April 23 may be, but it is not a date that is just for slaying dragons and celebrating England’s.
In 2022, the day is also Record Store Day, which is celebrated across the world.
It is an event many music fans have come to love, evolving more than 260 independent record shops across the UK, and thousands more stores across the world.
But what exactly is Record Store Day, and how is it being celebrated?
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is held on one Saturday in April every year and was first conceived back in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees in the US as a way to celebrate the culture surrounding independently owned record stores.
Its first official events took place on April 19, 2008 in the US, with  opening the event at Rasputin Music in Mountain View, California – today there are RSD participating stores on every continent.
Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day.
Festivities also include live performances, meet and greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records, and vinyl market stalls.
Who is the ambassador for Record Store Day 2022?
This year, is the ambassador for Record Store Day and has become the first-ever global RSD ambassador.
In a statement, she said: ‘I’m very proud to be this year’s Ambassador for Record Store Day. The places where we go to browse and explore and discover music new and old have always been sacred to me.
‘Record stores are so important because they help to perpetuate and foster music-loving as a passion. They create settings for live events. They employ people who adore music thoroughly and purely.’
Swift continued: ‘We need to support these small businesses more now than ever to make sure they can stay alive, stay eccentric, and stay individual.’
Record Store Day Release List 2022
Hundreds of records are set for release today for Record Store Day, but fans have been told to expect some manufacturing delays, with some announced records now set to be released on June 18 instead.
Some of the highlights of 2022’s record releases include:
- Sunday Girl EP by Blondie
- Bustin’ + Dronin’ by Blur
- Kauai by Childish Gambino
- Remembering Dolores by The Cranberries
- Brilliant Adventure by David Bowie
- High n Dry by Def Leppard
- Donna Summer by Donna Summer
- L.A. Woman Sessions by The Doors
- The Complete Thom Bell Sessions by Elton John
- Blondes, Brunes & Rousses (It Happened At The World’s Fair) by Elvis Presley
- Ne:Ep by Erasure
- Praise You / Right Here Right Now Remixes by Fatboy Slim
- Making a Fire by Foo Fighters
- The Walls Are Way Too Thin by Holly Humberstone
- Berlin 91 by Iggy Pop
- Covers by James Blake
- Keane by Keane
- I’m So Free: 1971 RCA Dmos by Lou Reed
- Brightside (Acoustic) by The Lumineers
- #1 by Mariah Carey
- Live Seeds by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- Women and Wives by Paul McCartney
- Live on Two Legs by Pearl Jam
- Live Blood by Peter Gabriel
- The Sire LPs 1981-1989 by Ramones
- Whenever You Need Somebody by Rick Astley
- Stereo Typical by Rizzle Kicks
- Alright/The Kitchen by Sam Fender
- The Nowhere Inn by St Vincent
- The Lakes by Taylor Swift
- A Celebration by U2
You can find a full list of releases over on the
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