Christmas for vinyl lovers: Here's what to look for on Record Store Day 2026
This is Punk Rock Bach for April 16, 2026.
Record Store Day is upon us! A bi-annual day when artists and music labels celebrate the vinyl-record format with fresh releases and re-releases only available in brick-and-mortar, independent record stores.
I’m doing something a little different with this week’s newsletter. Not only did I speak with RSD coordinator Rick Johnson about the day’s history and long-time Homer’s Records and Gifts manager MarQ Manner about what he’s seen in the RSD trenches, but I’m also giving a look at what Record Store Day releases I think are worth waking up for at the crack of dawn.
Onward!
From Taylor Swift to David Bowie: Vinyl lovers have a ton of limited edition and exclusive records coming on Record Store Day 2026
Expect plenty of Swifties to rush to Homer’s Music and Gifts shop in Omaha, Nebraska, as soon as the record store, which is credited by Visit Nebraska as having one of the best collections of vinyls in the state, opens its doors on Saturday.
Store manager and fellow Substacker MarQ Manner anticipates Taylor Swift fans coming out in droves on April 18 for “Record Store Day,” a bi-annual celebration of all things vinyl (there’s also an RSD event on Black Friday). It’s a day when major labels and musicians release exclusive record pressings of albums, new recordings and other related accoutrements that music lovers can only find that day in brick-and-mortar, independent record stores and not in chain stores such as Target and Walmart.
Among participating musicians is Swift, who is releasing her single “Elizabeth Taylor” on 7” vinyl on Saturday. Homer’s, located in Omaha’s historic Old Market District downtown area, has ordered more copies of the “Elizabeth Taylor” recording than any other exclusive record release slated for RSD, Manner told Punk Rock Bach.
Universal Music Group, which owns Republic Records — Swift’s U.S. label partner — did not respond to requests for comment about how many copies would be available of the single or the level of demand it expects to see for the RSD exclusive.
Other musicians and bands with records available Saturday include David Bowie, Wire, Ethel Cain and many others.
Manner said Homer’s has long been involved in Record Store Day, and was one of the first 300 stores nationwide to participate in the event.
“It is extremely successful for us,” he said.
Amoeba Records in Hollywood, California, said on Instagram that it will also have exclusive releases, limited edition t-shirts and goodie bags to mark RSD. Brooklyn-based For the Record, meanwhile, will start selling records at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Elsewhere in New York, Rough Trade Below at Rockefeller Center plans to have live acts during the day, including Superchunk, Incendiary and Friko, as part of iNDIEPLAZA 2026 — a performance on Rockefeller Center’s plaza.
Vinyl makes a comeback
Rick Johnson, Record Store Day’s coordinator, said the event dates back to around 2007 or 2008, and was started as a way to support independent record stores by incentivizing more people to visit them amid the dominance of digital music.
The founders, Michael Kurtz and Carrie Colliton, along with a few other record store owners, approached music labels and artists to ask if they would release a special pressing or recording on the third Saturday in April, according to Johnson, and make it available exclusively for sale in physical shops.
Fast-forward nearly 20 years and the third Saturday in April has become a regular celebration for music lovers around the world. Johnson said the event takes place in the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, France, among other countries.
Top bands and musicians also show up to support the day. For instance, Lenny Kaye of The Patti Smith Group made an appearance at the RSD 2024 event at Schoolkids Records in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Despite streaming services like Spotify and Tidal making music available at any time, vinyl records are still widely popular. The Hollywood Reporter reported that vinyl revenue exceeded $1 billion in 2025 and sales grew more than 9% year over year.
“The vinyl boom started in the late 2000s as a more niche trend among audiofiles and indieheads, with alt-rock figures like Jack White serving as early trailblazers evangelizing the format,” the entertainment news publication reported.
While record lovers this Saturday will have a big list of albums and other exclusives to choose from, Manner said he has his eye on something with which many people may not be familiar.
“So there’s an artist named ‘MC 900 Ft. Jesus,’ a kind of obscure Hip Hop Jazz artist from the 90s,” he said. “I never thought I’d see this reissued on vinyl. I’m very excited for that.”
This article is also published on Bagable.com, which covers the latest news in retailing , consumer behavior and product innovation. It’s helmed by journalist and chief storyteller Parija Kavilanz. You can follow and subscribe to her newsletter here.
Lust over these 10 ear-worthy Record Store Day 2026 releases
Typically I’d be bellyaching about waking up early on a Saturday, but if it means adding an exclusive Pavement record or a Peaches picture disk to my collection — that’s 1,000% worth the effort!
I’ve curated a list of some choice albums available on Record Store Day. The full list is here, but here are 10 highlights I’m keeping an eye out for…
Alice Cooper has a picture disk edition of his 2025 album “The Revenge of Alice Cooper,” via earMUSIC.
Tony Bennett’s “MTV Unplugged” album will be released on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day, via Legacy Recordings.
Bad Brains’ “Live” album is getting a release via Org Music.
