Record Store Day sweeps across the world

April 21 is one of the most anticipated events for music lovers and vinyl collectors alike.

Every year around mid to late April, Record Store Day is a day to celebrate independently owned music stores around the world. According to the RSD website, roughly 1400 stores participate on every continent in the world. Some cities, including New York City and Los Angeles, have gone so far as to name Record Store Day an official holiday.

So what exactly happens at this phenomenon? The stores that are participating in Record Store Day will be selling a limited amount of most of the projects listed on the official website. If a store was to get all of the items, they would be selling 423 different singles or albums! These come in the form of mostly vinyl, but there are a small handful of CDs and cassettes in the mix as well. A decent amount of the repertoire is exclusive to Record Store Day, but a lot of the releases are billed as “RSD First,” which means that they will be available for the weeks and months to come.

There is a lot of variety on the list, so followers of almost any music genre will find something that appeals to them.

For pop fans, Taylor Swift will be releasing three albums on RSD, including her last album 1989. 80’s pop aficionados can seek out two different Madonna albums.

Current R&B listeners can look for Miguel’s latest effort War and Leisure, while fans of 80’s R&B are in for a treat with Prince’s classic album 1999.

Hip hop heads are clamoring over a live version of Nas’ groundbreaking record Illmatic, The Notorious B.I.G’s hit single “Juicy,” and a cassette version of the Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Fans of the newer generation of rappers should check out two Lil Uzi Vert projects, Luv is Rage and The Perfect Luv Tape, as well as RSD Ambassador Run The Jewels, who will be dropping a box set.

If the rock scene is more your thing, then you are in for a treat. AC/DC is slated to release a cassette version of the uber-popular record Back in Black. Indie rock fans will look to catch two different Mac DeMarco records, including the demos from his last album This Old Dog. Classic rock enthusiasts will be glad to know that a whopping four different David Bowie albums will be for sale, from his self-title debut to his demos for Let’s Dance to a live show in his hometown of London. One of the most interesting releases for Saturday is a Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: 50th Anniversary set with five separate LPs and it should be an extremely sought after item.

If any of these interest you or if you are just a music fiend who is looking for some new material to listen to, make sure that you go to this event. Some locations around the area include Down in the Valley in Golden Valley, Maple Grove, or Crystal, Mill City Sound in downtown Hopkins, or Electric Fetus in downtown Minneapolis. Most of the events listed will have a good amount of the records listed as well as food and special giveaways.