04/08/2026
Posted without comment, but with empathy.
It's long but well worth the read.
From Main Street Jukebox in PA.
"This is not easy for me to do.
First off, I want to say I’m sorry to anyone who’s been excited about Record Store Day.
I know a lot of you look forward to it every year, and that genuinely means a lot to me. The support, the energy, the people lining up—it’s never lost on me, and I’m beyond thankful for that.
But I’ve got to be honest…
I’m really struggling with Record Store Day right now.
What was once something I genuinely loved—something meant to celebrate independent record stores, the culture, the community—has slowly turned into something else entirely. And not in a good way.
The thousands of dollars spent every year just to try and get enough titles out of the hundreds that get released… it’s overwhelming. And the reality is, even just picking a few copies of each title adds up to well over $20,000.
And the worst part? The complete lack of transparency.
We don’t know what we’re getting until the last minute. No real communication, no real support—just stress. Every single year it’s the same thing… waiting, guessing, hoping.
This year? Record Store Day is next week… and I still don’t have a single title in hand.
Think about that.
How are independent shops supposed to plan, promote, or even operate like that?
And yeah… I know customers love it. And I’m beyond thankful for that. Truly. A lot of you have been supporting this shop—and this day—since the very beginning of this whole made-up holiday.
But what most people don’t see is the other side of it…
Behind the scenes, the lead-up to this day—and the day itself—is beyond stressful for me. It’s a constant pressure that builds for weeks, and honestly, it’s taken its toll.
I’m not that young anymore… and this kind of stress isn’t what I want out of life.
But here’s the truth from my side of the counter…
To us, every day is Record Store Day.
We live it. Every single day. Not just once a year when it’s trendy or hyped.
And then there’s the flippers…
People lining up just to grab limited titles so they can turn around and sell them the same day for ridiculous prices—while the people who actually want the music miss out. That part of it drives me crazy. That’s not what this was supposed to be about.
Meanwhile, it’s hard not to feel like there’s favoritism going on. Certain stores seem to get taken care of, while others—shops like mine that have supported this thing since day one—get left scrambling.
It starts to feel less like a community event… and more like an exclusive club. One where you’re expected to play nice, keep quiet, and fall in line if you want to stay in it.
That’s not me.
I’m not going to kiss ass to gatekeepers just to be considered “relevant.” I’m not going to pretend this system works when it clearly doesn’t—for a lot of us.
At the end of the day, the whole thing has just gotten way too corporate for me to fully support anymore.
Because of that, we will NOT be carrying the super exclusive “elite” RSD titles this time around. I’m sorry.
I hope everyone understands and respects my decision. I’d honestly prefer not to answer a ton of questions about it—just know this wasn’t easy for me to do, but I truly feel it’s the right decision for me and for my store.
That being said…
We will be open 10–7 on Saturday April 18th.
We still have thousands of new and used records to dig through.
I’ll still have exclusive tote bags donated by our brothers over at Tempest Ink, and I’ll still have posters to give away.
We will still be celebrating… just not giving in to the corporate greed that has taken over what used to be fun.
I love this business. I love this culture. I love what this day was supposed to represent.
But right now?
I’m tired of the game.
Sorry for the inconvenience."
