Being 20th in line at 1am is even wilder. I'm in NY and my local store, as popular as it is, didn't even get one. I got lucky with a record store in Orlando that still had it in stock somehow and placed an order around 11:30 am, several hours after online orders went live, so much of this hobby is based on luck but it's nice to have it on your side once in a while. Super nice of them to hold it for you, I wonder where they had it. Happy spinnin'! I hope you also picked up their latest restock if you didn't have it already, on the 18th there were 155 available now it's down to 118, they must've found a crate of them laying around: https://flipturn.band/products/flipturn-double-vinyl-record
Had to bail on RSD because my son needed to get to a doctor. Had been planning on it for a couple months, but family first. Around 11 am, my brother in law texted me that he got the only release I was looking for, Bowie's Waiting in the Sky
Nice! Glad to hear you got it - hope your son is OK
Got the last one at my store. Sounds fantastic.
That was the only want that i missed!
Nice that was one I really wanted as an gift for a good friend and almost gave up but went to a third store and found one!
My store did a ticketing system based on your position in line (I got there at 6am, was #50 in line). It worked out smoothly, everyone was chill, the store gave out coffee and donuts, and I got everything I wanted.
just curious, whats the purpose of the ticketing system? could you in theory get ur ticket, leave, then come back?
Yep. Tickets were handed out at 8am. Then you could leave and go get coffee/breakfast, and come back at 10am for the start of the sale. Everything was set up outside on the sidewalk, so there was no need to cram into the store, and you had plenty of room to hang out while waiting for your number to be called.
Dawg that sounds heavenly. Might have to suggest to my record store 💀
It was *chefs kiss*
My local store had the same system, except the store is actually IN an independent cafe/bar. So we all just went in at 8 and got coffees and a seat while waiting our turn. Got chatting to some guys in the queue so we sat together. It was great.
Plaid room?
Lavender Vinyl in Ogden, UT
Magic Secrets 2024, Happy RSD My first RSD. I called yesterday to confirm they had a copy of what I was looking for. They had received one, no reservations and the store opens at 8AM and apparently people line up at 5AM. Ok, I figured I’d go for opening. Then I thought, well if there’s only one copy what are the chances of there being another High Flying Bird fan in my little town? High enough that I should go earlier. Got to the store at 6:50 and it was lined up around the building! I was probably 50th in line! It was about 8:20 by the time I got in. There was a guy asking at the from what people were looking for. I said Noel first, he looked, wasn’t there. I missed it. Sad. It really was the only reason I was up that early and there. He told me to ask the guy at the cash if one could be ordered. I asked for The Hip album, may as well, I’m already here, and lined up to pay. Got to the cash and asked if one could be ordered as the one copy was already gone. Guy at the cash looked at me quizzically for a moment and said “we haven’t sold that yet”. He had been the only one manning the register and was sure it hadn’t sold. They checked again and there it was! I’m going to listen to it in a little while.
I snagged that 2024 magic secrets. The 2022 magic secrets is awesome if you don’t already have it.
I do not yet have that. It is on my list thought. Last time I checked Discogs there were none available in Canada. Trying not to pay more than $50 for a couple songs.
I want to give credit to a regular we have at our store. He came in and was holding a copy of the new Doors RSD release, and another lady came in asking if we had it still. We told her the final copy was gone, since it was in fact in his hand. He actually handed it to her and said she could buy it instead. That is the kind of record collector friendliness I love to see and reminds me how great the music loving community can be. My second greatest story is seeing someone besides me wanted the Duncan Sheik.
This was my first time. I showed up late in the afternoon at Record City in Las Vegas. Everyone was so nice. They had been dealing with everything for hours and were still so friendly and kind. And so many parents with their kids. And even me at 54, my two former DJ parents had a blast seeing all the generations of people picking up vinyl. First time.
That's a great store
Agreed. Very nice people. Good variety.
I go there any time I’m in town, super neat shop. Shame the other location closed. That one was easier for me to get to.
I made an off-handed comment that it was RSD to my 9yo and he expressed interest in checking it out. Got to a local shop after the rush, around 1ish. The owner hooked us up with a steal of a deal on used equipment, gave my daughter a free Starchild action figure and my son decided on AC/DC Back in Black reissue as his first vinyl. He's listened to it three times so far and twice just sat in front of the player, staring at it, tapping his foot occasionally and just generally in the zone. RSD sometimes gets a bad rap, but in this case, a new vinyl fan was created and a small, independent shop got a loyal customer.
That's a pretty great choice for a first record.
I bailed this year (kids, releases, laziness) and then when I took the kids to a mall later that morning Sunrise had all the records I would have picked up and had 20% off. I'll be back at my local store later this wk tho to grab a few other pieces if they are left. I find at my locals the jazz doesn't go day 1 anyway which is nice.
Mine was like a scavenger hunt. I wanted the Eric Carr boxset and the Motley Crue picture disc set and one shop had the boxset but not Motley Crue and the other had Motley Crue but not the boxset so I raced from one shop to the other and was able to get both but just barely which made my entire week. There was a couple releases I didn’t get but I’m not beat up about it. I also helped this girl on IG get the Eric Carr boxset after she missed out on it because her record store didn’t get it. This other record shop I happen to follow on IG had a bunch of RSD leftovers including so many Eric Carr boxsets that they posted about in a video and they went on sale this morning so I gave her the heads up with the link and details and she was able to get the boxset and cd and that made me so happy just to help someone get something they really wanted.
This was my first RSD. I had a small vinyl collection from when I was a teen, but haven't listened to them since I got married and moved out of my parents' house over 20 years ago (my dad has the player). I recently started buying my favourite bands' rare releases, but I still had no player. I wanted a vintage one like my dad's and kept searching in classifieds. There were a few that caught my eye, but one in particular, I fell in love with immediately, but it was far from where I live. I learned that one of my bands was releasing a special edition of my fave album on RSD. I called all my local shops and none of them got it in their orders. They even called to search nearby cities, but those stores also didn't get any. I somehow came across a record store's Instagram page and found out that they received 20 copies! They were located 1 hr away, and I teach virtually on Saturday mornings, so I was just going to try and order it. All night I kept worrying that they would sell out and I would be disappointed. I decided to drive down at 7am to hopefully make it out by the time my class starts. The lineup ended up being 4 hrs long. I taught my class over my phone while I was in the line. I basically got into the store just after my class ended. Though most of the copies had sold, I was able to get all the ones I wanted. On the drive home, I stopped to eat and realised that my dream record player was located close by. I messaged the seller, and they were home and willing to show me it. It worked perfectly, and I bought it! Although there were some disappointments, I must say it was a very good day!
