Records At Vertical House Records In Huntsville
Record Store Day — Vertical House Records in Huntsville, AL, is one of the many indie record stores celebrating Record Store Day in Alabama. (Elizabeth Hobbs / Bama Buzz)

If anyone asks me what my plans are this weekend…I’ll be participating in Record Store Day. True audiophiles already know about this holiday—it’s like Christmas for us. Keep reading to learn more about Record Store Day and find a participating local record shop near you, plus get details on how you can meet Birmingham natives St. Paul & the Broken Bones at 10,000 Hz Records in Opelika this Friday, April 21.

What is Record Store Day?

Rsd Auburn, Birmingham — I’ve been looking forward to this day all year. (Record Store Day / website)

Record Store Day is an annual worldwide event that celebrates independently-owned record stores and the community shared by the shops, audiophiles and artists. Dating back to 2007, Record Store Day has continued to grow into a widely-celebrated and highly-anticipated event honoring the thriving record stores all over the world. In honor of the big day, you’ll find a variety of in-store events, specials, performances, meet and greets with musicians, pop-ups and more.

Each year, various artists release exclusive Record Store Day merch—special edition records and CDS, reprints, new releases, you name it—that you can only find at your local indie record store in honor of Record Store Day. There are 302 RSD special releases this year, including exclusive releases from Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam and Elvis Presley. Each participating record store has been stocking up on their RSD merch in preparation for the big day this Saturday.

When: Saturday, April 22
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How 10,000 Hz Records in Opelika is celebrating

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Opelika’s hip record store 10,000 Hz has big plans for Record Store Day. (10,000 Hz / Facebook)

I’ll be lining up outside my local record store, 10,000 Hz Records, in Opelika this Saturday to get my copy of Maya Hawke’s RSD release and enjoy the festivities. After sending out an RSD poll earlier this year, 10,000 Hz will be ready for the line-up of people expected early Saturday morning.

They’ll have some special promos hidden around the store, new merch (I can’t wait to grab the new tote bag), and a special RSD vinyl pop-up in the Railyard a few doors down. They’ll have around 250 RSD 2023 titles to shop from (including 200 copies of Taylor Swift’s RSD Folklore release), and you can expect the line to start early.

If you don’t have a chance to stop by 10,000 Hz on Record Store Day, no sweat. All leftover copies will be made available to purchase on their website the next day. Make sure to check out your local shop’s rules and plans for RSD before you visit—here’s what to expect from 10,000 Hz.

The festivities don’t end there. This Friday, April 21 at 1PM, Birmingham natives St. Paul & the Broken Bones will be hanging out at 10,000 HZ for a meet and greet and record-signing event. Don’t miss your chance to meet the band and snag a copy of their Alabama record shop edition of their new LP “Angels In Science Fiction”—only 1,000 copies were pressed and are only available in AL indie record shops.

Address: 717A 1st Ave, Opelika, AL 36801
Hours: Monday-Friday 11AM-6PM | Saturday 10AM-5PM | Sunday 12-5PM
St. Paul & the Broken Bones: Friday, April 21 | 1PM | 10,000 Hz Records
Record Store Day: Saturday, April 22 | 8AM-5PM at 10,000 Hz Records | 8AM-4PM at the Railyard
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19 other participating record stores in AL

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Huntsville’s Vertical House Records and Birmingham’s Seasick Records are two other record stores I frequent when I’m not in Opelika. (Elizabeth Hobbs / The Bama Buzz)

Find a record store near you to support this Record Store Day! Whether or not you own a record player, you can enjoy the festivities, fun and community while supporting a local business. Some of our favorite record stores are on this lineup—maybe you’ll discover a new hip spot to check out near your town. Here are all the spots around AL participating in Record Store Day: