14. RSD co-founder explains how each year has “exceeded all reasonable expectations”

It’s become an annual tradition! Goldmine reached out to Record Store Day organizer Michael Kurtz to get the inside scoop on this year’s event.

GOLDMINE: Were you satisfied with last year’s Record Store Day and its Black Friday event?

MICHAEL KURTZ: Both Record Store Day and RSD’s Black Friday were big successes with the vast majority of record stores — reporting bigger parties, more people celebrating, and higher sales than previous years. Confidentially, every time we hold an event I worry that this will be the year that stores aren’t successful or that we will fail. We are in our 19th year and it hasn’t happened yet. Fingers crossed for this year!

GM: Which release got the best overall feedback last year?

MK: I think it was Post Malone’s Tribute to Nirvana album. Post was our Record Store Day Ambassador last year and really got behind the release, and his fans streamed into record stores to pick it up.

The other big album last year was Bob Dylan’s release of the original Freewheelin’ album in its original form, before certain songs were censored by the suits at Columbia. Maybe this hit a nerve with other artists as Joni Mitchell is releasing the original version of For the Roses for Record Store Day, with her original album artwork that was deemed unacceptable by her record label.

For some unknown reason Billy Squier’s label pulled his Tell the Truth album from the marketplace soon after its release, and it has been restored and will be released in its complete format for the first time. And Wilco’s record label dBpm has gone back in time and rescued the original Don Dixon and T-Bone Burnett produced Tommy Keane album Songs From the Film that was rejected by Geffen Records 40 years ago. So that album will finally be released as it was originally intended.

I’m guessing that this trend of having artists release albums as they were originally intended as part of our Record Store Day celebrations will be a trend going forward.

GM: Bruno Mars is 2026’s ambassador. What made you think of him and why is he the perfect RSD ambassador for this year?

MK: Bruno has done two RSD releases in the past, so when we were offered to work with him again this year as our Ambassador, we jumped at it. Personally, I think he’s kind of the Prince of our time. He can play any instrument, writes really great songs and is a fantastic live performer. When we had a chance to not only hold listening parties for his new album, but also have him be our Ambassador, it just all made perfect sense.

GM: Crosley is releasing a Rolling Stones RSD3 Mini-Turntable, and ABKCO is releasing six singles on 3-inch vinyl: “Get Off of My Cloud,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Play With Fire,” “Heart of Stone,” “Mother’s Little Helper” and “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” Why those specific songs? Is it to go along with ABKCO’s RSD release of ‘Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) – Japanese Edition’?

MK: Both The Rolling Stones 3-inch records and the Big Hits album are made by Toyokasei, Japan’s oldest vinyl manufacturing plant. Toyokasei is known for high quality both in the records themselves and the packaging that goes along with them. The Stones’ songs were selected by ABKCO, but it’s my understanding [that] they got approval from the band on the tracks and the creation of the turntable. When we started working on the 3-inch project we didn’t know that Toyokasei was also working on a Japanese pressing of Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) album for Record Store Day this year. I’m glad that it worked out this way, though. Stones fans will be happy.

GM: How is the introduction of 3-inch vinyl going over, by the way?

MK: The Record Store Day Beatles 3-inch turntable was the biggest project we’ve done yet with 5,000 Beatles turntables sold. Including the Beatles turntables, there are approximately 12,000 3-inch turntables out in the world, and about 50,000 3-inch records from an incredibly diverse list of artists, including Bad Religion, Norah Jones, Vince Guaraldi/Peanuts, Beck, Foo Fighters, Jack Black, All Time Low, The White Stripes, The Doors, Post Malone and Randy Newman.

“Quantity can contribute to collectibility, but we’re hoping to offer more than that in the future.” — Michael Kurtz

GM: Personally, I am still waiting for an 8-track release for Record Store Day — with a themed 8-Track player! Any chances of this happening?!

MK: I don’t think so, but this year’s RSD tribute to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music would’ve been a good candidate. The Westbound Sound: Single Minded (Westbound Records Curated by RSD, Vol. 3) would’ve been great, too. Who doesn’t want to hear Funkadelic or Silky Vincent on 8-track tape?

GM: Besides the inclusion in box sets, the compact disc format seems to be making a comeback. For some collectors, CDs never went away, but more record stores are selling CDs again. What makes it interesting is that the Pink Floyd Record Store Day release this year, Live From the Los Angeles Sports Arena, April 26th, 1975, is available on both LP and CD.

MK: We’re talking to both Sony’s Legacy and Warner’s Rhino about trying to get CD releases to accompany vinyl releases. Legacy was able to respond fairly quickly and is making CDs for the Pink Floyd, Jeff Buckley and Bruce Springsteen RSD releases. And, of course, Culture Factory has been offering CDs for most of their RSD releases for years. The big one that they are offering on CD this year is a reissue of Gil Scott-Heron’s classic Reflections album, limited to 1,000. Anyway, I think you’re going to see a lot more of that to come because music fans are asking to get them made.

