Austin music-lovers with a soft spot for physical media have a special day coming up. Saturday, April 18, is Record Store Day (RSD). Independent record stores around town and the rest of the country have signed a pledge to sell special releases at a fair price "in the spirit of Record Store Day."

There are many special releases each year; in 2026, there are about 350. Because these are not regular album drops, many of them are live records, B sides, radio sessions, deluxe anniversary editions, and other compilations. There are three types of RSD releases: exclusives for physical sales in indie stores only; RSD "first" for prioritizing indie stores before potentially opening up to other retailers, and small run or regional titles, made for very limited release.

What you can buy will depend on what each record store has decided to stock. Even though this could be a fun excuse to visit new and less familiar record stores, shoppers who want something specific should prioritize stores they know align with their taste.

The participating Austin stores are:

• End of an Ear
• Waterloo Records
• Sunshine Vinyl
• Drinks Records
• Antone's Record Shop
• Exploded Records
• Breakaway Records
• Out of the Past Collectibles
• Love Wheel Records
• Groovers Paradise Record Shop
• Piranha Records (Round Rock)
• Plum Creek Records & Tapes
• Sundance Records (San Marcos)
• Alchemy Records (San Marcos)
• Static ATX Records (Liberty Hill)
• Yard Sale Records (New Braunfels)

For more inspiration going into Record Store Day, check out the Record Store Day Podcast, merch, and charts showing what's selling best at indie record stores each week.