As Record Shop Day 2026 draws near, Mark Burgess, owner of Flashback Records, reflects on the history of vinyl records and its ever-standing prominence within the music landscape.
“There’s a ritual involved with playing records. It’s an active, conscious choice,”
Mark Burgess, owner of Flashback Records
Digital downloads dominated the early 2000s, with global digital music sales doubling to around £1.5 billion in 2006. But by 2007, vinyl records made a miraculous comeback and have increased in sales ever since.
A record-breaking boom was seen during the pandemic. In the midst of business closures, vinyl sales soared. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) recorded by 2022, vinyl records were the most popular format of physical recorded music since 1987, overtaking the sales of its previous rival, the CD.
“I think people like to have a collection, and to see what they have. Similar to having a whole lot of books on a Kindle compared to having physical copies on your shelf,” Mark Burgess tells Islington Now.
Perhaps, that is why in 2026, record shops continue to take over London.
Mark Burgess opened the first Flashback Records store on Essex Road in 1997 after working in various record shops across the city. With almost 30 years in the making, the independent chain has become renowned across North London for its vast collection of records and CDs, as well as the many events it hosts in support of the local music community. This Record Shop Day sees a performance from the bands Godzooki, Middleman, and Test Plan.
“I set up Flashback with the intention of making it a very accessible place for everybody. I feel that record shops could be very intimidating places, and I wanted it to be the anti-thesis of the high-fidelity thing of people being chucked out of shops if they didn’t like the music.”
Record Shop Day is one of the store’s most exciting days of the year. The event was established in California in 2008 as an effort towards championing independent record shops, with special vinyl releases and performances.
The day isn’t just about fans and after-party gigs – logistics play a massive part in the success of the event. Using online surveys, customers can signal what records they would be interested in purchasing. With over 500 options ranging from ‘Then’ by The Charlatans to Ethel Cain’s ‘Inbred,’ the vast array of record options reflects the trans-generational demographic of Flashback Records. “We always have a diversity of people coming in and whatever it is you like, it’s absolutely fine – we’ll help you find it.”
Burgess stresses that while many people come in for Record Shop Day with a specific record in mind, the element of discovery is the real reason the shop is so successful. For people looking to get into record collecting he has two pieces of advice:
“Get yourself a half-decent record player and then go and follow your ears.”
Record Shop Day this year falls on Saturday, April 18.
