Record Store Day returns to a one-day event on Saturday, April 23, in celebration of its 15th anniversary, after the pandemic forced record shops to adjust RSD to multi-day affairs the last two years. And who better than Taylor Swift to serve as the Global Record Store Day Ambassador in 2022, as sales of Swift’s albums and exclusive signed CDs over the last few years have helped keep record stores afloat during the down times of the shutdowns.

“I’m very proud to be this year’s Global Ambassador for Record Store Day. The places where we go to browse and explore and discover music new and old have always been sacred to me,” Swift said in a statement. “Record stores are so important because they help to perpetuate and foster music-loving as a passion. They create settings for live events. They employ people who adore music thoroughly and purely. Those people and shops have had a rough few years, and we need to support these small businesses more now than ever to make sure they can stay alive, stay eccentric, and stay individual. It’s been a true joy for me to watch vinyl sales grow in the past few years and we, the artists, have the fans to thank for this pleasant surprise. Happy Record Store Day, everyone! Stay safe out there.”

Local record stores are once again going all out with their RSD festivities, with live performances, music related treats, and tasty goodies all planned for their devoted customers, in addition to the impressive list of exclusive vinyl that will be available.

There are plenty of Twin Cities ties in this year’s RSD exclusives, including The Replacements Unsuitable for Airplay: The Lost KFAI Concert recorded live at the 7th Street Entry on January 23, 1981. The double LP set features the earliest soundboard recording of our beloved ragtag indie rock heroes. Golden Smog On Golden Smog will also be high on the RSD must have lists of plenty of local music fans. It’s the first ever vinyl release of the debut EP of the celebrated Minneapolis supergroup, featuring covers of classics by The Rolling Stones, Bad Company, Three Dog Night, and Thin Lizzy. And no Record Store Day would be complete without an exclusive vinyl release from Prince. (Because of delays, we will have to wait until June for a 2LP release of The Gold Experience pressed on translucent gold vinyl, featuring a bonus suite of “Eye Hate U” remixes on Side D.)

All these releases and many more will be part of the vinyl exclusives featured at local record shops around the area.

Here’s a rundown of what is going on for Record Store Day at various Twin Cities record shops.

Electric Fetus - Minneapolis

One of the Twin Cities oldest and biggest record stores is once again going all out on Record Store Day. It is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for RSD, and will start handing out numbers to those in line beginning at 8 a.m. To make the browsing experience more musical for customers, the Fetus will have live music throughout the day from Controversial New Skinny Pill and MMYYKK, and DJ sets from Jake Rudh, Lady Midnight, and Brian Engel. Asian Invasion food truck will be on hand for anyone who needs nourishment after waiting in the long lines and flipping through the stacks of exclusive RSD releases. And the Fetus will also be handing out free goodie bags with purchases, and giving away a Music Hall MMF-1.5 turntable to one lucky vinyl enthusiast.

Here’s the full schedule for the Fetus's DJs/live performances on Record Store Day:

10:30 a.m. - DJ Jake Rudh of Transmission
noon - Controversial New Skinny Pill
1 p.m. - DJ Lady Midnight
3 p.m. - MMYYKK
4 p.m. - DJ Brian Engel of Hipshaker

Know Name Records - Minneapolis

In addition to participating in Record Store Day, the venerable Portland Avenue record shop will also be celebrating its 45th anniversary on April 23. In addition to all of the RSD vinyl exclusives, Know Name has some live music planned for the festivities as well as other fun events throughout the day. Dayna Koehn, Becky Rae Dalton, and Kitty & The Entourage will all be performing intimate sets at Know Name, adding to the day’s celebratory vibes. Know Name being around for 45 years serving the needs of Twin Cities music fans calls for a massive party, and the fact that it is combining its big anniversary along with Record Store Day has the makings for one enjoyable, triumphant event for music and vinyl lovers in the area.

Mill City Sound - Hopkins

This downtown Hopkins record shop routinely puts on one of the best and most organized Record Store Day events in the area. In addition to having a large amount of the RSD exclusives on hand, Mill City Sound is also giving away a cool record bag with any purchase, so that you’ll have a sack to carry your vinyl haul home in.

“Being that this will be our eighth RSD we just might be getting good at it,” says Mill City in its RSD Facebook post. “But in all honesty, it’s all about guessing what records will sell the most off of the official RSD list. Now being that we like to hedge our bets we will order at least one of everything to start things off. Then we get together most of the staff and start guessing, just how many more records do we think we will need of each of the RSD titles? These all deserve some love and attention and yet one can only afford so many records. There are hundreds of titles that somehow have to guess on and figure out just what in heck will everyone want. So the guessing is all done and all that is left to do is to second guess all of our selections.”

The staff at Mill City are always friendly and helpful, and for their eighth RSD, the Hopkins shop will once again give out numbers to everyone in line beginning at 8 a.m., making browsing for Record Store Day aficionados a well-organized, enjoyable event for all.

