London, UK | Record Store Day 2026: The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, Manics and more announce new vinyl and re-releases: The annual vinyl scramble returns. Record Store Day is back for 2026, and shocker, it’s shaping up to rinse wallets, test queue stamina once again, and take London by storm. The annual celebration of independent record shops returns on Saturday, the 18th of April, with more than 280 UK stores taking part and hundreds of limited releases expected to land on shelves. The first wave of titles has now been announced, and there’s already plenty worth setting an alarm for. This year also continues Record Store Day’s partnership with War Child UK, meaning £1 from every copy of selected releases will go towards supporting children affected by conflict around the world.
Adelaide, AU | First Look: Jewels of Thought Records brings hi-fi, natural-wine, and coffee to Adelaide’s East End. A new kind of record store is opening on Ebenezer Place this week, and it’s designed to be about far more than flipping through crates (although we love that too). Jewels of Thought Records is the latest venture from husband-and-wife team Anthony Wendt and Linh Tieu, bringing together high fidelity audio, pour over coffee and unique teas, natural wine, and Adelaide’s vibrant music scene. After all, Adelaide is Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music. Jewels of Thought Records opens its doors at 15 Ebenezer Place, on Thursday February 12 from 10am to 8pm. There will be coffee pouring, crates of deep cuts to flick through, and music in the air.
Richmond, VA | New romantic comedy play opens at Plan 9 Music: A new romantic comedy play is running at Plan 9 Music in Carytown this month for those still seeking Valentine’s Day plans. “Love and Vinyl” follows lifelong friends during a late night stop at their favorite record shop. When they meet the shop’s owner, the night becomes more than just a casual visit. The play explores the search for real connection in a digital world with humor and nostalgia. “There is a reason that we watch romantic comedies. It’s because we get to chill, we get to relax with generally really nice people who are not you know, these consequences are not dire. There is a very specific formula and in my play I address that formula,” said the play’s writer Bob Bartlett. Love and Vinyl runs until Sunday, Feb. 22.
Philadelphia, PA | Four Philadelphia record stores to expand or start your record collection: Even in the age of music streaming platforms, the resurgence of physical media like vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes might come as a surprise for some. For others, physical media has never left and symbolizes a resistance within consumer behavior. Philadelphia is known for its record stores everywhere around the city, from recently opened stores like Latchkey to well-known classics like Repo Records. Each record store serves as a hub for music listeners to build community and share their music taste with one another. Whether you want to start collecting records or expand your collection, here’s a list of four record stores worth the exploration.
Portland, OR | Iconic Portland record store, oldest in PNW, seeks new owner: Over the past 57 years, Music Millennium has cemented itself as a stalwart of Portland’s music scene. What began as an 800-square-foot record store in 1969 now occupies a full building on the corner of East Burnside Street and Southeast 32nd Avenue — making it both the largest and oldest business of its kind in the region. Store owner Terry Currier has led the institution since 1996 when one of the store’s founders, Don MacLeod, died. Currier had been managing Music Millennium since 1984. “It’s now 42 years later and recently I turned 70,” Currier wrote Tuesday. “I’m as excited about Music Millennium today as I was the day I stepped into the store. However, it’s time to find a successor to keep Music Millennium going for many years to come.”
Washington, DC | Meet a D.C. resident who wants to get more local artists on cassettes: Streaming services may currently dominate the music industry, but there has been a growing shift over the years towards physical forms of media, and that includes cassette tapes. While vinyl reigns supreme in physical music media, nearly 450,000 cassettes were sold in 2025 according to entertainment analytics company Luminate. For comparison, in 2015 they reported 81,000. As interest in cassettes increases, a D.C. resident is navigating a way to help local musicians get in on the action with a small-run duplication service called Punch Tab Tapes. “It kind of goes back to the love of physical media and wanting to return to physical media,” says 27-year-old Rob Cline, who runs Punch Tab Tapes out of an apartment in Columbia Heights. “That was a big impetus for this project.”
Chicago, IL | No Sé Discos raises funds for a vinyl release of 80s postpunks Stations: The label plans to release the long-lost recordings of the influential Chicago band, including tracks produced by Martin Hannett. No Sé Discos is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund a vinyl release of Stations’ long-lost recordings, including three tracks produced by Factory Records’ Martin Hannett. The album, titled “Ghostland”, will also feature additional Stations songs the band produced themselves. This release comes after a fire destroyed the band members’ home and all of their Stations memorabilia. Stations was an influential postpunk band in the Chicago music scene in the 1980s, but they only released one single before breaking up. This vinyl release will finally make their music, including the rare Hannett-produced recordings, widely available to fans and introduce the band to new listeners.
Houston/Pasadena, TX | Vinyl Record Show of Houston, TX / Pasadena, TX: Vinyl LP Records: Tens of thousands, from budget-friendly $1.00 LPs to rare collectibles worth hundreds of dollars. There’s something for every music lover. More Treasures: Dig through a variety of music memorabilia, 45’s, CDs, T-shirts, posters, cassettes, and even a few 78’s. Exciting Door Prizes: Every attendee has a chance to win a free record, a cool T-shirt, or even tickets to future shows! Join us for your shot at some fantastic goodies. Why Attend? Memories and Music: Rediscover the tunes that bring back your best memories and connect with fellow vinyl enthusiasts.
Vinyl’s Resurgence Is Testimony To Our Physical Relationship With Music: The format hints at a different kind of fan-artist connection… Vinyl was supposed to disappear. It was supposed to be flattened by convenience, replaced by access, and archived as a relic of slower listening habits. Instead, it endures—not clinging on, but fully present. In a culture built around infinite choice at the tap of a finger, the act of placing a record down and dropping the needle should feel outdated, but it points to something else entirely. Something deliberate. Physical. Oddly resistant to the way music usually moves now. That sense of resistance isn’t just anecdotal. Despite the dominance of streaming—which now accounts for the vast majority of music consumption in the UK—vinyl sales continue to rise.
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
