Music enthusiasts lined up for hours – some overnight – outside Crooked Beat Records (2417 Mt. Vernon Ave.) in Del Ray on Saturday for the annual Record Store Day celebration, hoping to score limited-edition vinyl releases.
By 8:39 a.m., approximately 120 people had formed a line outside the independent record store. The first customers had arrived nearly 12 hours before the doors opened at 9 a.m.
Carol from Arlington arrived around 9 p.m. Friday night to secure her spot at the front of the line. She camped out with her fiancé to ensure they could purchase Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues Collection by Wu-Tang Clan and DJ Mathematics.
“It was very cold,” Carol says about the overnight wait. “But just got to spend some bonding time with my fiancé.”
Despite being first to arrive, Carol was technically seventh in line due to the store’s “golden ticket” system, which allowed some customers to skip ahead. Nevertheless, the wait proved worthwhile as she successfully obtained everything on her wish list.
“Literally everything,” she says excitedly after making her purchases, showing off her copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album. “Every copy is just a little different, so this is really cool.”
Carol and her fiancé were able to score the only copy of Wicked: The Soundtrack, that was released to Crooked Beat Records.
Ben, who traveled from his apartment on Columbia Pike, arrived around midnight, making him the second regular customer in line. As a first-time Record Store Day participant, he endured the long wait primarily to purchase a Taylor Swift album for his girlfriend.
“I’m coming primarily because my girlfriend wanted the Taylor Swift album,” Ben explains. “It’s a matter of love.”
After nearly ten hours of waiting, Ben successfully secured his girlfriend’s record. “I got what I came for,” he says, holding up his purchase. “Originally, my girlfriend was going to do this. She said she was crazy enough to do this, and I guess now I’m crazy enough to do this.”
By the time doors opened, approximately 150 people were in line, all eager to browse the more than 250 special releases available for Record Store Day.
Crooked Beat Records, which moved to Alexandria and opened in Del Ray in July 2023, implemented a system to manage the crowd. Staff distributed paper lists to customers in line, allowing them to mark desired titles. Employees then pulled the Record Store Day selections while customers browsed the rest of the store.
The store limited entry to 25 customers at a time to ensure a comfortable shopping experience in the space, which had advised customers on its website to “expect a long line at opening so get here early.”
Among the special releases available were items from Crooked Beat’s in-house label, including “Ripe for the Trade Off,” a 30th anniversary double LP by Insurgence DC on opaque baby blue colored vinyl. The album includes remixes from Dave Barbe, who produced the original album in 1995.
Crooked Beat also released a non-sanctioned Record Store Day album, “Songs from the Astral Plane: A Tribute to Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Vol. 2.” This follows the success of Volume 1, which charted on the Billboard compilation charts in summer 2021. The tribute album features artists from California, Georgia, and Washington, DC, including Too Much Joy, Tall Ships, The Violets, Geisha Hit Squad, and former drummer of The Connells, Peele Wimberley. The release is limited to 500 numbered copies pressed on red vinyl with artwork by Brian Walsby.
Record Store Day began in 2007 to celebrate the unique culture surrounding independently owned record stores, with the first official event occurring on April 19, 2008. The day has since grown into an international celebration featuring special vinyl and CD releases made exclusively for the event.
The annual event has gained such recognition that cities across the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boise, Charleston, Raleigh, and Las Vegas, have declared Record Store Day an official holiday.
While Record Store Day occurs once a year, the organization works with independent and major labels throughout the year to create contests, special releases, and promotions highlighting the benefits of supporting local, independently owned stores.
Crooked Beat Records, established in 1997, joined more than 1,400 independent record stores across the United States in participating in this year’s Record Store Day, continuing the tradition of celebrating physical music formats and the unique culture of independent record shops.
