Vinyl releases from Post Malone, Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, and numerous other artists emerged as the hottest sellers during Record Store Day (RSD) 2025 in the United States, as reported by Luminate. This annual event celebrates the vibrant community of independent record stores, offering music enthusiasts a chance to discover exclusive releases and support local businesses.
On April 12, 2025, the much-anticipated Record Store Day took place, showcasing a diverse selection of unique and limited-edition albums and singles, primarily in vinyl format. Independent record stores across the United States participated in this grand celebration, unveiling over 300 exclusive titles for music lovers. This event not only highlights the resurgence of vinyl records but also emphasizes the importance of supporting local musicians and their art.
Post Malone dominated the RSD 2025 charts with both the top-selling album and single. His remarkable work, Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana, released on vibrant yellow vinyl, claimed the top spot among albums. This album, recorded during a live-stream event in 2020, aimed to raise funds for The World Health Organization to assist in COVID-19 relief efforts. The live performance featured notable musicians such as Travis Barker on drums, Nick Mack on guitar, and Brian Lee on bass. The proceeds from the RSD 2025 vinyl sale are also intended for a charitable cause, with the RSD organization pledging that 100% of the net earnings will be donated to MusiCares for their Addiction Recovery and Mental Health initiatives.
Moreover, Tribute to Nirvana made an impressive entry at No. 2 on the April 26-dated Top Album Sales chart. Notably, half of the top ten positions on this chart were occupied by titles from RSD 2025. Although Bon Iver’s new studio album SABLE, fABLE—not part of the RSD 2025 collection—debuted at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales, it marked a significant achievement for the artist, earning him his second chart-topping album.
The albums that followed in the sales rankings for RSD 2025-exclusive releases were equally noteworthy. The second through fifth best-selling albums included: Gracie Abrams’ Live From Radio City Music Hall (a stunning double-vinyl set), Rage Against the Machine’s Live On Tour 1993 (also a double-vinyl set), Laufey’s A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl (another double-vinyl set), and Charli xcx’s mixtape from 2017, Number 1 Angel, pressed on eye-catching apple-colored vinyl. These exclusive releases illustrate the growing trend of music enthusiasts seeking out unique physical formats to enhance their collections.
In the realm of singles, Taylor Swift’s track “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, emerged as the top-selling single for RSD 2025, released on 7-inch vinyl. Following closely were the second to fifth best-selling singles: Charli xcx’s “Guess,” featuring Billie Eilish (also on 7-inch vinyl), The Killers and Bruce Springsteen’s collaborative effort, “Encore at the Garden” (a 12-inch vinyl featuring three songs), The Cure’s “Alone” (Four Tet Remix) on 12-inch vinyl, and Eddie Vedder’s “Save It for Later” / “Room at the Top” (presented on ocean floor-colored 12-inch vinyl). This diversity in singles showcases the eclectic tastes of RSD shoppers.
Aside from his musical achievements, Post Malone was honored to serve as the RSD 2025 Ambassador. Expressing his excitement, he stated, “What an honor, I can’t believe I was chosen to be Record Store Day’s Ambassador for 2025. Record Store Day is so important, and I really hope to do my part to keep it alive.” Malone succeeds a distinguished list of previous RSD Ambassadors, including Paramore (2024), Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires (2023), Taylor Swift (2022), Fred Armisen (2021), Brandi Carlile (2020), and Pearl Jam (2019).
Discover the Top-Selling Record Store Day 2024 Exclusive Albums at Independent Record Stores in the U.S.
Rank, Artist, Title
1. Post Malone, Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana (yellow-colored vinyl)
2. Gracie Abrams, Live From Radio City Music Hall (double vinyl)
3. Rage Against the Machine, Live On Tour 1993 (double vinyl)
4. Laufey, A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl (double vinyl)
5. Charli xcx, Number 1 Angel (apple-colored vinyl)
6. Wallows, More (evergreen and white-colored vinyl)
7. Talking Heads, Live On Tour (double vinyl)
8. Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac (picture disc vinyl)
9. Gorillaz, Demon Days Live From the Apollo Theater (red-colored double vinyl)
10. The Doors, Strange Days 1967: A Work In Progress (translucent blue-colored vinyl)
11. The Replacements, Tim (transparent purple-colored double vinyl)
12. Grateful Dead, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76 (180-gram five vinyl set)
13. The Cure, The Head On the Door (picture-disc vinyl)
14. The Ramones, Loco Live (blue and red-colored double vinyl)
15. Soundtrack, The Virgin Suicides (25th Anniversary Edition) (blue-colored vinyl)
16. Queen, De Lane Lea Demos (vinyl)
17. Wu-Tang and Mathematics, Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues Collection (180-gram double vinyl)
18. The Rolling Stones, Out of Our Heads (U.S.) (180-gram clear-colored vinyl)
19. Elton John, Live at the Rainbow Theatre With Ray Cooper (180-gram vinyl)
20. David Bowie, Ready, Set, Go! (Live, Riverside Studios ’03) (180-gram double vinyl)
21. Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak (Alternate Version) (vinyl)
22. Judas Priest, Live in Atlanta ‘82 (red-colored double vinyl)
23. Young Thug, Barter 6 (silver-colored double vinyl)
24. Vince Guaraldi, Selections From ‘It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ (10-inch easter egg-shaped, colored vinyl)
25. Beabadoobee, Live and Acoustic In London (red slushie-colored vinyl)
Source: Luminate, for the week ending April 17, 2025
Explore the Top-Selling Record Store Day 2025 Exclusive Singles at Independent Record Stores in the U.S.
Rank, Artist, Title
1. Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, Fortnight (7-inch vinyl)
2. Charli xcx featuring Billie Eilish, Guess (7-inch vinyl)
3. The Killers & Bruce Springsteen, Encore at the Garden (Badlands / Dustland / Born to Run) (12-inch vinyl)
4. The Cure, Alone (Four Tet Remix) (12-inch vinyl)
5. Eddie Vedder, Save It for Later / Room at the Top (ocean floor-colored 12-inch vinyl)
6. David Gilmour With Romany Gilmour, Between Two Points (Vita Brevis/Between Two Points [Live From the Royal Albert Hall] / Between Two Points [GENTRY Remix] / Between Two Points [GENTRY Remix Edit] / Between Two Points [Album Version]) (clear-colored 12-inch vinyl)
7. Waxahatchee, Much Ado About Nothing / Mud / Next to Me (7-inch vinyl)
8. Tom Waits, Get Behind the Mule (Spiritual) / Get Behind the Mule (7-inch vinyl)
9. Geddy Lee, The Lost Demos (Gone / I Am… You Are) (12-inch vinyl)
10. George Harrison, Be Here Now / Beck, Be Here Now (12-inch vinyl)
Source: Luminate, for the week ending April 17, 2025
