SPINNING IN THE RAIN: RSD AFTERMATH
“The happiest sound in the world”
For my vinyl collecting, music loving, knuckleheaded friends, how was your RECORD STORE DAY 2026? Did any of you even participate in the equivalent of the old‑school throwback to camping out for concert tickets? Or were you like me, casually strolling into your local record shop after the dust settled hours later, or prowling the online “Record Store Day After” sales like a Viking scanning the shoreline for undefended monasteries?
It’s been years since I’ve gone out early and participated in the communal insanity. Every once in a while, if there’s an RSD release I know is going to be damn near impossible to grab, I’ll get a pass from work to come in late and try to snag it, but that hasn’t happened in at least a decade. These days, the “Day After” online sale is my sanctuary. I rarely walk away without my must‑haves, plus the obligatory impulse pick‑ups that leap into my cart like stray cats looking for a warm porch.
This year, I picked up two releases from an actual record shop. The rest? All online; a mixture of “RSD Day AFTER” sale (Vintage Mio was my sole go‑to this year) and Discogs via their RSD 2026 filter. Yes, that’s a thing. Yes, it’s spectacular. And yes, it’s dangerous.
Over the years, the same strengths and challenges show up like recurring characters in a long‑running sitcom. This year kept the tradition alive. Here’s what I found from talking to people in the vinyl community who participate and what I think about every last bit of it.
Pricing fatigue: Many collectors felt RSD 2026 pushed the upper limit of what people are willing to pay. While some shops (like my guy Armando) stayed below or at MSRP, plenty didn’t. It seems shops are permitted to sell 20% over the SRP (Suggested Retail Price). I actually watched YouTube videos of some shops with their price stickers ON them that were way over what I paid.
My personal opinion? RSD releases are limited “special” editions. Is there really “price gouging” for something produced in low quantities? No. Get over it. Don’t equate flipper pricing with RSD pricing. If you think it’s too much, don’t buy it, azy peazy. Vinyl has gone from dinosaur to the dominant physical format. Even 10 or 15 thousand copies of a special release are going to be priced up. Regular releases go for $29 to $35 for a single LP. Double albums and box sets? Forget it, they’re already in the stratosphere.
Title fatigue with pricing transparency: The sheer volume of releases (350+ titles) made the total cost overwhelming. The pricing isn’t available on the posted list from RSD or on their website.
Again, this event isn’t set up so you buy every fucking thing listed; contrary to what my wife and wallet think I do. Yes, the sheer volume can be overwhelming. I print the RSD list, highlight the artists I’m interested in, then highlight the titles. After that, I start eliminating; reissues with nothing new, singles with zero significance, filler. Then I break it down into the “wish list,” the “must have” list, and the “if it’s priced right” list. I’ll usually narrow it down to around 55 titles, then cut it to 30–38. The hardest part is not knowing the pricing. They show “limited” quantities, but those numbers are often… creative. If they’d at least offer the marked‑up 20% pricing, I could budget my remortgage financing like a responsible adult.
Too many filler releases: Complaints still included “needless 7‑inches of album tracks, Doors/Stone cash grabs, too many ‘live’ releases, and zoetrope/picture discs” despite being the strongest lineup in years.
You can’t make everyone happy. But if you keep everyone in the demographic you’re catering to, it works. Personally, the Doors and Stones releases don’t bother me. I passed on the Stones’ High Tides Japanese‑style greatest hits — not worth the high price compared to my British and U.S. first pressings. The Doors? Here’s my money.
As for 7”, 10”, or 12” singles, I always say no… and yet there they are in my collection. It depends on the artist. Live releases? I love them — especially peak‑era or rare performances. This year’s Van Halen, Rainbow, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, The Cars, Foreigner, STP, and Scott Weiland releases were on fucking point. Van Halen’s 5150 tour release hit me right in the chest — hearing Eddie again hurts in the best way. The Floyd release got heat for “quality,” but it was a bootleg. I had the original, so I knew exactly what I was getting. Springsteen 2024? Absofuckinglutely amazing.
Overcrowded release slate: With more than 350 titles, many collectors complained that the list was bloated, making it hard to prioritize and causing some genuinely good releases to get lost.
Again, I don’t even see a complaint here. If you’re that unprepared or can’t find the time to review the list, save your money'; you’ll make some really poor choices. If they didn’t have 350+ titles, those same people would bitch that there weren’t enough. Like Tay-Tay say, “A hater’s gonna hate”.
Swift‑induced chaos: Taylor Swift’s 7-inch “Elizabeth Taylor” was expected to dominate lines and did. Plenty of websites described it as “one of the most sought-after RSD releases in years… the queue in front of you is largely there for this.”
