Record Store Day will keep things spinning April 12

St. Boniface

Winnipeg

The search is just about on — Record Store Day is returning on April 12.

The biannual event takes place worldwide — on a chosen Saturday in April and every Black Friday in November — and aims to bring together “fans, artists, and independent record stores around the world.”

To celebrate, artists and labels release exclusive, limited ‘Record Store Day’ pressings of different albums each year, which are then distributed to record stores around the world. Albums and the number of albums distributed vary depending on the country, but most are delivered worldwide.

An official list containing all of this year’s exclusive titles can be found online. Examples of some Canadian treasures — each marked with a little maple leaf for better access — this year include The Lost Demos by Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee and an anniversary edition of Albatross by Big Wreck, which will be released on LP and CD.

One of the major reasons for the Record Store Days is celebrating local music shops, cornerstones of the popular music industries since music recordings could be sold.

In Winnipeg, the participating stores are Argy’s Records & Entertainment Shop (1604-9 St. Mary’s Rd.), Frenchie’s Records and Coffee (260 Tache Ave.), Into the Music (245 McDermot Ave.), Planet of Sound (1109 Henderson Hwy.), McNally Robinson Booksellers (1120 Grant Ave.), and the Winnipeg Record and Tape Co. (109-1079 Wellington Ave.).

Frenchie’s will take part in the April edition of Record Store Day for the first time this year. The relatively new business, based in St. Boniface, opened on Oct. 21, 2024, and has settled nicely into the space.

Ryan French, who owns the store, described the lead-up to the event as “nerve-wracking,” as participating stores don’t exactly know what they’ll be getting far in advance.

“You just want to have a good showing for everybody,” he said.

Even still, French predicts a “jam-packed marathon.”

“Now, as a business owner, I love that these things exist,” French said, adding that it’s a good opportunity to encourage folks to get out and support local businesses.

“It’s a fantastic way for new people to (discover the space),” added Sam French, Ryan’s son who also works at the store.

“Six months in, I’m still loving when people come up to the till and start rambling about the music they’re into … people sharing what they love and us giving them a space to do that,” Sam said.

Frenchie’s has already gained some near-weekly regulars.

“Sometimes record stores can be very white-male-focused, and we wanted to make something where everyone fit in,” French said, adding that his wife has said she didn’t enjoy record shopping because she didn’t feel welcome.

“We wanted a place where there’s no music hierarchy, where people just felt safe,” he said. “Knock on wood, I haven’t had an experience here that’s been negative, yet.”

The Frenches don’t consider other local music shops as competition. Far from it, in fact. The different music stores are in contact all the time. The more options there are in the city, the better, and they consider it a positive community.

“We need to get people to stop buying on Amazon,” French said, adding that events such as Record Store Day give people a better incentive to do so. “It’s cheaper, you’re supporting a local business … Just ask us (about an album), 99 per cent of the time, we can get it.”

(French was referring to regular pressings. Record Store Day exclusives are a different ball game, but people are still welcome to call ahead and ask.)

Frenchie’s Records will be open at 8 a.m. on Record Store Day, and will also be holding a sale in conjunction with the new pressings.

For more information on the business and what to expect, visit www.frenchiesrecords.ca or @frenchiesrecords on Instagram and TikTok.

For a full list of what Record Store Day Canada 2025 has to offer, visit recordstoredaycanada.ca