Record Store Day—known worldwide as the annual celebration of independent record stores—returns on April 12, 2025, and this year’s lineup features an incredible array of special releases that are sure to excite fans of classic rock, jazz, and, of course, The Grateful Dead.
Where better to start than with a few artists who helped define rock music? Fans will be thrilled by releases from The Doors, Elvis Costello, John & Yoko, Elton John, Queen, Rage Against The Machine, Sly & The Family Stone, Sting, Talking Heads, Thin Lizzy, and Tom Waits. A few highlights from the list include:
- A new, limited-run David Bowie live album documenting his ahead-of-its-time 2003 worldwide livestream event, Reality.
- A special double A-sided “Record Store Day Song Of The Year” 12-inch single featuring “Be Here Now” by both George Harrison and Beck—an homage to the timeless quality of Harrison’s songwriting.
- An exclusive live set from Sting, Sting Live 3.0, a double album featuring hits and a few tracks that have never been released in live editions before.
- A 12-inch EP capturing the one-night-only collaboration between Bruce Springsteen and The Killers at Madison Square Garden in 2022.
Jazz lovers, rejoice! Record Store Day has unearthed some remarkable releases by Pharaoh Sanders, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, and the Vince Guaraldi Trio—ensuring that the crates this year hold plenty of boundary-pushing and genre-defining classics.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a real rock celebration without the Grateful Dead. True to form, the band has something special up its sleeve for Record Store Day: expect a collectible release that captures the spirit and energy of their legendary shows, bringing a piece of Dead history into your local record store.
A Few More Notable Mentions
- Post Malone, 2025’s Record Store Day Ambassador, brings his fan-favorite Tribute to Nirvana livestream performance to vinyl for the first time.
- Former Ambassador Taylor Swift drops a double-sided 7-inch single, “Fortnight,” with Post Malone.
- Wu-Tang and Mathematics release a groundbreaking 2-LP set, each featuring one-of-a-kind cover art—no two copies alike.
- Soundtracks galore, including beloved scores from the Harry Potter series, Top Secret!, and the imaginative Original Soundtracks 1 by Passengers (U2 and Brian Eno).
For the Full List and More
With over 300 titles coming to participating indie stores, there’s something for everyone to discover. To see the complete list, find a store near you, or learn more about this worldwide celebration of record store culture, visit recordstoreday.com.
