Music lovers out in force for Record Store Day

It’s the biggest day of the year for record stores throughout the country, with music lovers out in force.

Record Store Day has been held annually since 2007 to celebrate independent record stores and the music they sell.

Many artists release special records to mark the day.

At Real Groovy in Auckland, there was a magic show, face painting and a street party, while at Flying Out Records, local musicians including Luka Buda, Ebony Lamb and Thee Golden Geese performed in-store all day.

At Aotearoa's longest-running independent record store, Slow Boat Records in Wellington, a queue started forming at 3.15am.

Co-owner Jeremy Taylor told Music 101 that Record Store Day was "actually bigger than Christmas now".

In 2023, Taylor Swift's Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions was the hot item. This year, it was Olivia Rodrigo's cover of Noah Kahan's 'Stick Season' on 7-inch vinyl, he said.

People were also excited about new Pearl Jam and Beyoncé releases, as well as Atomic City, a U2 album recorded live at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Some shoppers were inevitably disappointed as there was only limited stock of each album, but vinyl released for Record Store Day often had a more general release later, he said.

"Another reissue of that great record is probably not too far away."

Overall, the day had a "really nice vibe", and shoppers were there to "celebrate music and community", Taylor said.

"Record shopping's occupied a very dear place in my heart throughout my life and made a lot of good friends through record stores in one way or another, and it's great to see that tradition continuing, despite everything."