Record Store Day in Madison, Wisconsin
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 Madison, Wisconsin
Independent record shops open in Madison, Wisconsin 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.
- B-Side Records
State Street institution since 1982; the last full-line record store on State Street, selling new and used vinyl after moving to a larger storefront in 2022.
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- Groovy Vinyl
Madison's newest record shop, opened in 2024 by Steve Paulet and Will Anacker out of the former Groovy Wood Studios space, with 4,000+ used LPs and restored mid-century stereo consoles.
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- JiggyJamz Vinyl & CDs
DJ-culture record shop specializing in house, techno, hip-hop and other electronic vinyl, run by longtime Madison DJ Geoff "Jiggy" Kaster, with a focus on local artists.
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- Lola's Hi/Lo Lounge
Vinyl-focused hi-fi cocktail lounge on Madison's north side, inspired by Japanese jazz kissa culture; floor-to-ceiling record displays, tube amp, curated full-album listening.
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- MadCity Music Exchange
Madison's oldest continuously open record store, on Atwood Avenue since 2017; new and used vinyl, CDs, 45s and tapes, and a longtime hub for local musicians.
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- Strictly Discs
Wisconsin's largest record shop, independently owned since 1988, with roughly 500,000 used LPs, 45s, CDs, tapes and hi-fi gear near the UW-Madison campus.
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- The Door
Tucked down an alley off Monona Drive, a metal- and punk-focused vinyl, CD and tape shop opened by longtime record-store veteran John Sands in June 2020.
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See the full record store listing for Madison, Wisconsin.