Revealed: The South Wales stores taking part in Record Store Day

Music fans in South Wales and beyond will soon be forced out of bed early – but for a good cause.

Record Store Day returns for its seventeenth year on Saturday, April 20, helping to celebrate and bring together more than 270 independent record shops all over the UK (and thousands worldwide) with the annual event supported by BBC Radio 6 Music.

Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for this special day, with people encouraged to get in store early for their chance at getting their hands on them. Some areas host events and many will have special discounts on the day.

The list has been revealed with plenty of incredible records – you can browse ahead of the big da online at recordstoreday.co.uk/rsd-list

Here in South Wales there are venues in Newport, Cardiff, and Ebbw Vale getting involved with RSD2024…

Diverse Vinyl, Newport (Charles Street)

Diverse Vinyl is well established in Newport – the business opened in 1988 and has been in its current location since 1999. Diverse Vinyl offers brand new and used records, along with a small stock of CDs, guitar strings, and some hardware.

Diverse Vinyl is taking part in Record Store Day and – with high demand likely – is creating a spreadsheet. People interested in particular records can e-mail Diverse Vinyl via orders@diversevinyl.com but note records are not available to pre-order and are sold on a first come first served basis in store on the day. People can check in advance if the music they’re  longing to give a listen will be available at this store.

• Website: www.diversevinyl.com

Spillers Records, Cardiff (Morgan Arcade)

Spillers Records was established in the Welsh capital in 1894 making it the oldest record store in the world. It sells records and CDs for all ages and plays host to music events and gigs throughout the year.

Spillers Records regularly has forthcoming and new releases available in store and encourages music fans to enjoy the human interaction of visiting rather than shopping online – not just on Record Store Day but throughout the year. As Spillers Record has a vast array of stock available, and will be taking part in RSD2024, people looking for something specific can e-mail the store via info@spillersrecords.com

• Website: www.spillersrecords.uk

The Vault Collective, Ebbw Vale (Bethcar Street)

The Vault Collective in Ebbw Vale is not just an indie record store, but also a tattoo studio and piercing parlour, bringing together music fans and those wanting to get inked or studded (or a bit of both). The Vault Collective sells records, CDs, cassettes, licensed band and film merchandise, along with locally sourced creations.

The Vault Collective is taking part in RSD2024 and will have an array of records available on April 20 (along with their extensive collections on general sale). People can check online for what’s on offer at The Vault Collective or to contact the business using an online form.

• Website: www.thevaultcollectiveltd.co.uk

This feature originally appeared in our April 2024 edition of Voice magazine.