With Record Store Day just a day away, you might be thinking about a new turntable to spin all your excellent new wax. But if you’re an on-the-go type, you might also be wondering if there’s a portable record player that you can tote around so you can show them off anywhere. Well, road-trippers, you’re in luck because Toshiba just announced the Aurex AX-RP10, a compact Bluetooth turntable that will help you do just that.
OK, so you’re not slipping it into your jeans pocket like an old Walkman — it measures 11 x 6 x 3 inches and 2.6 pounds — but Toshiba’s thrown in a shoulder bag so you can bring that sweet sound of analog to the park, picnic, or your next rooftop party.
Toshiba
Very similar to Audio-Technica’s famous Sound Burger, the Aurex AX-RP10 is a belt-driven turntable with a MM (Moving Magnet) style cartridge that spins both 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records, and features a 2,000mAh battery that’ll keep things spinning for up to 10 hours. There are no built-in speakers, though, so you’ll need to plug in your headphones or connect to your sound system via the 3.5mm input. Or, as advertised, you can pair it with a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth headphones. Audiophiles, need not apply as the SBC codec support sadly means no hi-res playback — this will mainly just be for fun and portability, which is OK too.
You’ll obviously have to throw a handful of records into a tote or throw a milk crate or twin into your trunk if you want he party to go longer, but whatever it is you’re playing will get top billing with what I think it the funnest feature of the AX-RP10 — its “jacket holder” that props your record’s sleeve for all to see.
Toshiba
Toshiba’s playing coy with the pricing (the Sound Burger runs for $200), but the AX-RP10 is expected to be available sometime this month. Now make sure to head out for Record Store Day and support your local indie record stores.
April 12 is Record Store Day and during a conversation about Digital Trends’ editorial plans for it, I mentioned that I haven’t been to a record store. At least, not for multiple decades. I don’t collect vinyl records, so why would I bother? My admission became a challenge, and initially I went along to a local store purely to take some fun photos with the Apple iPhone 16E. But I left with a lot more than just some pictures.
Visiting Spin Sounds
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
After checking the Record Store Day website I went to Spin Sounds, which was the only somewhat local record store to me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, or what I really wanted, and my only plan was to get some pictures and see what happened. You see, I don’t own a record player, so there was very little point in choosing and purchasing a vinyl record. However, I do own a CD player and I buy CDs, so that would be my only possible “in.”
There was a very particular ambience in Spin Sounds. The store was light, bright, clean, airy, and well organized. Racks, tubs, and stacks of records dominated the space, as you’d expect. Various patrons were gathered around the counter, all flicking through boxes containing 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl records, and while it appeared their actions were random, I have the feeling they knew exactly what they were looking for, and would instantly know it when they saw it. There was focus and intent, but in a casual, experienced way.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Beyond these traditional actions of commerce was something else. There was conversation. There was buzzing discussion about the items being purchased and possible trades, but what made me smile were the questions about incoming collections and their arrival. I could practically hear the pounding heartbeats as they worked out when they could next visit to see what was new. When I was leaving, a man came in with the expectation of finding records he’d clearly checked with the owner about beforehand. I was witnessing “the chase,” a phenomenon I knew only too well from my own adventures in collecting over the years, and I loved it.
Finding a CD
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
All this time I had been browsing the CDs, but held out little hope in finding something to add to my own collection. I buy CDs from Japan and Korea, by artists from those countries, simply because I can’t find them in the few regular stores that sell physical media here. The chances of finding even one option in Spin Sounds seemed unlikely.
My interest came up when I chatted to the owner, Lee Mayne, who told me in reality, he sent more products to Japan and Korea than he ever saw products coming in. It turns out there’s considerable demand for records released in the U.K. there, and for Mayne it can be the difference between never selling them here, or putting up with the shipping costs and selling them to keen local dealers on the other side of the world.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Mayne told me this coming Record Store Day would be the first for the store, and he was looking forward to seeing the reaction. He remained quiet about the potential, but admitted he’d ordered 7,000 British pounds (about $8,950) worth of exclusive Record Store Day products, and was actually concerned he’d ordered too little. As we talked about Record Store Day, he said it was probably a good thing I came to talk to him about it before the actual day, as it was highly likely record collectors would be queuing up outside. I had been warned about this beforehand, and knew there be no time for a tourist like me on April 12.
Nostalgia comes in many forms
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
While I was scanning through the hundreds of CDs, wondering if I’d find something, one caught my eye. It was the soundtrack to the John Cusack movie High Fidelity. As I pulled it out of the tightly packed CD rack, it seemed very appropriate, as the protagonist in the movie owns a record store. I remember seeing it in the theater, subsequently reading the Nick Hornby book, and I definitely owned the DVD but hadn’t seen it for a very long time. I remembered enjoying it, and feeling something about it. I picked up the CD, purchased it, and left Spin Sounds with a mission.
