A week of vinyl features for Record Store Day 2017

10 years ago you'd have been forgiven for thinking vinyl was on the way out. Sales were as low as they'd been since their 70s heyday and the march towards digital seemed destined to mark the end of the road for the 100-year-old format.

So it was perhaps a strange time to start a day in celebration of vinyl, but that's what happened in 2007 with the inaugural Record Store Day. And with hindsight, it was timed to perfection - the format having undergone a much-discussed revival over the last ten years.

Vinyl sales hit a ten-year-high in 2016 and are tipped to continue to grow in 2017, while vinyl album sales have overtaken album downloads, helping to make the vinyl business worth more than free streaming services to the music industry.

And Record Store Day has no doubt played a significant part, even if the overall affect of the day on independent record shops and labels remains hotly contested in some quarters.

This week we'll be building up to Record Store Day on Saturday with a slew of features on vinyl. From vinyl subscription services to famous vinyl lovers, the best turntables and how they're made, plus fresh reviews on record players and cartridges. So stay tuned. For now, catch up on everything you need to know about Record Store Day 2017 below...

Record Store Day promises over 500 vinyl releases

Rega launches 2017 Record Store Day turntable

Rega reveals limited edition signed Record Store Day turntables

Saturday

How does a record make a sound?

3 of the best turntable systems

A Record Store Day decade of indie labels

Best high-end turntables

VIDEO: Are these the best engineered turntables you can buy?

Friday

15 celebrities and their record collections

How to digitise your vinyl collection

Paying the ultimate tribute in song

11 of the best Record Store Day releases

15 songs that sound best on vinyl

Best USB turntables 2017

REVIEW: Linn Klimax LP12

REVIEW: Goldring 1042

Thursday

7 fictional record stores we'd like to visit

Best turntables of the 21st century

How to get the best sound from your turntable

Best Buys: phono preamps

REVIEW: Luxman EQ-500

REVIEW: Ortofon 2m Blue MM

Wednesday

When vinyl becomes art beyond music

The tech behind the vinyl revival

Best 15 turntables of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime

Best turntable deals 2017

Best Buys: budget turntables

REVIEW: Clearaudio Concept MM V2

Tuesday

13 of the best vinyl subscription services

How to set up a turntable

15 famous musicians and their vinyl collections

Best Buys: turntables

REVIEW: Audio Technica AT-F7

REVIEW: Thorens TD 203

Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).