Record Store Day 2026
Record Store Day brings special releases to 13 Houston-area stores
Record Store Day draws people to indie stores for a chance to find hundreds of early access or limited edition releases.
Houston music-lovers with a soft spot for physical media have a special day coming up. This Saturday, April 18, is Record Store Day (RSD). Independent record stores around town and the rest of the country have signed a pledge to sell special releases at a fair price "in the spirit of Record Store Day."
There are many special releases each year; in 2026, there are about 350. Because these are not regular album drops, many of them are live records, B sides, radio sessions, deluxe anniversary editions, and other compilations. There are three types of RSD releases: exclusives for physical sales in indie stores only; RSD "first" for prioritizing indie stores before potentially opening up to other retailers, and small run or regional titles, made for very limited release.
What you can buy will depend on what each record store has decided to stock. Even though this could be a fun excuse to visit new and less familiar record stores, shoppers who want something specific should prioritize stores they know align with their taste. Many of the stores hold special events related to the day, and shoppers frequently line up early to get first choice.
The participating Houston stores are:
- Cactus Music
- Evolution Records, Tapes and More (Baytown)
- Music Town (Klein)
- Sig's Lagoon
- Sound Exchange
- Sound Revolution (Spring)
- Sound Revolution II
- Soundwaves
- Space City Audio (Spring)
- Sweet Spot Audio and Records (Webster)
- Vinyl Edge
- Volume Music (The Woodlands)
- ZT Records (The Woodlands Mall)
For more inspiration going into Record Store Day, check out the Record Store Day Podcast, merch, and charts showing what's selling best at indie record stores each week.