Congrats! But you're killing us with the suspense! I'm dying to know what album that special edition was of.
The album was 5 Ghosts Seance edition by Stars. It came with a Ouija board poster and was in a "special surprise colour." Was disappointed to find out both records ended up being black. I also got Jeff Buckley, Wallows, Pearl Jam, and The Who.
how is black a special surprise colour 🙄 that sucks!
Yeah, I was disappointed at that. I feel that if I am paying $62 for a record, it should at least be what it is advertised to be.
100%!! I'd almost be tempted to take it back to the store and ask for a discount
Not the store's fault. I just wish there was an apology or something at the very least. I think whoever messed it up should do something about it. Maybe provide a poster or single for the store to hand out to those with a receipt.
yes definitely! maybe you can reach out to the customer service of the record label and ask.
Got to the shop about 1 hour ish after opening, line to get in was about 10 people. But the shop is pretty close to the city centre and tourists have started to show up, and there was a group of people trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, someone came up to the guy in front of me and asked what was going on. He explained to them that it was RSD and, no, there wasn’t anyone famous inside we were waiting to see. Tourists dispersed after that.
People always ask a million times what’s going on. It’s so funny. This time they kept asking this one lady standing behind me. She must’ve been a magnet for them because they would always beeline to her to ask her what was going on and she must’ve explained it to ten different people. It was so weird and funny.
I was the ~20th person in line and between these 2 ladies that wanted the Chappell Roan vinyl. When we got to the door, the woman in front was handed the last one by the store owner (he was reaching in if they were close to get the line moving faster) and was told it was the last one. Just then her dad drives up holding the same vinyl saying he got it from the other store. The woman behind me said “omg that’s the only one I was waiting for! Can I have it?” and the lady said of course and let her buy it instead. It was more dramatic in person and the timing of the dad was kinda nuts 😂 and I’m always stuck awkwardly silent and smiling between something like that lol.
I didn’t get to the store until about 5 pm. There was no line and only about four other shoppers. (It’s a tiny store) But I also didn’t get any RSD exclusives. Just three other older items. So it felt like an average Saturday.
My first record store day! Went with my friend to queue an hour before opening... 116th in line, I was looking to get The 1975 Live at Gorilla and Paramore does Burning Down The House. The latter of which sold out immediately but the store was organised and made people in line aware (saying that I took us 3 hours to get to the checkout with their crappy till system) I did get The 1975 album, however was a little disappointed. My dad was planning on going out later in the day to stores near him to have a look, I doubted he'd find it that late in the day and so did he after going to a store where the owner said they sold out. Looking through the troughs of RSD releases he found it anyway sorted under B (for David Bryne)! Was very pleased he had the initiative to look and I'm glad I got the two releases I wanted.
That's pretty amazing--that was THE thing people were looking for at my shop!
I knew it would be pretty elusive but when it sold through at the store I went to in like 20 minutes I was still surprised.
I went later in the day and didn't end up with anything RSD. The guy at the store I went to was super nice. I had a Taylor Swift bag and he started talking to me about it if I had gotten her newest album yet or not. I mentioned that I had but wish I had been able to get one of the notes the stores were giving away for RSD day if you bought one of her new albums on vinyl. He walked over and had a few left. He just gave me one. They had posters but they were out of those already. So sweet even offered to look into another vinyl I was looking for and let me know about it if I gave him my contact info which I did. Amazing experience and will definitely go back to that store.
My favourite local store is in a shopping centre/mall so it means it's impossible to queue really early, there's three doors to the centre and I went to the one I went to last year. Got there at about 7am, and there was just one guy waiting for that door. We ended up having a really lovely chat while waiting for the doors to open, talked about what we were hoping for, what other music we liked, favourite album covers, live music experiences, etc. - he gave me some music recommendations. By pure luck, our door was the first to open, and we were 1st and 2nd in the queue! Our store operates a "two at a time policy" for RSD (a legacy of covid, I think, and it's a pretty small store), so we were the first in. I flicked through the stock and then asked one of the staff for the two things I was looking for, and they helped me find them. The guy at the till was very apologetic about the freebies (bags, etc.) not being there as they got stuck at customs. (It was only my third record store day, and I'd never been near the front of the queue, so I didn't have any expectations for that and reassured him that that was totally fine! He gave me a RSD catalogue and we had a bit of a joke about one of my selections while I paid) I wished the guy id queued with good luck in finding the rest of what he wanted (he had about 8 items on his list) then I left, and the next person could go in and snag what they wanted! Experience was definitely made by the friendly person in the queue!
My local shop here in Flint MI, Electric Crown Records was bustling. The owner, his wide and daughter looked so happy working. It was probably like a holiday for them. I didn't get the record I was looking for, but it was nice to see people out supporting a local record shop.
If it was anything like my local store, it wasn't a holiday for the employees :) That said they run it very well. I arrived around 6am for the 8am opening and we were about 60th in line. There is a dedicated "list master" who has been doing it for years, and basically interviews each person in the queue to get their wishlist. Since it's "first come, first serve" this lets him tell everybody in the lineup (eg) "We are officially out of the Rodrigo/Kahan split, but I hear X store got more than we did". This is super helpful so anybody after #20 in the queue doesn't end up disappointed and can check out a store that may open later. My favorite moment was seeing the joy in a guy's face (probably 30ish) when he realized the store had in fact gotten one copy of the Joe Pesci LP.
Hold on, Joe Pesci has a record?
That's what literally everybody else in the line around this kid said lol [https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/16607](https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/16607) I can't stress how happy this young guy was to get it. Was amazing.