A few days later I watched High Fidelity again. Released in 2000, it not only has vinyl records, but pay phones, paper telephone directories, and characters smoking inside the record store. Jack Black is Jack Black, and wonderful at it, and John Cusack’s Rob is neurotic, uncertain, and endearingly directionless, and still a character I relate to, in the same way I do with aspects of the character he played in Grosse Point Blank.
When I first saw High Fidelity, I remember coming out of the theater and talking with my friends about Rob’s journey. Watching it again, this time as a considerably older person, I didn’t have the same reaction to it as my younger, definitely more neurotic self, yet I still really enjoyed High Fidelity 25 years on from its release. It made me laugh and I related to parts of it again, just different bits to before. It made me nostalgic. Not for the music, the vinyl, or the pay phones, but for the days when I went to see the film on the big screen.
Records are only part of the appeal
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Spin Sounds, vinyl records, and record stores are all about nostalgia. Whether it’s people reliving a previous time, or someone beguiled by a bygone time they never personally experienced, everyone involved is searchng for that feeling. It occurred to me I still rode that wave of nostalgia, just not in the way most would expect on Record Store Day.
If I hadn’t visited Spin Sounds or seen the soundtrack on the shelf, it wouldn’t have happened. My CD is unlikely to earn me much kudos in the collector community, but I got something more from my visit because of it. It made it an experience. What I’m saying in all this is, don’t dismiss Record Store Day as being only for the geeks, the gatekeepers who frequent (and own) High Fidelity’s Championship Vinyl store, or even for those who only want to buy vinyl. If you crave a nostalgia high, stop by your local record store and take a look around regardless, as you may still find it even if you don’t want a record.
I love record stores. In the decade or so that I’ve been collecting vinyl, I’ve spent countless hours digging through dusty crates from Toronto to London to New York to Tokyo, often walking out with a stack of wax under my arm. I love the musty smell, the miles of crates, the music, the paraphernalia, my fingers getting grimy from flipping, and the endorphin rush of finding something cool or rare or new to take home and spin.
Record Store Day has always been the exemplification of that dig culture, only with a bounty of rare and unique finds available for the taking. Or at least that’s the aim. But it’s not always as simple as that, which is why I haven’t been to an RSD in five years … until now.
The glory of RSD
First, though, I wan’t to say that I love what Record Store Day is all about and I support it. I love that it’s a positive community event that draws like-minded music lovers and vinyl nerds from far and wide. I love that it puts money in the pockets of independent record store owners struggling to compete with streaming services and online retail giants — every self-respecting vinyl lover should consider their local store first before launching that sideways-smiling app.
RSD not only offers a sweet reward for fans looking for something special from their favorite artists, but even if you don’t walk out with that limited RSD pressing you stood in line for, maybe you’ll just have a fun time and leave with other titles and goodies under your arm. If you’re new to vinyl, go — it’s a blast.
Sonic Boom Records in TorontoDerek Malcolm / Digital Trends
The heartbreak
But, and how to put this gently — try not to get your hopes too high. Maybe I’m just getting older and less enthusiastic about crowds, but I’ve stood in a few too many rainy RSD lineups at six in the morning and walked away empty-handed to get as excited as I once did.
Let me set the scene: The last RSD I got up early for, I was second in line for my favorite record store’s only copy of Pearl Jam’s RSD exclusive of its MTV Unplugged. OK, so not the rarest of RSD releases, but it was the only record on that year’s list I really wanted. After waiting in the cold (it was a Black Friday RSD, and I live in Toronto) for two hours, which record do you think the one guy in front of me beelined it for? I’ll give you a hint — it wasn’t Taylor Swift, and there isn’t a revenge song in her catalog that could have eased my pain.
The one that (almost) got awayDerek Malcolm / Digital Trends
I know, I know, with limited copies to go around to each store, the odds are stacked against zealots like me. But that wasn’t the first time that had happened, and even though I walked out of there with some consolation records in tow (I did find a nice used UK pressing of New Order’s Substance), I decided that would be my last Record Store Day.
Never say never
It would take a lot to get me up at the crack of dawn to stand in a RSD queue again (maybe for a sweet Radiohead box set or something — never say never). Plus, there are ways to do Record Store Day right to increase our chances of success. Now, though, my motivations for participating in RSD have more to do with my 13-year-old daughter who, for better or for worse, has picked up her old man’s love for vinyl (having a dad that reviews turntables and speakers for a living has helped, too).
Having seen the RSD release list and all the social media promotion, this year she started asking what the whole thing’s about and told me that she wanted to go. Instead of rehashing the angst over my lost Pearl Jam record (I actually ended up finding it in the leftover RSD bin of a mall Sunrise Records, so…), I found myself actually excited to check it out. My daughter’s enthusiasm reminds me of my own, and bonding over records with her has become one of the joys of my life. For her I’d brave a cold, rainy RSD lineup any day.
