12/04/2019: To mark Record Store Day 2019, we’ve pulled together some facts to impress (or annoy) your friends.

There are 250 record stores taking part across the country, according to the Record Store Day UK site. This includes Spillers Records. Established in 1894, it’s recognised as the oldest record store in the world. Other shops celebrating the day include Banquet Records in Kingston-Upon-Thames, Defend Vinyl in Liverpool, Monorail Music in Glasgow and Piccadilly Records in Manchester.

This year there will be 545 new releases available exclusively from those independent record shops that are taking part. Releases include Elton John’s ‘Live from Moscow’, Prince’s ‘The Versace Experience’, Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus’s Nothing Breaks Like a Heart and Madonna’s True Blue (Super Club Mix) & La Isla Bonita (Super Mix). Find the full list here.

The BBC reported in 2018 that 90,000 vinyl records were sold in the UK alone on the Record Store Day. That’s a 16 per cent increase on the year before. David Bowie's ‘Welcome To The Blackout’ was the best-selling vinyl record. The three-disc live album, recorded on the star's Isolar II Tour in 1978 was a Record Store Day exclusive.

The Official UK Charts Company, which puts together the Official UK Top 40 has released data on the biggest selling vinyl records of 2019 so far. Coming in at the top spot is Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’, riding off the back of the success of the film, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, released last year. Two other catalogue albums reach the Top 5; Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. There is also another film related release ‘The Greatest Showman’ Motion Picture Cast Recording. The only new release is Foals’ ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Pt.1’, which came out in March.

New releases fill the Top 5 of the Official UK Charts Company’s list of top selling records of the last 12 months, with Foals appearing again, at the top of the chart this time with ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Pt.1’. The Arctic Monkeys’ long-awaited release ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’ comes in at second place, followed by Idles with their second album, ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ and ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’ from Courtney Barnett. Low’s ‘Double Negative’ rounds off the list with September 2018 list.

Last year the Official UK Charts Company also found revealed that Arctic Monkeys ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’ was the fastest selling vinyl album in a single week for 25 years, selling an impressive 24,500 copies across the UK. This was followed by Liam Gallagher’s ‘As You Were’ and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Divide’.

Support your local record store on Record Store Day, Saturday April 13 2019. Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. #RSD19