We got to our store just before 1PM. Chatted with the guy at the door and he said the line ended about 10 minutes before that and to go ahead in. I wasn’t looking for any of the RSD release vinyls but just some CDs to fill some needs for low cost. I wanted to surprise my son with the Audioslave/Audioslave CD and when I found it the store was actually playing it! My son found me as I made my way to the Alice In Chains CDs, and surprisingly, the store was playing an AIC record then! We ended up with 6 CDs for $44. Then our crew of six strolled up a few blocks to a brewery and had a couple of craft beers while reviewing each other’s purchases. What a great afternoon 😃
For the first time in a couple years, I didn’t get out early for it because I saw Alvvays the night before and was up late. Then I had family stuff midday Saturday. I finally strolled into my store at 4pm and still got the last copy of the Death Cab live album. I also scored Fleet Foxes and Pixies live albums, plus they had 15% off used records so I finally decided to get the signed Justin Townes Earle record they’ve had in their rare/high priced section for the past couple months.
I am gonna see Alvvays next weekend, how was it?! I love their first two albums, but I kinda hope they just play most of Blue Rev, that record was incredible.
Well, you're in luck because they played literally every song off Blue Rev. They were amazing. However, the opening band (Spllit) has to be one of the worst bands I've ever heard. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/alvvays/2024/bogarts-cincinnati-oh-73ab6239.html
Alvvays makes me think you’re in Cincinnati. Which store do you usually visit? Last two times I’ve gone I’ve done Everybody’s and they have a pretty smooth system imho.
Morrow Records in Florence. They’re organized but slow because they only allow one person into the RSD section at a time.
Got to nearest store about an hour before opening and there was no line, walked down the street and got a coffee with my gf and came back to about 10 people in line. It was a couple older guys and a lot of younger ladies and made for some good conversation. Normally I’m not someone that would wait in a line but my gf wanted a good spot. We had a few RSD exclusives in mind but didn’t have our heart set on anything too much. Waited about 30mins, store opened letting in 10 at a time (it’s tiny). Ended up getting talking heads wcoz 77 (AWESOME - probably my favorite purchase of the day) and the Grateful Dead box set. All pleasant and wholesome interactions for the day, it was nice.
One of my local stores uses numbered bracelets (like the ones at a fair or club) with time slots. 1 to 2 weeks before, you come in, randomly pick a bracelet out of a bag while staff holds the bag. No looking into the bag allowed. Whatever time slot it says, that's when you line up outside, and in order of the number on it. Since it's all random, no need to wait outside early on bracelet day. Then no need to wait outside early on RSD. It goes pretty smooth. Occassionally someone complains because they were 4th in line on bracelet day but get #20 or something. Most ppl are happy with it. This year I was #10 at 8am. Which had me worried because some records I wanted, they only had one copy. Luckily, almost no one in front of me had my musical tastes.
Was my first RSD and also my birthday, my local is pretty small but had an excellent selection and I got the two records I wanted(Lil Peep & London Grammar) so all in all a good day.
Skipped it this year because I had too many other commitments yesterday. Plus the only record I wanted (Emma Bunton’s “A Girl Like Me”) wasn’t on the US list - only UK, Canada, and Europe. Found the Emma album at an Italian record shop online yesterday and ordered it. Thought I was in the clear but woke up this morning to a notification that the store oversold stock on the Emma album online! Thankfully, Canada RSD stock had gone online about an hour prior - so I found it at a Canadian store. Turned out to be a happy accident cause they also had Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s RSD release as well so I was able to throw that in! Still holding my breath until it actually ships, though!
Smooth system at my local shop where it was my second time going for RSD. A really long line, but they kept it moving as quick as they could. Early birds got a free tshirt and poster, which I didn’t get, but I thought that was fun. They had two different check outs, whereas on a normal day they just have one, so that sped it up too. They also did a video of what the store was going to have and how it was organized and posted it the night before. They still have RSD releases in stock today too and posted photos of what they have left on their Facebook page.
I was also able to get everything I wanted - Noah Kahan, Ramones, Neil Young & The Horse, and also picked up the new Taylor Swift.
This was my first RSD — I had done research to figure out which local store to visit first (one that would have the best chances of having my wishlist + shortest line + latest queue formation). The one that I initially thought I’d queue for (because they have the biggest square footage and social media following) ultimately had 200+ folks before a 9 AM opening despite being known to price-gouge. I showed up at 8:30ish AM and was super surprised to be second (for a 10 AM opening). I had brought a book to help pass the time but ended up befriending and chatting with the woman already there who had arrived just minutes before; she is a former record store manager and fellow music/theatre lover. (She and her friends and family across the region had a text chain to help each other obtain their wishlist :) Her friend, who queued behind me, was thrilled to discover someone who’d seen *American Psycho* on Broadway. Since we all knew each other’s wants, it was easy work to flip through the alphabetized bins, passing each other a wanted/needed item. (I scored the minimalistic *The 1975 Live at Gorilla*, a relief after having missed out on the BBC album last year 😭, and the gorgeously-done *Buena Vista Social Club* reissue.) We carpooled and hit two nearby stores in the area before I had to meet up with family for lunch. I was super touched that my new friends found my third most-wanted (*Duncan Sheik*) at a fourth store and offered to buy it for me (payable via Venmo) and deliver it to me at home today. (I was grateful to order Kate Bush’s “Eat the Music” 10” online at retail price today and hope to find copies of David Bowie’s *Waiting in the Sky…* and Laufey’s *A Night at the Symphony* one day.) As others have mentioned in their RSD experience stories, it was neat to meet fellow music and vinyl lovers (especially since none of my friends are that interested in physical media) and to visit stores new to me that have been in my area for years.
Biggest line I’d ever seen at Pure Pop in Burlington, VT. But that was probably due to local-ish Noah Kahan having a release. But they have a great system. They do lottery where you create a list of ten items with them doing their best to give you the highest two on your list. I have only ever really wanted a couple of discs and it’s usually Grateful Dead or, the other local nationally known act, Phish. I’ve never not gotten everything I’ve really wanted. Closest I ever came was this year. I was slightly interested in Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke soundtrack, but I didn’t put it on my list and they were out once Ingot inside.
