Record Store Day creates collectible vinyl albums frenzy

When Karl Groeger Jr., co-owner of Looney Tunes Records in West Babylon, comes to work on Saturday morning he will be greeted by a line consisting of approximately 500 people waiting outside his door. April 18 is Record Store Day, which means serious music lovers are going to be out in search of new releases that are soon to be collectibles.

"This year, there are 368 official Record Store Day releases ... It is the largest order we have placed in our 55-year history in one day," says Groeger, who is also holding an in-store appearance Sunday with Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction. "This is going to be the craziest weekend we’ve ever had."

Record Store Day is held biannually, in mid-April and on Black Friday, when music artists release a certain amount of limited-edition collectibles on vinyl (along with a small handful of CDs) that get distributed to more than 1,500 independent record stores across the United States for one day only. Die-hard collectors scurry to buy up what they can. The purpose of the day is to drive business to local record stores in order to keep physical music media going in a world of streaming services.

"We may order 1,000 of something and only get one. It all depends on how many they manufacture. You don’t know how many you are going to have until the orders start showing up," says Groeger. "This is why you have hundreds of people lining up out front. All these pieces are limited. Once they are gone, they are gone."

2026 RELEASES

Leading the pack of Record Store Day releases is Taylor Swift with a special 45-single, "Elizabeth Taylor" (a track from her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl") plus product from others, including Selena Gomez, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato and Bruno Mars. Classic acts such as Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Judas Priest, Joan Jett, Stone Temple Pilots, The Ramones, Grateful Dead, Yes and Van Halen will drop unreleased live shows. There are even kid-related offerings from "KPop Demon Hunters" and "Bluey."

"Every year, there is a very good selection, but this one has an incredibly diverse batch," says Groeger. "The pieces always hold their value. I’ve never seen one go for less money. The second you walk out you could probably sell it for double."

VINTAGE VINYL RULES

Record Store Day releases instantly become collectibles as their values continue to grow over time. In 2018, Swift released only 5,000 copies of a crystal clear and turquoise vinyl edition of her self-titled debut album, which now sells for $1,900.

"It’s all about how limited each piece is and the demand for it," says Josh Goldberg, co-owner of Mr. Cheapo CD & Record Exchange in Mineola and Commack. "The more obscure, the more it’s going to be worth."

Certain vinyl records hold their value and, in many cases, the older used vinyl is better quality than a brand-new vinyl reissue.

"They tried to make the new vinyl as best quality as they can, but it’s not the way it used to be," says Goldberg. "The quality of production is just not as good."

Many current vinyl reissues are drawn from the digital masters, not the original analog tapes.

"A new digital master gets transferred from a tape that’s old, therefore there’s going to be a little drop in quality," says Mick Cantone, manager of Mr. Cheapo’s Mineola store,. "An original pressing is cut from when the tapes were at their freshest and they will sound great if the album is in excellent condition."

COLLECTIBLES COST $$

Over at Infinity Records in Massapequa Park, there are nearly 200 collectible records on display. There is an unreleased 1979 Led Zeppelin promo record, "Past, Present and Future" in excellent condition for $3,500.

"This is a test pressing with artwork," says owner Joseph Ostermeier "The album contains interviews with the band that Atlantic Records pressed but later pulled back from releasing it to the public."

Also on the wall is a copy of late jazz musician Lee Morgan’s album, "Candy" from 1958 for $1,000.

"There were only 300 ever made by Blue Note Records," says Ostermeier. "The album got popular after he died in 1972."

Beatles collectible vinyl is always sought after and Infinity Records has two for sale: "Yesterday and Today" (1966) with the original banned "butcher cover," showing the band in butcher smocks with dismembered dolls and pieces of meat,  goes for $1,000 and a first pressing of "Meet the Beatles" (1964) without any publishing credits on the label for $750.

"Capitol Records rushed ‘Meet the Beatles’ out because the band was hot from their appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’ Their office didn’t research who owned the rights, so they didn’t put them on the record," says Ostermeier. "On ‘Yesterday and Today,’ the Catholic Church was against the butcher artwork and Capitol Records took the albums back from the stores. They pasted over the butcher cover with a new photo featuring the band around a suitcase trunk and re-sent them out."

High Fidelity Records & CDs in Amityville has nearly half a million records in stock with a collectible wall of more than 150 records.

"We recently sold a signed Bob Dylan ‘Hard Rain’ record from 1976 for $1,000 as well as an autographed copy of ‘Santana III’ from 1971 for $150," says owner Marc Sendik. "They don’t last long; they go very quick."

THE TAYLOR EFFECT

Sendik credits Swift for bringing members of Gen Z into his store to discover other artists.

"Because kids come in to get a new Taylor Swift release, I’m seeing them purchase other vinyl albums by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and even Meat Loaf. They want to own and discover this old music," says Sendik. "For young people, playing a vinyl record is an event. They listen to it from beginning to end while looking at the artwork and reading the liner notes as well as the lyrics. It’s a whole experience."