The date for the 11th edition of Record Store Day has been confirmed as Saturday, April 21, 2018.
The appeal of the annual fixture appears to be responsible for a 27.6% annual increase in value for physical singles last year, according to ERA. Vinyl LP sales are up 33.7% year-on-year for a sales value of £87.7 million.
Over the last 10 years, Record Store Day has become a nationwide event for vinyl fans. In 2017, more than 500 artists released limited edition vinyl products available exclusively in over 200 participating stores. The 2018 release line-up will be revealed in early March.
Organisers credited the event with bringing about a turnaround in fortunes for the independent record stores, with new shops opening at the rate of nearly one a week since last year’s Record Store Day.
The vinyl revival was also reflected in the latest BPI figures, following a strong sales performance in Q4. Ed Sheeran had the biggest-selling vinyl album last year, followed by Liam Gallagher's As You Were.
Record Store Day’s brand partners this year include Rega Research, Sound Performance, Friels Cider and Fred Perry, who launched exclusive records bags last year.
Record Store Day and Sound Performance will also launch a competition to support the UK’s best unsigned talent.
Chris Marksberry, MD of Sound Performance, said: “The re-birth of vinyl has given the music industry a new dynamism and Record Store Day has played a crucial role in bringing the format back. We share the values of Record Store Day and the support they give to independent record stores, record labels and the industry as a whole. We would like to wish Record Store Day and all the UK’s amazing record stores and record labels a successful 2018.”
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