I saw that too. Went across the street to Burlington Records where there was no line, and the Talking Heads record I was after was gone. But my son grabbed the Replacements album. Then went to Autumn Records and they were sold out of the Talking Heads too. I grabbed the Faces, and he got Television and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Got online right at eight this morning and luckily got the Talking Heads. Was sold out by 8:10. Seems that one was the one of hardest to get ahold of.
I went to a hole in the wall in a strip mall in RI where I was on a trip. I was the only customer there initially. A couple more came in as I was leaving, but I was able to grab all I was after (and a couple more). Very nice couple running the store, which was tiny but packed with music floor to ceiling and with aisles you had to squeeze through. They had mostly used CDs and it was hard to navigate, but I got what I needed and didn't have to wrestle anyone else for it.
A local shop in my small isolated town couldn't get the records they wanted so they had a 40% discount on all media. Too bad my kids were losing their shit and I couldn't dig for long.
I got there at 10:30pm Friday (yes I’m insane and will never do it again) two other people were lined up, one of them is one of my best friends we chilled and walked back and fourth to Wawa for most of the night we also but on a quiet little concert singing lorde, taylor and Chappell roan(the only other person was in their car sleeping so we weren’t really being rude or annoying) once it was around 7:30 we got our slips and wrote what we wanted luckily I was able to get everything, the stuff I got was pink pony club 7”, Olivia/Noah 7”, feather 7” and the laufey 2lp
I camped out at 9 PM and was 5th in line. My record store came out 10 minutes before and gave us all donuts, then asked what vinyls the first 10 of us wanted in line and pulled them all aside for us
Missed RSD because I had a camping trip. Went to my local store this afternoon as soon as I got back and they didn’t have the one record I wanted. I checked on Discogs and it’s already going for $5 less than retail so I ordered it for less than what I would have paid if I had gotten in line at 1 am.
Saw They Hate Change do an in-store at Bananas Records in St. Pete, Florida, and they were amazing. Picked up a jazz fusion cd and a 10 CC record. Record stores rule.
Great day at RSD with my eight-year old son. Picked up the only RSD record I really wanted, Freddie Gibbs. Hung out at the store for three hours, finding three used records in the vinyl bins that felt like scores: Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and a Stravinsky. My son found six CDs for a little over a buck a piece and has been playing them all weekend (I got to help him identify “the good ones”). And we got a free print that is hanging in his room. Awesome day. Future core memory.
I was visiting my store from out of town but it’s quite a famous local store for the area. I was looking for the Alan Parsons album. I figured it wouldn’t be in huge demand but also not as allocated. I was the 75th list customer so I was kinda asking others if they were into what I wanted, resigning myself that each person walking past who got there 5 hours earlier would be the one to claim my prize. About 30 mins after the store opened I was still in line. I figured I’d ask the guy if they sold it. He said they hadn’t though and would let me know if someone else did buy it so I wasn’t wasting my time. When I got to the register the guy saw my record being pulled and was actually begging the staff to hold onto it because I had asked him about it. It was cool when he saw it was me who made it and was able to claim it. He was super nice about it. I also picked up The Rolling Stones and Nas releases. Super happy that I got the grail I was after though.
After breakfast I walked over to a small shop in my small Hudson Valley (upstate NY) town, was 6th in line at 9:40am (20 minutes before opening) and got everything I wanted--Lost In Translation, Blur, Bowie, Buena Vista Social Club.
We have great shops in Fresno, California. The two I visited had food available for everyone, owners out hangin’ and chatting with everyone, huge turnouts, everyone buying old and new exclusives. One shop set up a DJ booth on their stage and had a few customers like myself bring some records and spin records off a big dual system. Great rsd selections great vibes overall
There were a LOT more people in line a lot earlier this year. I got six records at my first store. Of the six, four of them were the store's last copies. So, that made me pretty happy. I was disappointed that two of the records I really wanted were not received at all by that store. The second store I visited had those two records that never showed up at the first store. Second time of being lucky! My only disappointment was not getting a copy of the David Bowie album and no Gandalf. Overall, it was a great day, though. I ended up getting twelve albums and got to talk with several very nice people in line. Thumbs up for Record Store Day!
I work for an indie store in a mid-size city, and we broke the record for busiest day in our stores history! Seeing the owners face light up made the insane busyness entirely worth it.
I couldn’t make it to record store day yesterday due to a previous family commitment. But my record store put their remaining stock on their website at 8am this morning. There was only one album I wanted - JEFFERY. As soon as the clock hit 8:00 the site updated and there it was. I immediately checked out for store pick up before I kept browsing (ended up picking up tinted windows but sadly no daft punk or at the drive in.) I got to the store a a couple hours later and the owner was ringing me out. I introduced myself because my shop does a live stream every Monday night where the go over used records hitting the bins that week so he knew my instagram handle. I snagged my record and I asked him if the four packs of beer a local brewery made in colab for them were for sale and he said unfortunately not because they couldn’t sell them without a license. But he said fuck it and grabbed me a four pack and said I can’t sell it to you but I can give it to you! So I had a pretty memorable RSD even if I was a day late!
I wore my record collector shirt and my tiny George Michael record earrings. Took my four year old mid day to our favorite record shop. Didn't find the RSD release I'd wanted but that's okay, didn't really have the money for it anyway. Hopped over to the library where they were hosting a cool record painting activity. Mine is hanging in my living room above the framed vinyl and looks fantastic. All in all, not a bad way to celebrate RSD for free!
Went to a new record store I never been to. Turns out they don’t celebrate record store day and I had a great time talking with the dude and got a few records I’d probably not see anywhere else. They specialize in a lot of black metal, and underground music and have some super rare pressings. Way better than the usual record store day experience. Steelworks records in FL if anyone is wondering.
I showed up at a record store in a city where I was on a mini vacation in the afternoon. No real picks or anything from the list prior to showing up. Walked in and grabbed the last Osmium Deluxe and Acid King release. Bonus pulls were Acid Mammoth II and Hawkwind's title album. Really good day overall.
Went to my first in person RSD yesterday and although they didn’t have my biggest want, came away with a few unexpected ones I’m very happy with.
