Twin Cities shops celebrate Record Store Day amid climbing vinyl sales

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."