The Midwest is best when it comes to making a party out of Record Store Day.
Independent record stores across the Midwest got creative as hundreds of vinyl hunters turned out for limited releases on April 23.
Here is what the scene looked like at some of your favorite spots across the Midwest.
Full Weekend Affair
Indy CD & Vinyl in the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis combined Record Store Day with their 20th anniversary bash.
While the event was scheduled over two days, the celebration actually started the day before Record Store Day. The first RSD shoppers were lined up outside Indy CD & Vinyl at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The weekend was capped off on Sunday by Indy CD & Vinyl Fest, a 20th anniversary party complete with live music outside, giveaways and activities for kids.
Celebrity Guests?
Dumb Records in Springfield, Illinois continues to give customers a unique experience whenever they walk through the front door.
From the giant green elephant out front to their arcade, Dumb Records is a store with character. That being said, it was no surprise that the store invited some special guests to its Record Store Day event.
The California Raisins, or possibly distant relatives of the California Raisins, must have heard it through the grapevine that Dumb Records would have a line that snaked through downtown Springfield.
Donuts and limited edition Dumb Records shirts also were made available to those lucky enough to get a spot in line early on Saturday.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
Electric Fetus in Minneapolis got a little help from some friends who were willing to autograph copies of their records.
Spoon, Snail Mail, Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum, Charlie Parr and Hurray For The Riff Raff were among the artists who signed copies of their work to be sold exclusively at Electric Fetus during Record Store Day 2022.
In addition to the 500 signed records that hit the shelves at Electric Fetus on Saturday, Record Store Day customers also were treated to live DJs, bands and drawings to win concert tickets.
Taylor Swift Fans ONLY
Don’t even think about buying Taylor Swift’s limited edition Record Store Day release from Younger Than Yesterday if you’re just looking to resell for a quick buck.
The Peoria, Illinois record store was upfront about not tolerating flippers while looking out for real Swift fans.
With Swift’s special RSD 7-inch in high demand, many Midwest record stores had to navigate how to deliver a limited number of the album while also keeping customers happy. For some stores, that meant holding raffles for copies so everyone had a fair chance to purchase.
Chicago’s Shuga Records was among the locations that took the raffle-for-purchase route. The store also offered up T-Swift Record Store Day Ambassador buttons as part of the raffle.
Did you miss out on any of this year’s Record Store Day releases? Record store’s were permitted to start selling remaining RSD inventory online on April 24.
There also will be a RSD Drop Day June 18 with another round of special edition vinyl in stores from the likes of Pearl Jam, Prince, The Who and My Morning Jacket.
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