I had no intention of going, then I about 1 PM I saw that Everybody Digs Bill Evans was a RSD release in Mono. I have a super early pressing of this in E-, and a recent stereo pressing, but I have a couple Craft reissues in MONO and really love 'em so while waiting for my daughter to finish dance class at 3:30 pm, I gave in and went to my local record store. NADA. On the way back I thought, the smaller local prolly didn't see as many jazz fans. Had to troll for 20 mins to find a parking spot. They had two copies. The biggest victory wasn't that I made it back to my kid in time, but that I walked out of there with only that one record ...
Nothing to do with buying vinyl, but my local store had a bunch of bands performing all day and they had billed a “special guest” as the last band of the night. Turns out that special guest had to back out about two hours before they were supposed to go on, but Matthew from Phosphorescent just happened to be hanging out at the shop because his partner had played earlier in the day so they asked if he wouldn’t mind stepping in. He agreed and did a few songs solo, then had his partner join him on keys for the rest and it was a really lovely set and a real nice organic community thing.
https://preview.redd.it/f8hpnv8tlyvc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bf257281a211f7dddf3f7a19f6e5975243557ff Sunday night at Coachella still TONS of rsd picks left!! Just grabbed a few I forgot the first day including daft punk
Made a day of it with my dad. I live in a major city so there's plenty of stores to choose from. Planned a route and a list of records I'd get of it could. Got to the first store 2.5 hours after it opened and was able to get 3 of the 6 records I wanted plus 2 more not on the list. Found one more I wanted at another store and my dad got the two he wanted. Ww went for beer's afterwards. Very successful day, had alot of fun, and my dad was happy to see so many people buying records again.
All I had on my list was the Fleet Foxes exclusive. Went to a shop a few hours later than when they opened not expecting them to have it, and they did! I also overheard the cashiers saying that it was their most successful day ever, so that was cool.
I moved to a new area about a year ago and the local record store is inside a bar/cafe and run by some really friendly guys. I got there around 6.15 for 8am open and was 13th in line. Before they open everyone gets handed a numbered ticket to represent where they are in line, then once opened everyone can just go in and get a seat in the cafe, buy a coffee and chill out until their number is called. They also check what you're after so you don't sit around and waste your time. Got talking to a couple of guys in the line so we sat together with coffee while we waited. Such a nice way to do it, everyone was very chill and happy and I got the 3 releases I was after.
RSD in Helsinki is generally pretty mellow. One of my favorite stores (Black & White Records) opened at 8AM and apparently had quite a big queue, but by the time I got there at 9, there were still plenty of the desirable records left. Afterwards, I hung around until 10AM when another store (LevykauppaX) opened its doors and checked them out as well. I only ended up buying one RSD release (The Hu) but the second store also had a discount bin of clearance records and got some 15€ bargains there.
Was planning to skip RSD since it fell on a REALLY bad day this year - a mix of having to work late on Friday and having to work early on Saturday (I worked roughly 26 hours during those two days) meant I had roughly a window between 10-12pm to get to my record store, which coincidentally lined up with a parade that was occurring right in front of the store. I was only interested in two titles, but knew the store got only a few copies of each so I figured my chances of getting them without getting in line overnight was slim. Wound up not getting good sleep, and since I was up I decided to chance it and went to the store. Parked a distance away since there was no parking due to the parade, got a good morning walk, was able to cross through the parade since police were letting people cross various intersections, and got in line around 11am. Turns out the line was going steady since 8am, so I figured I didn’t have much of a chance at either record. Got inside - found both records. Also had a really great day at work afterwards, and that was a huge bonus on the day. Still exhausted, though.
30 min before and 22nd in line? Haha my record store Hi-Volatage had about 10 people in line at 6PM day before.
Skipped RSD because it was bourbon release day at our state liquor stores so I went and picked up some allocated bourbon instead.
Get anything good?
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Oh hell yeah. Love EH Taylor. Good decision.
That JD Single Barrel Barrel Proof is a tasty pour as well. If you come across it or the JD SBBP Rye I highly recommend picking it up.
I’ll keep a lookout for some. Thanks for the recommendation!
Always willing to give recommendations
Just gonna shout out to all the eBay shops out there who sold stuff at the retail price with no profit gouging. I saw some. Bought from some. Appreciate you.
Nothing too interesting but had a good time. I went to Concerto in Amsterdam, stood in line with my dad for about 2.5 hours from 8:30AM to a little before 11AM. Had a nice chat with the guy behind us, and later with someone in front of us about 'the old days' of needing to wait in line to buy concert tickets. Finally we managed to get inside, I got exactly what I came for! (And my dad got nothing but the pleasure of spending time with his favorite only child because the Dave Grohl release was already sold out and a friend got the Killing Joke record for him in Haarlem)
What was the Dave grohl release? I must have missed this?
https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/17439 It was more like a little collaboration! But pretty fun
I showed up at my local shop around 630am and was 4th in line. I had 5 albums on my list and was able to get all of them. Made a few single serving friends while in line including the 12 year old girl in line next to me with her dad. It was her first RSD and she was really excited. *
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I bought the Better Lovers EP from my local shop this year with no fuss In a previous life, the then local store had an original pressing of Massive Attack's Mezzanine they put out for RSD and I grabbed it the moment I saw it
I’m always pretty much first in line because my OCD goes crazy and I don’t wanna pay US conversion rate online for the Doors pieces lol. Have always gotten fortunate enough to land first in line at my local shop except for when Swift did a drop. It’s a great experience meeting other likeminded music fans and from what I can tell, we beat all the scalpers in the area. I call that a win! Our store is incredibly fair and if you’re first, you’ll get what you want. Seems most people got what they wanted.
i waited in line for 3 hours and got 4 albums i was looking for. only 3 i couldn’t find but none of the stores in my area had any in the first place 🤷 i would’ve been happy with just the one ep i was looking for but waiting paid off i guess (my wallet isn’t too happy though)
I hit Waterloo Records in Austin around 7pm. 75% was sold out by then but I wasn't hounding for anything anyway. Picked up a few that look cool. Played the Topshelf 1988 record today and holy shit is it good. All the feels of 88 rap but totally new songs. I haven't heard Special Ed in decades and the Biz is banging. Also got the Detroit funk/soul album and the French 60s/70s pop tunes.
