Twin Cities shops celebrate Record Store Day amid climbing vinyl sales
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Saturday is Record Store Day (RSD), an annual day to celebrate independent record shop culture with community events, exclusive vinyl drops, parties and more.
Why it matters: Whether you're new to records or a loyal collector, the day is arguably the best time of the year to check out a local shop.
- The Twin Cities metro boasts more than 20 record stores, from volunteer-run Extreme Noise to Prince-approved shops like Electric Fetus.
State of play: Vinyl is back, baby. Old-school records made up 70% of all physical music sales in 2022, beating out CDs for the first time since 1987, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
What he's saying: "Spotify exists, but having some sort of physical media you can hold is more personal," said Joel Eckerson, who co-ran Minneapolis record shop Dead Media for seven years and now co-owns Disco Death Records.
- CDs scratch and skip and cassettes wear out, but vinyls are resilient — a record from the '70s can still sound crisp and clean, he added.
Plus: Though Gen Z is still a part of their clientele, Disco Death sees shoppers of all ages, from new-to-the-scene college students to Gen Xers rebuilding their collections, Eckerson added.
How it works: Stores that participate in the official Record Store Day event can stock the exclusive vinyls, like limited-run represses of popular albums and studio sessions from Taylor Swift.
- But: Stores also can organize their own parties and exclusive drops independently if they're not interested in that year's releases.
Where to shop on Saturday
🌍 Disco Death Records: It's not an official RSD participant, but the south Minneapolis shop is dropping more than 700 records today, many from international artists.
- Expect giveaways, a vintage market and nighttime performances by local bands.
😱 Cheapo Records: The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Blaine locations of the used-vinyl store are all stocking RSD picks, including an unknown amount of copies of that (very desirable) Taylor Swift record.
- Tip: The Blaine location will likely have shorter lines, the store said.
🪩 Urban Lights: The St. Paul shop, which is reportedly the state's only Black-owned record store, will have a full slate of DJs from noon-6pm and "more dope vinyl than you can drop a needle on."