Org Music is releasing punk band Bad Brains’ “Live” album on Record Store Day 2026. Album art courtesy of Org Music. The legendary David Bowie is getting not one but TWO releases from Rhino: “Hallo Spaceboy,” which is a Pet Shop Boys remix of Bowie’s single and will be on neon pink vinyl, and “Excerpts from Outside,” which will come in clear vinyl.
Dr. Demento will release a “Get Demented!” single via Demented Punk.
Elemental Music Records is releasing Bill Evans’ “At the BBC: The Complete 1965 London Sets” as an RSD exclusive.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are releasing their album “Live At The Ritz NYC 1981” first on Record Store Day via Blackheart Records. Not an RSD exclusive, but available for the first time on that day.
Pavement’s 1991 album “Perfect Sound Forever” will receive a repress for Record Store Day this year on white 10” vinyl, via the Matador label.
Peaches’ latest album “No Lube So Rude” will be released on picture disk via the Kill Rock Stars label. This release is an RSD Limited Run/Regional Focus.
Sonic Youth will see its record “Diamond Seas” — which includes live performances from 1995 and 1996, according to the RSD site — released first on Record Store Day, via Geffen.
Record Store Day 2026 is set for April 18, 2026. You can see the entire list of releases, as well as additional information, on the event’s website.
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Devlin and the Harm’s D. McCluskey puts his phone in a musical mode while listening on the go
In the run-up to Devlin and the Harm’s May 22 debut album, on Wednesday the band released its single “Kingdom Comes,” along with the song’s music video. Devlin McCluskey, who formed the band with Michael Nussbaum, according to a press release, called the song a “turning point.”
“My last band faded away, I'd lost touch with my friends, we were in this new dark era of American Society, and I just felt like if I didn't squeeze with all my might I'd float off into the abyss,” McCluskey said in the release. “I'd tried to write songs in the past that explore themes of sobriety, white knuckling, shame, failed relationships, and sort of battling personal demons while society crumbles in the background, but I never quite found the sound that makes me feel the depth of all those things. I wasn't looking to start a band, but 'Kingdom Comes' became a guiding light for the kind of music I wanted to make.”
This week, we take a look at what McCluskey listens to when he’s not making music of his own.
Editor’s note: Q&A has been lightly edited for style, syntax and typos.
Punk Rock Bach: How do you prefer to listen to music?
Devlin McCluskey: I’m embarrassed to say that I’m almost exclusively listening to streaming. I carve out my mornings for listening to music and try to go for a walk every day. And it’s insane and sometimes daunting to realize that the vast majority of recorded music is accessible one way or another through the phone.
PRB: What are you listening to now?
McCluskey: For the last year or so I’ve been listening to a ton of zamrock, Amanaz absolutely blows me away, and so does the Nigerian band Ofege. I don’t know if there’s something in the water, but my producer Alex Newport was independently getting into zamrock at the same time and we both sent each other playlists with a lot of the same artists, and it’s just got everything you want from 60s/70s psych or garage rock without the familiarity or cliche. In the last few years I came across Karen Dalton and was knocked out by “Something On Your Mind,” that whole album is such a great way to start out the day. Ted Lucas is another one that’s amazing.
One of the advantages of streaming (apart from getting discoveries like those) is you can deep dive into artists’ catalogues without too much thought or investment. I moved out to the desert last winter, and realized apart from my old drummer playing some songs, I’d never listened to much Nick Cave. So I spent a couple weeks listening to the entire Bad Seeds catalogue. Next up is Van Morrison’s catalogue.
As for newer artists, I love this band Kit that my friend Claire McKeown worked with who just released an amazing classic country track - the whole album that preceded it was great. And I’ve been listening to some Cotton Jones and the Mellows. Also a friend’s band Dmytryk released a cool EP.
PRB: What do you listen on?
McCluskey: Mainly the phone, it’s all about accessibility and mobility from the bedroom to the kitchen, to the garden, to the walk, and entering another world for a while.
When my dad was diagnosed with kidney failure he was put on dialysis and had to go for three hours, 3X a week. And when he started he absolutely hated it because he’d just sit there raw dogging the entire time. I asked if he wanted headphones to listen to music, but he kept refusing because he’d only worn airplane headphones. So we got a pair of over-ear Airpod Max for him, and he absolutely loved them and got to listen to classical music on his Chicago station WFMT every day for three hours. He still hated dialysis, but the headphones and the music made it slightly more tolerable. He passed away last year, and I’ve been using those headphones everyday. I love them.
Devlin and the Harms’ self-titled album is set to debut on May 22. It is available digitally for pre-order on Bandcamp. You can watch the “Kingdom Comes” music video on YouTube.
What I’m listening to…
With Saturday being Record Store Day, I’d be remiss if I didn’t listen to an actual vinyl record this week. It’s a short, but thrilling, pressing I only recently added to my collection — though a classic in long-time punk libraries: the Circle Jerks’ 1980 album “Group Sex.”
This is the 40th anniversary edition of the classic album and has some rehearsal tracks. The record brings more energy than eight cups of coffee! Great way to keep the afternoon lively.
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Until next time!