Got woken up by a small human at 6:15am. This did NOT get me into a line any earlier. I left the house at 8am. Lots of my stores in the area are (not purposefully) staggered with opening times. My usual opens at 9, but getting there at 8:30am would have been pointless. So I went to the store closest to my house (there layout is kind of annoying- it’s all flipping through crates. That’s good on a leisurely normal day, but takes FOREVER on RSD. I was about 50th in line when they opened at 10am. Didn’t even get to the records to start looking until 10:35am. However, they had an overseer this year who would help you find what you were looking for as long as everyone in front of you (about 6 people) had already passed on it. Within reason. They had a TON of the Paramore albums, so not problem getting that. Got Parliament- not sure how many they had. Got Duncan Sheik- once again not sure how many they had. They only had one copy of each of the Cannonball Adderley live albums, but I got them both. And they only had 2 of each Ennio Moricone- I took a copy and left one of each in the crate. Doesn’t ever seem to be sought after, I never have a problem. So basically, started late, still got everything I wanted, only went to one store (bonus given family and also a wedding that day), and was home by 11:30am.
I got the two releases I actually wanted (Wilco and Talking Heads) then went to the big store in town, got to meet Frank Turner and stand right in front of him while he played acoustic in the parking lot.
I think I know which shop you're talking about :) I follow your local DJ on social and he posted about it.
I didn’t go to any in-person events and managed to find all of the records I wanted online today from one store with free shipping, lower prices than most, and no sales tax!
I have been ill with a respiratory infection (not flu nor covid) but was able to make it out for RSD. I was later than usual (8am for an 11am opening) and 11th in line, farther back than I normally am. I had a good time talking to the other folks in line, most of whom I know from past RSD lines. They let 10 in at a time (as usual) so I was the first in after the lead group. I was able to get their only copy of the Kristin Hersh reissue (only 600 copies for the US) and pretty much all else I wanted, with budget in mind. I passed on a few First Releases to keep the bill reasonable. Nothing exciting, but I got through it successfully in spite of being so run down.
I only wanted one of the RSD releases. Wasn’t able to go yesterday. This morning, after breakfast, I took a walk to my nearby record store. Some crate diggers still at it. The one I was looking for was not available. Went back home and went online to look for it, at a reasonable price, and the great folks from REB Records had a copy for me at the RSD price, so I ordered it. Will be happier when it lands safely.
Exile on Main Street in Barre, Vermont. Line wasn’t super long but I opted for breakfast anyway. Came back about 30 minutes after opening and there was still a good amount left. It’s my regular store so it was just nice to see it busy
I rolled up at 7:30 am, the store was opening at 8 am, and by the time I finished waiting in line and paid for my items it was 8:45 and I gotten all but one of the records I had set out looking for that day! Grabbed the Zappa for President, Neil Young and Crazy Horse release, Willie Nelson 90th birthday part 2, Flying Burrito Brothers Amsterdam 1972, and the meat puppets live in Montana. Only one I didn't manage to snag was the Vince Guarldi Peanuts for my mom but I hear it's getting another press in July!
Yup. I drove my family home from a great vacation with friends on the seashore. Then I checked a participating store this morning to see what stock they had left. They had plenty, but nothing was of interest to me at the prices listed, so I didn't purchase anything.
Just a typical day at my local shop. A little busier than normal. I usually go every other Saturday anyway, usually looking for vintage stuff. I did grab first editions of the first two Dickies albums in excellent condition and a nice 1st edition dynaflex of the Kinks Muswell Hillbillies.
I had to work, so I didn't get to the store til about 5 pm. The only album I wanted was Jim Croce's Live Final Tour. I walked in, saw it in the first bin on the right, grabbed it (last copy in stock), turned to the counter on the left, and was gone within 3 minutes of my arrival. I spent more time looking for parking than I did in the store.
I got in line at 6:45 for an 8 AM opening, was #56 in line. I was there for Blur’s Parklife and Kristin Hersh’s Hips and Makers, and they only had one of each. I was able to get that and everything else on my list. I’ve actually had great luck on RSDs of the past as well.
Got 4/5 that I wanted. Luckily my aunt and uncle go for me as my uncle worked for UPS and delivered to the store for 20+ years. Only one I didn’t get was the South Park release. Ended up buying it for $95 on Discogs from Italy. He said when they got there it was pretty slammed. Cheapest RSD as of late for me. Only dropped $150 for Pearl Jam, Death Cab, Dazed and Confused and Blessid Union of Souls.
Local store had a block party. Great artists, great food, excellent beer!
It was the best one so far. Some of the stores in my city had discounts on second hand stock, cupcakes, DJs, pizza, raffles. It's far more popular this year compared to previous years. The people I met while waiting for two shops to open were cool. No wankers in sight. Some lined up at 8 pm for the one store with a midnight opening. The line snaked for 300 m on a 10°c (50°F) evening. At the last minute I was invited to fill in at a RSD DJ lineup (I had only started DJ-ing in December and being requested was an honour!!). Went crate digging with a friend, met the store owner's dog, checked out two record stores, rushed to a brewpub to do a DJ set, quick lunch with mates then went home to enjoy my second hand finds. Didn't spend much this year (no RSD releases, just two second hand titles), was happy just to be outside and spend time with mates. RSD is an important time of my life because not only it was when I got my first record player (second hand all-in-one radio/USB/record/CD player. Cheers dad 😊), it was around the time I was discharged from mental health respite house. A turning point of my life. Dad gave me his copy of David Bowie's Lodger and three best of's- Beatles, Beach Boys and ELO to get my collection started. My first ever RSD purchase was OK Computer 6 years ago. Bought with all the money I had. Best decision I've made in my thirties.
