Turntable Lab
120 E. 7th St., nr. Ave. A; 212-677-0675
Beginning at 10 a.m., sixteen D.J.’s will be spinning records at the slick tech-music gear haven. The lineup features the likes of Ayres, Cousin Cole, Eli Escobar, Justin Strauss, Monk One, Nomi Ruiz, All-City Sound, and Dopeshoes. They also promise “very special guests.”
Generation Records
210 Thompson St., nr. Bleecker St.; 212-254-1100
The West Village store will drive some gritty punk mayhem with the Forgetters, Livids (featuring New Bomb Turks’ front man Eric Davidson), and Swearin’. Doug Gillard (of Guided by Voices and Nada Surf fame) will mellow the raucous celebration with some soulful crooning; a few D.J.’s will also be thrown into the mix. The bands will start performing at 2 p.m.
J&R Music and Computer World
23 Park Row, nr. Broadway; 212-238-9000
For RSD, J&R music is bringing some high-profile heavy-metal love, but there won’t be any head-banging. Anthrax will be signing autographs promoting their latest release, Anthems, at the store. The signing begins at 12:30 p.m.
In Living Stereo
2 Great Jones St., nr. Lafayette St.; 212-979-1273
Dedicated to satiating the fickle needs—from stellar stereo equipment to a surprisingly good vinyl collection—of audiophiles, In Living Stereo will be giving away used records at a discount of 10 percent on RSD. While D.J.’s will start the party at noon (along with free PBR—rock and roll!), Prince Ruperts Drops and Alex Bleecker and the Freaks will step it up with live performances beginning at 2:30 pm.
Other Music
15 E. 4th St., nr. Lafayette St.; 212-477-8150
This indie-rock store holds some precious, obscure music finds, so take the opportunity to stock up on cultural currency. Beginning at noon, they’ll also be entertaining you with D.J. sets from folks like Parquet Courts, Jonathon Tobin, and more.
Halcyon Record Store
57 Pearl St., nr. Plymouth St., Dumbo; 718-260-9299
There will be a whole lot of celebratory vibes at Halcyon with in-store D.J.’s and a staff of friendly people dedicated to making it “the best RSD ever.” If you’re one of those vinyl tweakers and are in line before 10 a.m., you will be eligible for free coffee (courtesy of Archway Café).
Permanent Records
181 Franklin St., nr. Huron St., Greenpoint; 718-383-4083
Fully stocked with RSD exclusives, other new releases, and great used records, the store will be doing special giveaways to the first customers of the day, including free tote bags, posters, CDs, LPs, and various other swag.
Sound Fix
44 Berry Street, at N. 11th St., Williamsburg; 718-388-8090
First the bad news! Sound Fix is closing shop and RSD is its last day. But everything must go! So the Williamsburg store will be slashing the prices on the stock that’s left, and you might get some really great deals on records. There will be a bunch of unique vinyls like Stephen Malkmus covering Can! and some of those early James Bond soundtracks. The plan is to stay open till every last item is gone, so help them help you.