GM: And the CD of the Pink Floyd release has less of a run than the LP! There are 7,100 CD copies compared to 15,400 vinyl pressings, making the CD essentially more collectible.

MK: Quantity can contribute to collectibility, but we’re hoping to offer more than that in the future.

GM: What do you make of the data suggesting that roughly 50 percent of vinyl buyers do not own a record player?

MK: I think data points like that aren’t really that valuable unless the polling is done with vinyl buyers who shop at record stores. I know, that’s myopic, but these are the only music fans I know, and I don’t know many of them who were asked this question or have told me that they don’t have a record player to play records on. Beyond that, if I’m not mistaken, the turntable business is booming.

GM: Well, that stat would certainly be true of picture discs. Many record collectors won’t even play their picture discs. Speaking of which, why are there no more David Bowie RSD picture discs? Those were fun to collect every year.

MK: Agreed, I have the complete collection of the Record Store Day 7-inch Bowie picture disc series. They are really gorgeous, so it is a good idea to try and continue them. Maybe I’ll bring the idea up to Rhino to see if they are interested? And, no, I don’t play them. I just look at them lovingly.

GM: More and more vinyl record sets have etchings on one side of one of the vinyl records. What would seem to make collectors happy doesn’t necessarily. Goldmine hears complaints about this very subject. Thoughts?

MK: Any time you see an etching on an RSD release, it’s because the artist wanted it. Same with zoetropes. I think they love the look and vibe. If I get to meet Charli XCX or Thievery Corporation, I’ll ask them why they made a RSD records with an etching this year.

GM: Which 2026 releases are you personally most excited about?

MK: A little over 10 years ago, Chuck D was RSD’s Ambassador and did a press conference with The Doors’ John Densmore at Amoeba. Unbeknownst to me, they began emailing each other to talk about making a Record Store Day release together one day. And I’ll be damn if they didn’t do it. We picked their track “Every Tick Tick Tick” as RSD’s Song of the Year, but, damn, there is some great music on this album, and it’s kind of exactly what you would think a Public Enemy meets The Doors album would be like. I personally love John’s reading of “The Bones of My Father” poem and Chuck’s “I Love That I Don’t Love” track. This is the magic of Record Store Day.

Beyond some of the projects I’ve already mentioned, I’m excited about Neil Young’s live album As Time Explodes and the Art of Noise’s The Seduction of Claude Debussy album. The Who’s A Quick One, David Bowie’s Hallo Spaceboy, Little Feat’s Little Feat album, Weezer’s 1192 album, Laufey’s A Matter of Time: Live at Madison Square Garden album, the dBs’ Cycles Per Second: US Tour 2024 album, and Anderson .Paak’s Malibu: 10 Year Anniversary 7-inch Box Set are all RSD releases that I want. There are just so many this year. I’m afraid for my wallet, honestly.

GM: The Doors are back with an exciting RSD release this year. What are other exciting releases in the classic rock genre?

MK: Steely Dan’s Alive in America, Bruce Springsteen Live from Asbury Park 2024, The Ramones Live in San Francisco, Yes’ Tales From Topographic Tours, Runt w/Todd Rundgren’s The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy album, the Special KISS Tour Album, King Crimson’s Live – Penn State University 29 June 1974, T-Rex’s Songs From “Marc, Jerry Garcia’s 50th Anniversary release of Reflections. We even have a new record from Dr. Demento called Get Demented. And with all of these incredible releases, it’s likely I will get demented.

GM: Any RSD 2026 standouts for package design or well-designed vinyl?

MK: Record Store Day is an international event, celebrated in over 3,000 record stores around the globe. This year we are celebrating the best in K-Pop sounds from South Korea with our ZEROBASEONE Record Store Day release, celebrating the band being our K-Pop Ambassador. Their album is pressed on “Cookie Monster” blue vinyl, and includes a special gatefold packaging, with a poster and nine different photocards of the band. This kind of special packaging is common in Asia.

GM: Are there any record store performances that you are excited about attending this year?

MK: These aren’t announced until the last minute, so I don’t have a lot to share, although I’ve heard that Ziggy Marley may be making an appearance at Licorice Pizza in Los Angeles. And I believe Dr. Demento is going to hang out in Fingerprints, his neighborhood record store, on Record Store Day. And Billy Squier is going to celebrate at the Princeton Record Exchange in New Jersey.

GM: Are you already thinking about Record Store Day’s 20-year anniversary?

MK: It’s early, but the discussions about how to throw a good party are starting. I’m sure this will be a big topic when we all the record store owners gather at the Record Store Day Summer Camp event in New Orleans this summer, as a lot of the celebrations are created by the stores themselves.

GM: Record Store Day seems to be as popular as ever. Did you expect this celebration of indie record stores to last this long?

MK: Nope, and it has exceeded all reasonable expectations.