For many collectors of those spinning plastic discs of joy known as vinyl records, Record Store Day is better than Christmas. Every April (and Black Friday), music lovers emerge from their winter hibernation to line up at record stores around the world in hopes of getting their hands on exclusive and limited-release records pressed especially for the big day. It’s also a day to get out and bump elbows at the record bins with like-minded vinyl nerds and support independent, local brick-and mortar-stores. It can be a blast and it can be a bust, but it’s a vinyl community event that must be experienced.
But what is RSD, as it’s colloquially know, where’d it come from, when is it, and what can you expect from it? I’m gonna break it down for you.
When is Record Store Day?
The very first RSD took place on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Amid the uprising of digital music and streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music no one other than serious vinyl collectors was thinking about records, and the format was on life support. The 1,400 indie record stores in the U.S. were dying and needed a little love, so they banded together and Record Store Day was born.
Now, twice a year, music lovers and vinyl collectors get a day just for them. With the spring weather, the flagship RSD event happens every April, with the 2025 edition coming on Saturday, April 12. Record Store Day brings exclusive, limited-edition vinyl releases to indie record shops in more than 14 countries around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the U.K.
In 2010, the first RSD Black Friday event happened — because who says only big-box stores get to have all the fun? Instead of battling crowds for budget TVs, why not score a rare record or two instead? The list of releases might be smaller than April’s RSD, but the thrill and comraderie is the same.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
What’s available on RSD?
A month or two before every Record Store Day event, a list of up to several hundreds of release titles is distributed through the official Record Store Day websites of each country. When the lists are released, they’re not hard to find — they’re shared all over social media and you’ll often find them posted to the websites of your local record stores as well.
The U.S. RSD list includes all the titles that will be distributed to American record stores. Titles include everything from rare releases and exclusives, colored pressings, and box sets to 7-inch singles, live concerts, various artist complications, soundtracks, and even CDs (gasp!).
It’s a great opportunity to add something unique to your record collection, and as someone who’s stood in the rain in line for hours to get my hands on many cool pressings, when you’re successful, it’s like winning the lottery.
How do I get the most out of RSD?
Once the RSD list goes out, there’s some work to be done to help ensure you find and secure the records you’re looking for. The list can be big, so take some time and go through it, jotting down the records you want. Make note of the quantity of copies pressed — limited run pressings can number in the low hundreds to several thousands. This will help you gauge the likelihood of you getting a copy, but it goes without saying that so will the artist and title — you’re not going to be the only one standing in line for Taylor Swift’s 7-inch white vinyl Fortnite remix that’s on this year’s list.
Once you have your want list, as the weeks leading up to RSD approach, your local record stores will likely start reaching out on social media asking their customers to let them know what RSD records they want them to order. Don’t be shy, let them know, either through their socials (if they’re friendly like that, and most of them are), drop by in person or give them a call. If you’re not sure what record stores near you are participating, each RSD website for your country will have a handy locator or list of stores.
While you cannot pre-order RSD records, your local stores will try their best to get in the ones their customers want. But there are no guarantees: it’s been my experience that the stores get what they get.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
As the day approaches, many record stores will post the RSD titles and quantities they’ve gotten in on their socials or on their websites, and many will do this up to the day itself. Armed with this info, you can now decide what store or stores will give you the best chance of securing that Limited Run Top Secret! soundtrack featuring Val Kilmer (rest in peace). Now all you have to do is get up bright and early and get in line before everyone else and hope it doesn’t rain.
Cover your bases
Lastly, and this might be hard to hear: after all that prep, there’s still a good chance you might not even get the record you want.
So, here’s what you do. Have the phone numbers of the other potential record stores handy in a note on your phone, piece of paper or something, and call them to see if they have the records you’re looking for. Some will post live stock on their sites or socials, but that’s such a moving target it’s best to just call. They may or may not hold it for you once the rush dies down, but at lest you’ll know where to go next.
Another good idea is to divide and conquer. You surely have other vinyl enthusiast friends, so work together, spread out to the other stores if you can to get the titles you each want.
RSD aftermath and hope
I’ll leave you with a ray of hope. When Record Store Day is over and done, record stores will likely allocate all their leftover titles to a RSD bin or crate in the store. I’ve gotten lucky several times in the weeks and even months after the day and stumbled upon records I missed out on in, for example, a Sunrise Records in a shopping mall or something — keep your eyes peeled!
All this is to say that all is not lost, even if you don’t get the record you wanted — you got a pretty great shared community experience out of the day, regardless. And while you wait six months for the next RSD, keep your crate fingers sharp and you never know what you’ll find.