She’s still the biggest and best‑selling artist on the planet. For how much longer? Anyone’s guess. The real complaint is Boomers annoyed that younger fans dared to exist in front of them. There were over 20,000 copies. And yes, unapologetically, I bought it. I’ve bought her releases since the beginning — not because of fashion or looks, but because the writing is remarkable. Am I her target market? Fuck no. Would I go see her in concert? Probably not, unless my granddaughter wanted to go. It’s not my crowd — and that’s a good thing.
Flipper/reseller fever: Buyers whose only goal is to buy low and sell high on the aftermarket.
As long as there’s a collectible market, there will always be scumbag resell gougers. That is unless you dumbasses stop buying from them. And look, you have the same opportunity to get that precious release as the flipper. You gotta earn that fucking spot, ya lazy hump. LMAO And honestly? Give flippers credit, they’re a dedicated lot. They hustle. And as long as they’re not in cahoots with the shop, it’s part of the ecosystem.
My personal biggest complaint? The lack of packaging. I want more than pictures on an inner sleeve or a gatefold. Would it be so hard to include a 2‑page or 4‑page fold‑out booklet? Liner notes, stories behind the release? Something, anything more. I don’t need a bogus backstage pass or a blurry, pixelated fake ticket stub like the Joan Jett release. Is it that hard? I’d even forgo the upgraded lined inner record sleeves. I have my own anyway, as do most OCD record‑collecting mental patients.
Fear not — there was praise too. This was widely considered the best RSD list since 2020. The collectors and critics praised…
High-quality archival jazz releases: Resonance, Elemental, and Time Traveller delivered deeply researched, beautifully packaged sets (Joe Henderson, Ahmad Jamal, Yusef Lateef, Mal Waldron, Bill Evans, Cecil Taylor). The “John Coltrane Quartet: France 1965: The Complete Concerts” was praised as the best release on the RSD list.
While I usually pick up Bill Evans, Miles, etc., I passed this time. I did get the Coltrane release, but it’s still in transit. I have no doubt it’ll live up to the praise. As you may have figured out from Cass Elliot to T‑Swift to Sleep Token to Coltrane, my taste in music has zero limits. If it’s good, I’m probably a fan. I didn’t stop exploring new music in my 30s. Whilst I’m not stuck in nostalgia, I suppose I still have my wheelhouse, but I’m not trapped in it.
Thoughtful reissues: Titles like The Cure’s Greatest Hits (silver vinyl, half-speed mastered) and Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green-era compilation were praised as worthwhile.
I disagree on The Cure “greatest hits” praise; I have the Greatest Hits. I rarely listen to greatest‑hits comps unless the band only has a handful of songs I like. I prefer the studio albums. I did get The Cure’s “Acoustic Hits” because it’s a nice spin and I only ever had it on CD…and I don’t own a CD player. Fleetwood Mac? I’m a Buckingham/Nicks guy. Give me more live releases from every era of Fleetwood Mac with them. Reissues in general? Not a fan unless they add something; extra songs, inserts, booklets. I truly do prefer my OG pressings; audiophiles can enjoy their 2‑songs‑per‑side half‑speed masters. I’m good with two sides and a beer.
A balanced list: Tracking Angle emphasized that the 2026 slate finally struck a better balance between gimmicks and genuinely important archival projects.
That shows how the team is split into two very different record buyers. Personally, I love the balance. RSD leans rock and pop, but there’s jazz, soundtracks, rap, compilations, comedy…the whole damn circus.
And God, I miss eavesdropping in line. The know‑it‑all who isn’t as bright as he or she thinks they are. The flipper fishing for your list. The person who’s genuinely excited and not afraid to show it. I never tell anyone what I’m looking for, why give the flipper ammo? Saying “whatever’s available” sounds defeated or saying “my list is broad” sounds pretentious. We all know I’m pretensious, but does the world need to know it too? So I people‑watch and it’s glorious.
When I hear someone grabbing the “hot” releases or “money” albums, I crack up inside. If you’re buying because you think it’ll be worth something life‑changing someday, you picked the wrong time to collect. Flip it fast or forget it.
I’ve never bought an RSD release for future value. Every single one gets opened and listened to; even the EPs and 7‑inches that I swore I despise to collect (Kiss and Mötley Crüe this year).
Speaking of Motley, I wish Crüe would do RSD releases of Generation Swine, New Tattoo, and the ’94 Corabi album. Hell, I hope RSD keeps an eye on those 70s and 80s bands whose live releases fly off shelves. There’s gold in them thar vaults.
And that brings us to the close; the part where a lesser writer would tie a bow on it. But RSD isn’t a bow‑tying holiday. It’s a ritual, a raid, a pilgrimage for the unholy. It’s the one day a year where the entire vinyl‑collecting world collectively loses its mind in the best possible way.
So here’s the truth; RSD doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be RSD; chaotic, overpriced, overcrowded, overhyped, and absolutely irresistible.
Now it’s time to drop the needle on what arrived, wait for what’s in transit, and start counting the days until Black Friday. The hunt never ends, the shelves never fill, and the Viking in every collector is always ready for the next raid.
