Record Store Day in Cologne, Germany
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 Cologne, Germany
Independent record shops open in Cologne, Germany 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.
- A-Musik
Cologne's mainstay for experimental and avant-garde music since 1995, also a mailorder and distro.
2 sources
- Basic Tone Records
Near Ebertplatz; secondhand European digs plus new releases, run by a crew tied to the Flying Eggs label.
2 sources
- Drake Records
Buy/sell vinyl shop and small label running since 2008, moved to Ritterstraße in 2022; street-shop only.
2 sources
- Early Bird Records
Hip-hop specialist since 2012 run by DJ Schneider; used turntables, cleaning and listening stations too.
2 sources
- Good Mood Records
Two-floor Lindenthal shop specializing in 1950s-80s vinyl, with one of the city's best 45 selections.
2 sources
- Groove Attack Recordstore
Cult Belgian Quarter basement shop since the early 90s, deeply stocked in hip-hop, soul and funk.
2 sources
- Hauptsache Musik
Owner-curated Agnesviertel shop opened Feb 2020, across from the Agnes Church; closed Wednesdays.
2 sources
- Kompakt
Legendary techno label Kompakt's Cologne record store, home of the 'Sound of Cologne.'
3 sources
- Kontrapunkt Vinyl
Vinyl-only, buy/sell/trade shop in Deutz specializing in hip-hop, jazz, funk and soul rarities.
2 sources
- Music Gala
Mülheim media shop of ~20 years, mainly CDs/DVDs/cassettes with a dedicated (if compact) new-vinyl selection of Turkish artists.
3 sources
- Music Rebel
Lindenthal reggae, dancehall and roots specialist run by Wolfgang Hanka; secondhand vinyl and an indie/pop CD section, with in-store listening before you buy.
3 sources
- Nunk Music
Backyard Neuehrenfeld shop of mostly secondhand vinyl and singles; buys/sells/repairs turntables too.
2 sources
- Parallel Schallplatten
Multi-genre secondhand and new vinyl since 2000, strong on funk, soul and world music.
2 sources
- PL678
Südstadt vinyl shop and café combo (with Café Hubert), records alongside coffee and cake.
2 sources
- Plattschallen
Near the OFF Broadway cinema; buys and sells vinyl collections across a very broad genre range.
1 source
- Popsub
Ehrenfeld shop for video-game and film soundtracks on vinyl, opened by Fleet Union and Black Screen Records.
2 sources
- Record Store by Mr. G
Poll neighborhood shop with rarities in jazz, soul and funk plus a large rock/blues/metal selection.
2 sources
- Sally Records
Lindenthal secondhand vinyl and CDs, plus ultrasonic record-cleaning service by appointment.
2 sources
- Schallhandel
Online and street-shop vinyl retailer near Rudolfplatz, broad genre spread from garage to world music.
2 sources
- Underdog Recordstore
~20,000 records of indie, punk, hardcore, oldschool hip-hop, noise and soundtracks; also hosts shows.
2 sources
- Vinyl K.73
New Ehrenfeld shop (opened May 2025) with ~9,000 records for collectors and new listeners alike.
1 source
- Wonyl's Vinyl
Small, friendly Kalk/Humboldt-Gremberg shop of well-sorted used LPs, open two afternoons a week.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Cologne, Germany.