Down In The Valley - Golden Valley, Maple Grove, Crystal 

Down In The Valley was voted Minnesota’s Best Record Store by the Star Tribune in 2021, and for good reason. In addition to having three convenient area locations to choose from — all opening an hour early at 9 p.m. this Saturday — Down In The Valley brings in a large quantity of Record Store Day exclusives, and typically provides snacks and other treats to its customers patiently waiting in line on RSD. This year, Down in the Valley will also be celebrating its 50th anniversary, making the day’s festivities extra special. It has partnered with Broken Clock Brewing for a special Record Store Day-themed beer called "Liquid Fidelity" and will be giving out samples at all three locations to customers 21 and up, with nearby restaurants also serving the beer on tap. Down in the Valley is also hosting a Record Store Day Pre-Party at New Bohemia in Golden Valley on Friday from 8 to 10 p.m., featuring Down In The Valley employees DJ'ing, prizes, giveaways, and fundraising for Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley. Down in the Valley’s 50 years of experience shines through on Record Store Day, as it puts on an efficient, orderly event that makes sure everyone goes home with some new vinyl that they love.    

Rock Paper Scissors - Minneapolis

This cozy record store/art boutique on Lyndale is one of the best kept secrets in town for music lovers – on Record Store Day or any other day. Not only does it get a large quantity of the RSD exclusives in stock and plans on opening early at 9 a.m. in order to meet the needs of Twin Cities vinyl enthusiasts, but its record racks are expertly curated with new and used records that every collection needs. RPS also partners with its neighbor, Misfit Coffee, who create specialty music-themed drinks for the event that are discounted for RSD customers, keeping everyone waiting in line or flipping through the racks caffeinated and ready for the big day. This year, Rock Paper Scissors will be hosting live music for the first time on RSD, with Joe Werner and Tim Ritter from Minneapolis psych-rock band Muun Bato putting on an intimate performance at 2 p.m.

Agharta Records - St. Paul

Agharta has been tantalizing music fans with images of forthcoming Record Store Day vinyl exclusives for the past two weeks on its Instagram, building up the hype and anticipation for the big day on April 23. Agharta opens early at 8 a.m. on RSD, ready to sell all of the special releases it has been teasing us with on its social media. The intimate University Avenue shop always brings in a large amount of highly sought-after RSD exclusives, in addition to a wide selection of new and used vinyl in all genres. Agharta makes Record Store Day a fun, enjoyable event for vinyl lovers, and the helpful people who work there look forward to RSD just as much as their customers do.

Barely Brothers Records - St. Paul

In addition to offering a wide selection of Record Store Day exclusives, this cozy vinyl-only shop nestled in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood is celebrating the return of live music to Barely Brothers with a trio of local bands set to perform throughout RSD. In The Trees (a Kate Bush tribute band), Annie and the Bang Bang, and the Clash tribute band RuDeGirl are all set to perform for all the music and vinyl lovers in the shop on Record Store Day. It should be a fun day filled with energetic live performances and lots of wonderful vinyl finds at Barely Brothers Records. Here are the set times for RSD at Barely Brothers:

1 p.m. – In The Trees
2:30 p.m. – Annie & The Bang Bang
4 p.m. – RuDeGirl

Roadrunner Records - Minneapolis

The Nicollet Avenue mainstay will once again be opening at 9 a.m. on Record Store Day, handing out numbers to those in line in order to keep the intimate shop from being full of RSD customers. In addition to the exclusives on offer that day, Roadrunner consistently has one of the best used record bins in the Twin Cities. It is well worth flipping through those racks to find some hidden gems to complement your RSD haul.  

Hymie’s Vintage Records - Minneapolis

In addition to the vinyl festivities surround Record Store Day, Hymie’s is celebrating the grand re-opening of its music stage on Saturday. Andrew Salgado will be performing at 4:30 p.m. on RSD, with his set serving as a combination Record Release Show/Record Store Day celebration. Hymie’s also promises to have special sales going on throughout the day as well, with a ton of new and classic vinyl on offer for music lovers of all types.

More Record Stores around Minnesota

Annex Novelty Shop
Duluth • website 

Broken World Records
Winona • website

Caydence Records & Coffee
St. Paul • website 

Cheapo Records
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Blaine • website 

Disco Death Records
Minneapolis • website

Eclipse Records
St. Paul • website 

Extreme Noise Records
Minneapolis • website 

Fly Vintage & Vinyl
Robbinsdale • website 

Groovy's
Minneapolis • website 

Hidden World Vinyl Records
Rochester, Minn. • website 

HiFi Hair and Records
Minneapolis • website

Homestead Pickin' Parlor
Richfield • website 

Lake Country Books and More
Eden Prairie • website

Lakeshore Vinyl
Fergus Falls • website 

Last Stop CD Shop
Marshall • website 

Mother's
Moorhead • website 

Mr. Zeros
Roseville • website 

Ramble On Records
Shakopee • website 

Remix
Forest Lake • website 

The Record Spot
Minneapolis • website 

Rochester Records
Rochester • website

SolSta Records
St. Louis Park • website

Treedome
Rochester • website 

Tune Town
Mankato • website 

Ultimate Collectibles
Hopkins • website 

Urban Lights
St. Paul • website 

Vintage Music Company
Minneapolis • website 

Vyntage Vinyl
Red Wing • website 

White Bear Lake Records
White Bear Lake • website 

Wizard Wax
Minneapolis • website