U2 Announced for Record Store Day

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2025-02-06)

U2’s contribution to Record Store Day 2025 has been announced.

This year they’ll be releasing a double vinyl record for the 30th anniversary of Passengers, Original Soundtracks 1.

Record Store Day 2025 will be held on April 12, 2025 this year.

More details on the release can be found in our discography entry here.

A number of sites are set up for local information regarding Record Store Day. We’ve listed these below, but this is not an list of the countries where RSD items are available, just a list of local country sites, for those who might want more information.

• RSD Australia
• RSD Belgium
• RSD Canada
• RSD France
• RSD Germany
• RSD Hungary
• RSD Ireland
• RSD Italy
• RSD Japan
• RSD Mexico
• RSD Netherlands
• RSD Poland
• RSD Spain
• RSD UK
• RSD USA

Below you can find some questions and answers about Record Store Day for anyone who is new to the event.

What is Record Store Day?

Record Store Day is an annual event that started in the USA to bring attention to independent Record Stores. It’s a day where special vinyl releases are sent to these shops to draw a crowd, and has become one of the biggest days for selling records worldwide. Record Store Day has expanded outside of the USA, and now takes place in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK and more.

Will U2 release this in other formats?

U2 almost always release their Record Store Day offerings as “RSD First” items. This means they are able to release the items later. However, even though items like “The Europa EP” and “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” were released as “RSD First” items, these have not yet been released in any other formats. Under A Blood Red Sky in November 2023 was made available on digital platforms, but the last release made available online before that was 2018’s “Lights of Home”.

How many copies have been pressed?

If we can confirm a total number we’ll share it via our RSD Page.

Can I pre-order/ Reserve the U2 record?

Items for Record Store Day are not generally available for pre-order, as the whole point of the day is to get customers into stores. From the recordstoreday.co.uk FAQ: Stores are bound by the Record Store Day code of conduct which prohibits them reserving product for customers or allowing customers to pre order product. Record Store Day is about the occasion and visiting the store is part of the enjoyment so our best advice is get up early and check with stores in advance that they have your product. The rules are strictest in the UK, Canada and the USA. In other countries they can be a little more relaxed and there are reports each year that some stores do take pre-orders.

Can I buy the release online?

Stores are also prohibited from selling online in advance of Record Store Day. And indeed, typically cannot list the item online until the day after Record Store Day. So if you are interested in making an online purchase, these will typically become available a day later online if quantities remain after in-store sales are completed.

Why is the single listed on eBay?

Copies will pop up on eBay ahead of Record Store Day for high prices. Due to the limited nature of these releases, some users of eBay will assume they will get a copy of the vinyl on Record Store Day and list the vinyl in advance in order to get high prices. This is one of the downsides of Record Store Day. These people do not actually have the product to sell in most cases, nor will they be shipping it out before Record Store Day. And in some cases, come the actual day, they will not get their ‘allotment’ and will end up cancelling auctions. We suggest not getting worried and buying one of these advanced auctions. If you do have to buy on eBay the prices usually come down right after the event happens. However, as items are limited, this is not always guaranteed.

The Record Store Day site once listed:

“When you see a title listed on an auction site before RSD, it’s almost CERTAINLY someone who has listed something they do not have in hand, and can’t guarantee they will have in hand, because they’re going out to a store to try and get it like everyone else. They call it a “pre-order” but since they’re not getting distributed to, it’s not a pre-order. It’s more like a scam, really. We work very hard to investigate the listings and in the tiny percentage of the time over the past ten years that it has been a store behind it, there have been serious implications for that store.”

Will this item really be worth the crazy amounts I see on eBay?

A few U2 items have climbed in price. The numbered “Wide Awake in Europe” EP and Songs of Innocence releases both bring in a much larger price. The super-limited (750 copies) black and white copy of “The Blackout” likewise brings in high prices.

Will all record shops get this release?

Stores have to order and receive the titles just like any other new release through the year. They are not given to the stores, and the store must order copies of the U2 vinyl or there will be none for sale. What will happen at times, with a limited release, a store may not get all of the copies that they have ordered. Stores got their lists they can order from this week, so now is a good time to reach out to the store you plan to shop at and let them know you would like to have the album ordered. This is a day organized for independent record stores, and if you are hoping to buy the vinyl at a larger international chain, you may want to check first that they are eligible to participate. Some stores have started to get their RSD selections in, so your store may be willing to share whether or not they have received the item at this point in time.

How will I know if my store got copies of the U2 release in?

Some stores will post lists of the items they have received in advance of Record Store Day. As they can be penalized for taking advance orders, they still will not be able to take orders for individual items at that time. Exact quantities being shipped may be limited, and may not be known until items actually are received at stores, which happens the week of the release. Other stores will not post confirmation, and you will have to wait until the doors open on Record Store Day to find out what is inside. Some stores have already started to post photos of the record. Others may not have received their copies yet.

Where Can I find out more information about U2’s RSD releases?

We maintain a discography of RSD and Black Friday titles which looks at the numbers released, the covers, the descriptions and more for each item released since 2010. You can find this here. We also took a closer look at the print runs for U2’s RSD items in an article in 2022 titled “A Celebration of U2’s Record Store Days“.

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