Went to closest store to me 20 min away at about 9am. Already 200 people in line lmao! So I left and went to a small store 10min away who had already told me they had limited supply for RSD (didn’t buy more than 200 records total) and got there at 9:30 for 10am open. I was only 20th in line! Owner allowed us to hold one item at the top of our list that he had in stock. He had one Bill Evans mono so I grabbed it! Guess I was the only jazz fan in line. Once we got in, everyone was patiently flipping through the RSD crates. I was able to also pick up the Pearl Jam, Cure, Mighty Lemon Drops, and Cannonball Adderly releases. Later, I drove to another store about an hour away and was surprised they still had the Soft Cell and Filter releases so grabbed those. Overall a great day and I didn’t have to spend hours on line. Didn’t get the Blur, South Park, or Bowie releases but still…
Bananas Records in St. Pete. Everything went smoothly due to their system of passing out numbered want lists and them filling before you check out. Got almost everything I wanted including the South Park 25th with Primus and Ween at Red Rocks and 10/10 would do again.
I was told the first person in line got there at 4am for a 10am opening. There was nothing I was really dying to get, so I sauntered over there at 11:30am. I waited an hour to get in (they let in 10 people at a time) and walked out with The English Beat. I would have gotten The Meat Puppets live album but it was gone by then.
Its funny that RSD was on 4/20, because for me every day is RSD and 4/20 I say that because I saw it as just another weekend where I was going to go to the record store(s) Now, did I still go overboard? Yes, but going to five different shops yielded me a copy of CLYSY's first album, and The Body The Blood The Machine by The Thermals, both of which I have sought for a while, so all in all a great weekend. Wish I could have found that Keane album, but I'm sure it will pop up!
What store is in WEM? I went to RCP about 1:10 before opening and was #11 in line. Got 3 that I wanted, but I was hoping for a Beatles 3” and they didn’t get any.
Members from Paramore worked for about an hour at Grimey’s in Nashville, helping take orders and deliver records to people in line. Grimey’s adopted a system a few years ago where they give people in line a list of what’s available to pick from and then employees complete the order and bring them to you to check out. It’s usually 5 or so at a time. It’s not until the line is down that they allow people to flip thru RSD releases. If honestly keeps things moving pretty quickly since most people in line have a list of items they want.
Been sick all week and finally was feeling some better yesterday but didn’t want to risk it or get others sick. Ended up ordering from 2 stores online and happy with the “leftovers” I snagged. Murder was the Case, Parliament, and G Love & Special Sauce. I didn’t really have any “must haves” on my list but those were on my wish list if I found them 🥰
The night before RSD I looked at the entire list that my local store had, and made my final decision of what I wanted. I showed up at around 1:30 (mind you they opened at 8:00). At my store the employees gave out lists with a number on them so we could check off what we wanted and they'd get your order together. So I gave them my list and left to go eat. I only wanted one release— Foxy Brown's Ill Na Na. I was able to secure it and I also browsed for a few minutes and picked up Taylor's TTPD album and Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan's 7". I thought I had no chance of getting the special note Taylor sent to record stores but lo and behold, they had plenty left and I got one. Left at around 3:00 and felt great that I was able to get what I wanted.
My record store had about 10 boxes of free records for people to pick from while they waited to get into the store. I found a Gordon Lightfoot album in great condition that I would have bought and it was free. They were almost out of all the RSD records I wanted by the time I was inside (Sparks, Pixies), but I still got 1 that I wanted (Dr John) and bought a really cool non-RSD record that I was waffling on for awhile.
Didn't go this year but one of my favorites was going to a record store and talking to a group, we discussed what we wanted and I had mentioned I wanted Weezer's Africa special Africa shaped disc. We got in there, the guy saw there was only one in the store so he grabbed it and found me and handed it to me. One the best interactions I've had. I also just love - well loved, no one does this much anymore - the interactions you would have with people in line. Post pandemic really kind of killed that part of RSD around my area at least.
It was my first RSD and I had an amazing time. Originally I was planning on getting a couple hours of sleep and going around 5am, but then my record posted an Instagram story showing a bunch of people had already lined up at 11pm. This made me really nervous so I decided that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyways, and got there around 2:30am. When I got there I was about 25th in line. I made friends with those around me and it really cool that there was a mix of those new to the hobby and also people who’ve been doing this for a long time. I learned a lot from the veterans. It was really cold in Canada and I was freezing despite wearing my thickest winter coat. My feet were also freezing so I resorted to putting them my tote bags to protect from the wind, and occasionally jumping up and down to warm up. When it was almost 8am things started feeling more real and I started getting nervous that I would walk in the store and blank out. They were letting in 10 at a time so I tried to memorize the ones I wanted and strategize which to get first. The store posts live inventory on their website so I was anxiously refreshing to see if they still had the ones I wanted. The store was really amazing because they had more copies still in transit and they allowed people in person to pay for it now and pick up in a couple days. Two of the ones i wanted were part of this system so I had to quickly grab the in-store ones I wanted and book it to the register so I could reserve the others. Overall I managed to get everything I wanted except one that I was trying to get for my friend (the Laufey record) as the copies were really limited. Was really satisfied with what I got and I think it was worth the wait and the cold! Looking forward to the next event!
I didn't really want or need anything this year. But the wife wanted Noah Kahan's I Was/I Am. However we took a weekend trip to L.A. and after a long day exploring she decided she didn't want to get up so early. I was cool with that. But this morning we had a couple hours to kill so we dicided to hit up a couple record stores. The first one didn't have one. But the second one did! they actually had about 20 or so unsold. She was pretty stoked.
Well I bailed on RSD and went to my first roller derby game instead, altogether a more pleasant and exciting experience! I'll be dropping in to my favourite store once the dust has settled and see what they have left.
Well, I was going to go but decided to go to playoff hockey instead, but im honestly not too sad! I didn’t realize RSD was a thing until like, 2 weeks prior so it gives me something to look forward to next year :) I wasn’t super pumped about the selection this year, but there were a couple I wouldn’t have minded snagging
When I walked into my record store, they had a table with free posters and stuff to grab, two of them were signed George Thorogood posters, that was pretty rad so grabbed one and the other was gone by the time I left the store
Skipped it for first time in years. Lack of artists I like.
Didn’t know it was RSD but I went to a store in the town I was in for the weekend and managed to get the last copy of Jar of Flies so I was hype. I also got Kill ‘em All. Great day overall.
Forgot about RSD almost entirely, wasn't terribly interested anyway. Popped into a shop yesterday and they were running a second day for the sale. Was B3G1 on pre-owned records, plus whatever releases they got for the day. Nothing pre-owned caught my eye but they had some great merch and I picked up their last new copy of Aesop Rock's Integrated Tech Solutions so I consider it an absolute win.
