Record Store Day in Austin, Texas
Two dates to know: Record Store Day Black Friday is Friday, November 29, 2026, and the next main Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17, 2027.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual event built around independent record stores. The main event traditionally lands on the third Saturday of April each year; Record Store Day Black Friday is traditionally held the day after US Thanksgiving. Both days bring exclusive, limited-run vinyl and CD releases sold only at participating independent shops — not big-box retailers, and not mail order until the in-store exclusives sell through. Because pressings are limited, popular titles can sell out within the first hour, which is why a line-early culture has grown up around the day even at shops that are otherwise quiet on a weekday morning.
Tips for the day
- Arrive early. At busy shops, lines for popular titles can start well before opening.
- Bring cash. A cash line often moves faster than card on a shop's highest-volume day of the year.
- Check each shop's own site or Instagram in the week before the date — participating shops post their own opening time, line policy, and which exclusive titles they've ordered in.
- Release lists are first-come, first-served and vary store to store. A title in stock at one shop may not show up at another, even across town.
- Expect one-per-customer or per-household limits on the most in-demand titles.
- Not every independent record store participates every year, and allocations vary shop to shop — confirm directly with the shop rather than assuming based on a past year.
Shops to check in Austin, Texas
Independent record shops open in Austin, Texas right now. We don't yet track which specific shops participate in Record Store Day or what they've ordered in for a given year — check each shop's own site or Instagram close to the date for their exclusive-release list, opening time, and line policy.
- Antone's Record Shop
Blues-scene cornerstone opened by Clifford Antone in 1987, focused on blues, Texas artists, used vinyl and CDs, and memorabilia.
2 sources
- Big Henry's Vinyl & Gifts
Retail space and box office inside Antone's Nightclub downtown, selling Antone's merchandise plus a curated blues, funk, and soul vinyl selection.
2 sources
- BLK Vinyl
East Sixth Street shop opened 2018 dealing in used and collectible '60s and '70s records across pop, psych, garage, prog, jazz, and soul.
4 sources
- Breakaway Records
North Loop used-vinyl shop launched June 2008, expanded next door in 2017; also sells turntables, receivers, and speakers.
1 source
- Collectors Crossroads
Cedar Park collectibles store inside Lakeline Mall selling vinyl LPs, 45s, and 78s alongside comics, sports cards, statues, and other pop-culture memorabilia.
2 sources
- Drinks Records
Record shop built into the Drinks Lounge bar on East Cesar Chavez, stocking new and used indie, punk, hip-hop, and rap vinyl that customers browse while getting a drink.
3 sources
- Eastern Front Records
Brick-and-mortar storefront of extreme-metal label Nuclear War Now! Productions, stocking black, death, thrash, heavy, and doom metal vinyl, CDs, tapes, zines, and merch.
1 source
- End of an Ear
South Austin independent record store operating since 2005, known for deep eclectic new-and-used stock plus its own record label.
2 sources
- Equipment Room
A Japanese kissa-inspired listening bar in the basement of Hotel Magdalena, built with Breakaway Records around roughly 1,200 vinyl LPs played on a Klipsch hi-fi system, full albums only, no requests.
2 sources
- Exploded Records at JuiceLand
Record counter tucked inside a JuiceLand smoothie shop near UT Austin, curated by DJ Andrew Brown with a focus on electronic, hip-hop, and beat-music labels.
2 sources
- Groover's Paradise
Lake Travis-area vinyl shop inside the Oasis shopping center, opened by owner Greg Ellis in April 2015; sells records for purchase and trade plus posters.
2 sources
- Living in Stereo
Brothers-run South Austin shop pairing new and used vinyl with vintage stereo equipment, mid-century furniture, guitars, and to-go coffee.
1 source
- Long Play Lounge East
An East Austin neighborhood bar built around a collection of more than 400 vinyl records, with weekend vinyl DJ sets, live performances, and an outdoor patio.
2 sources
- Love Wheel Records
North Austin shop opened April 2021 by former sound engineer Mike Nicolai and wife Nancy, selling new and used vinyl, 45s, cassettes, CDs, and books.
2 sources
- Only the Wild Ones
An outdoor natural-wine garden and listening bar on South Congress with a custom hi-fi sound system and local vinyl selectors curating the music alongside small-production wines and agave cocktails.
2 sources
- Phat Tracks Books & Records
Cedar Park shop pairing used and new vinyl, CDs, and cassettes with a book selection heavy on horror and dark romance titles; opened in December 2025 by owner Thomas West.
2 sources
- Piranha Records
Round Rock record and media shop founded by owner John Aleman, selling vinyl and CDs across genres alongside DVDs, VHS, and video games.
2 sources
- Sundance Records
San Marcos vinyl shop tracing its roots to a 1977 store founded by Bobby Barnard, closed for a period, then reopened under new ownership in 2024 selling new and used records, tapes, CDs, and music memorabilia.
2 sources
- Sunshine Vinyl
A queer- and trans-owned record shop inside Pershing East Coffee & Lounge in East Austin, focused on contemporary music by queer artists and artists of color, plus custom turntables and local art.
2 sources
- The Record Shack
Budget-friendly Round Rock shop carrying 45s, LPs, 78s, CDs, tapes, books, magazines, posters, and memorabilia priced from a dollar up to collector-grade rarities.
2 sources
- Turntable Records
South Austin shop open since 1986 specializing in Tejano and Conjunto music alongside used classic rock, pop, and jazz, with a smaller new wave and punk section, run by owner Thomas Ramirez.
2 sources
- Waterloo Records
Austin's largest and most established record store, in business since 1982; relocated a few blocks north on N Lamar in August 2025.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Austin, Texas.