Record Store Day, appreciating physical media at Lincoln record stores

A collection of music on Nebraska City Campus on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Lincoln. Photo by Izzy Lewis.

Music lovers across the nation will be lining up in the early hours of morning to get their hands on exclusive vinyls, CDs and merch from their local record stores on Saturday, April 12. Five Lincoln record stores will be participating in this annual event, celebrating the joys of owning physical media. 

“We wanted to have a place where, especially with what we carry, college-age kids and high-school aged kids, could have a place to come and find modern stuff that they listen to and have a physical copy of it,” Travis Mannschreck, owner of First Day Vinyl, said. “I had that growing up, and that was important for me to pass it down to the next generation.” 

Record Store Day is an event hosted every April where independently-owned record stores across the world offer special vinyls and CDs released specifically for the day. Every November, there is a similar event for Black Friday. 

“You have to really be prepared,” Elizabeth Taylor, owner of Lefty’s Records, said. “Know what you're going to want, know what stores are probably going to have it and just get in. That's what you have to do. Get in that store and get it.” 

Record Store Day was started in 2008 to celebrate the culture surrounding independent music stores. It’s a day for store owners, customers and artists to come together. 

“Supporting local business owners is important, but the main thing that we can provide is a personalized vibe that you're not going to get at the box stores,” Mannschreck said. “We'll get to know you.” 

The Recording Industry Association of America reported in a press release that revenue from vinyl sales has been growing every year for 18 years straight. 2024’s vinyl sales accounted for nearly three-quarters of physical format revenue at $1.4 billion, making it the highest since 1984. 

“Spotify is not completely evil, because it's helping people to appreciate music,” Taylor said. “There's more subscribers to Spotify than ever, but that's also pulling up vinyl sales.” 

Owning physical media gives the consumer more control of the ability to listen to music, Taylor said. Rather than continuing to pay for a monthly subscription service, buying physical music is a one-time purchase. The value of physical media can even go up over time, Taylor said. 

A lot of planning goes into what titles record stores request for Record Store Day since there are limited numbers of each. Both First Day Vinyl and Lefty’s Records work with customers to order the titles they want months before the big day. Orders for Record Store Day were due in February, Taylor said. However, even if a store requests a certain title, there is no guarantee that they will receive it in their shipment. 

“People request what they want, and we order pretty much off of that list,” Mannschreck said. “Other than that, you identify the 10 or 12 titles that you know your clientele is going to want. This year, it’s oddly a bunch of seven inches. We're very pop and hip-hop oriented.” 

Lincoln stores participating include Lefty’s Records, Lincoln Vintage Vinyl, Freedom Rock Records, Backtrack Records and First Day Vinyl. Every store besides First Day Vinyl will open at 7 a.m. First Day Vinyl will open at 9 a.m. Dedicated vinyl enthusiasts will start forming a line hours prior to stores opening. 

“(At First Day Vinyl) there will still be a line, but it forms later in the morning,” Mannschreck said. “We just try to keep the same chill vibes that we do every day.” 

A full list of titles for Record Store Day 2025 can be found on their website. Note that not all stores will carry every title. Make sure to check the social media or websites of local record stores to see what titles they will have in stock. 

Published in the Daily Nebraskan, read here.