16th February: Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independent record stores, gears up for its 14th celebration on Saturday 12th June.

To support the biggest vinyl event in the music calendar, we are delighted to announce the line-up of music loving brands and partners helping to power the 2021 Summer celebrations.

Not only are we delighted to see the return of three much-loved Record Store Day partners at the very heart of independence and vinyl in the UK, but we are thrilled to introduce our brand-new drinks partner, Meantime Brewing Company, to the festivities.

Record Store Day is the one day of the year when more than 230 independent record shops from all over the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture and the art of vinyl. Parties, performances and get togethers happen in record stores all across the country to celebrate the day.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 celebration will take place at the later date of 12th June when hundreds of limited edition vinyl releases will be made available exclusively from the participating shops.

Introducing Record Store Day’s 2021 partners:

Bowers & Wilkins

Record Store Day are delighted to welcome the return of renowned British premium audio brand Bowers & Wilkins. Founded in 1966, Bowers & Wilkins have been at the forefront of high-performance audio for more than 50 years. Throughout that time, music has been at the heart of everything it does.

Globally acclaimed for its industry-leading high precision home speakers, headphones, custom installation and performance car audio products, Bowers & Wilkins have set new standards for innovation and sound quality making them the unrivalled choice of audio partner to kick back and listen to those new Record Store Day releases on.

Giles Pocock, Vice-President of Brand Marketing, Bowers & Wilkins, “We are proud to continue our support of Record Store Day and reaffirm our long-term commitment to championing the album format and the vital role independent record stores play in bringing music to fans. Music has always been at the heart of everything we do, and it’s that passion that drives us to create the finest audio products available.”

Meantime

For the first time, Record Store Day are delighted to welcome the award-winning craft brewery Meantime to the party as Official Beer Partner. Meantime Brewing Company’s story began in 1999 in a Greenwich flat. That’s where a young brewer named Alastair Hook started brewing the beers that would spark a craft beer movement and make settling for brown and lifeless or fizzy and flavourless beers a thing of the past.

Commenting on the new partnership, Meantime Head Brewer, Thorsten Fischer says, “Great music complemented with a great tasting beer makes for the perfect experience, and we often brew our beers to music as well. Whatever the sound – from rock to hip-hop - we like to think it helps inspire great creativity and flavour! The team here in Greenwich look forward to working with the Record Store Day team to brew up some great ideas ahead of 12 June 2021, and help promote indie record shops across the UK, in original Meantime style.”

Rega

Record Store Day are proud to once again announce the return of their long-standing partner Rega Research who, since 1973, have been renowned for their award-winning tonearms and turntables. Rega remains a dedicated British manufacturer designing and assembling every product by hand in its ever-expanding facility in Southend on Sea – making them the perfect partner to work in tandem with the UK’s independent record stores.

Simon Webster, Sales & Marketing Director said of the partnership: “We are delighted to once again be sponsoring Record Store Day UK. For Rega, it has always been a match made in heaven and a pleasure to be a part of. Whatever this year brings, rest assured we will be doing all we can to help make RSD 2021 the most memorable yet!”

Sound Performance

For the fourth year we are excited to partner with London-based vinyl manufacturing company Sound Performance. Sound Performance have a long history of supporting the independent label community with regards to vinyl, CD, DVD and packaging creating a wealth of special and limited-edition RSD releases over the years.

Chris Marksberry, Managing Director of Sound Performance said: “Supporting our record shops has never been more important, and the amazing work of Record Store Day remains a highlight of the music retail calendar. The part RSD played in the re-birth of vinyl sales has also proved vital in maintaining a vibrant physical sector, Sound Performance are proud to be RSD’s official vinyl manufacturing sponsors once again.”

Stay tuned to the Record Store Day social channels for more details on limited edition releases and ambassadors which we are looking forward to announcing in the coming months!

In the meantime, keep supporting your local record store throughout lockdown by using the store locator here: https://recordstoreday.co.uk/stores