Record Store Day creates a buzz across Auckland’s independent record stores

Auckland's independent record stores celebrated the 18th annual Record Store Day on Saturday with limited-edition records, live music and entertainment.

Die-hard fans and vinyl collectors queued outside stores across the CBD hours before they opened, some as early as 4am, for a chance to get an exclusive vinyl pressing, with some discs limited to only 450 copies across the world.

Four record stores across central Auckland took part in this year’s music focused festivities: Real Groovy Records, Flying Out Records, Southbound Records and Flying Nun Records Auckland.

Record Store Day celebrates these independent record stores and their role in music culture internationally, highlighting the importance of physical media and the joy vinyl brings to music lovers.

The founder of Flying Out Records, Matthew Davis, says Record Store Day is one of the store's biggest days each year.

“[It's] just a great day to bring everybody in and find some new things like special releases. It’s just a good community feel - we put lots of bands on .

"It’s a day to celebrate record shopping. It brings attention to small independent stores. It gets people excited about physical media and music.

"It brings everybody who you see throughout the year in,” says Davis.

Record Store Day is a major financial catalyst for independent record stores with some stores reporting that it is their busiest day of each year, even surpassing Christmas demand.

Amelia Soan, an eager music and vinyl fan in the queue outside Karangahape Road’s Flying Nun, says she finds Record Store Day amazing for connecting with other fans and like-minded people since everyone’s there to celebrate the same thing.

“Record Store Day is just really fun;.There’s always things going on like cool local artists and of course what we’re all here for - the records.

"It’s just a collectors dream really.”

Davis says he is optimistic that Record Store Day will continue to grow, with hope that a more local focus could develop and highlight Aotearoa’s music scene.

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AI was not used in the creation of this story.