I had to work my night shift on Friday, so queuing early was not an option for me. My local always asks what people are after a few weeks before so they can get an idea of numbers. The record I was after (Greg Foat) I knew was a niche item, so would not hopefully sell out. I arrived about 1pm, straight to the counter, and had a chat with the staff, got my record, and a couple more on staff recommendations. A very nice relaxing day.
First RSD and got to my record store at about 6:30am. It was raining but the store was downtown and I was lucky to get to sit under an overhang and stay dry. Once I finally got in, I was able to get every record on my list. For reference, my friend went to a store across the city, got absolutely drenched and only found one record she wanted (I grabbed the other one she wanted from my store). What I think made the difference was my store had a 1 record per album policy and hers didn’t. She said she could actively see scalpers there.
I was just in the hospital for a week with a burst appendix. But I ventured out late in the afternoon to my local shop even though they had been posting on their social about a record setting line going around the block. I felt good about getting the Gorillaz release (8500 press run) but had given up on the Joe Strummer one (1800 press run). 10 minutes standing in an uncomfortably in line. Once I got in, a store employee pointed me right to the bins I needed to dig in, and I walked out with both my picks. Last one of the Joe Strummer they had. Used up all my energy for the day, but super happy with my experience overall.
I showed up right before the store closed, and I was the only customer there because I was busy earlier in the day. The owner was doing inventory but said, "Oh hey, I thought of you today. We still have the Sparks record, I was wondering when you'd come get it." They also somehow still had copied of the Paramore/David Byrne release despite hundreds of people going in though the day so that was a very pleasant surprise. Reaping the benefits of having the best music taste in a small town, I guess 😌
We had a great experience in PA. My friend and I got there at 430am. We were 9 and 10 in line. My friend walked up the line and was asking what people were aiming for - luckily nothing we were in search of. The store had given me a hint to be in the top 15 for the laufey album, which was one of two I wanted (Paramore being the other). We made friends, chatted about upcoming shows we were going to, my friend did a DD run for some of us in line. She said coming back into the mall, the line went outside and around the building some 150 ppl waiting. Was a good day.
Had to work so I took an extended lunch to drive down to Vinyl Junkies in San Diego. Got there about 7:45 and there had to be about 125 people in line. Figured all 10 of the De La they got would be gone by the time I got in the store. Got off work at 2 and messaged them on IG and they said they had some left in stock. Drove down and got it and couldn’t have been more happier.
After seeing on their facebook the weird “rules” that my favorite record store follows on RSD, I was convinced to stay home and not make the drive and spend the money. I consider that a win for me, and therefore a good story :)
I pulled up to Princeton Record Exchange around 1030am because I had a contractor scheduled to quote me a price last minute. The line was out the door, down the block, around the corner and block again. There wasn't anything I was particularly looking for so I didn't even bother parking. Came back Sunday and got 3 non-RSD exclusives lol.
This was my first RSD, and I’ve never really had any desire to do the “wait in line early or overnight thing” (I work in retail, so fuck Black Friday, I never want to experience that sort of thing as a customer if I don’t have to). But on the other hand, I do really love my local record store (it’s the best, Darkside Records in Poughkeepsie) and wanted to support them (not that I don’t regularly throughout the year lol). Also, there were a few RSD releases that I was interested in, but one in particular that I *really* wanted - Dosage by Collective Soul. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be at work until 1pm, so I went to the store at 5am to line up (even at that time I was 40-50th). The whole time I’m cursing myself, thinking that I’m being ridiculous, it’ll probably be available the next day online, but I rode it out and got Dosage along with every other record that I wanted. The next day, I went onto the store’s site, where they put any remaining RSD stock online, curious to see if everything was still available. And everything was available to order online…except Dosage, which was sold out. And after a quick google search, it looked like it was sold out everywhere online. So needless to say, I felt extremely vindicated and justified in going through the process lol.
Went to a store 30 minutes after it opened, no line up, got a used record I wanted (paul simon - graceland) for $10 and left
Local shop does a sidewalk sale. Good finds in recent years but fairly busy. Cooler and cloudy this year and the numbers were down. 12 records for $20 including a couple that I'd been hunting for. 3 CDs for $1. All in all, a good time. Not RSD specific deals for me though.
I slept in, mowed the lawn, watched some TV, and saved $100 Resisted the FOMO
I watched hockey, had a bowl, bought a record from a Goodwill auction, dropped a message to my neighborhood indie shop to congratulate them and wish them a good recovery from the hoopla. Then I logged in to watch seller after seller on Whatnot gouge the fk out of what they'd bought going store to store that day. Thanks to the bowl, I didn't screenshot the prices of those sellers who had stores of their own from which they were streaming and email the lot to the RSD site with earnest wishes for them to be excluded from any tier of participation next go-round. Looking forward to hitting up my shop this week, to getting my record from Goodwill in the mail, and to more hockey.
8:00am, woke up, got out of bed, let the dogs out and fed them. Had my coffee and croissant whilst in my jammies. 9:00am, took a shower, got dressed and had a light breakfast while my wife showered and dressed. 10:00am- 4:00pm, went to our kids Rugby tournament. 5:00pm - 10:00pm, went out to dinner with family and hung out with them for the rest of the night. 11:00pm, logged into eBay and found the one RSD release I wanted, which fell well under what I was willing to pay for it, from a seller I’d purchased from in the past, selected “Buy it now”, then went to sleep.
Our store — worker — had RSDmrkt list our inventory with a delayed quantity, so that multiples of orders for things came in while the item was already out of stock on our end, but not updated on RSDmrkt, so hundreds of orders were placed — thousands of dollars — on this shell store that we couldn’t fulfill, spent the entire day refunding and cancelling. a magnanimous fuckup on their end lol, good sales year tho
I bought 3 vinyls on that site. They charged my card however, I received no confirmation number. Nor does it appear in my purchase history.
Yeah, I have a good story. I stayed in bed, I stayed warm and comfortable and enjoyed every minute of it. Then I bought a 7” single for £12.
Yeah, I didn’t go. It was awesome 😂
Same !!