Walk into the right record shop and something happens to you. The smell of the sleeves, the sound coming off the speakers, the quiet nod from the person flicking through the rack next to you — it’s a feeling that streaming has never quite managed to replicate. The independent record shop has always been more than a place to buy music. At its best, it’s a filter — a human one — for everything worth hearing. That idea hasn’t changed. What has changed is the range.

Across the globe, record stores are no longer just curating the racks; they’re curating the airwaves too, running mix series and radio programming that carry their identity far beyond their postcodes. They’re turning their curation, taste and communities into something you can tune into from anywhere in the world.

As Record Store Day 2026 arrives, we spoke to some of the stores leading that charge. Read on for insights from London-based Dash The Henge and Inverted Audio (pictured above) and Athens-based Birdman Records.

What and how often do you broadcast?

Dash The Henge: We do a lot of stuff here alongside selling new and used records, books, merch and more! With live events in store every Wednesday to Saturday and in partnership with our record bar, HENGE in Brixton Village, we also publish regular DJ mixes under the ‘Pagan Sex Magick (PSM)’ banner. These grew from sets recorded in the shop to friends and partners sending in mixes for broadcast. 

Each PSM mix gets its premiere on ‘Morning Glory with James Endeacott’ on Soho Radio, followed by another play on Radio Alhara then released to our Patrons of the Henge via Mixcloud and finally made public a week or so later. The Pagan Sex Magick brand has grown into a regular live electronic music night held quarterly at Club Cheek in Brixton, after which we invite artists to contribute a mix, extending the reach of the night.

Inverted Audio: We operate the IA MIX Series which launched on 14th September 2009 with a 42-minute mix from Singing Statues, a former production alias of UK-born, Berlin-based producer BNJMN. The series has become a milestone for artists and producers worldwide, with each episode accompanied by an in-depth interview. Contributing artists are encouraged to record either a 60 or 120-minute vinyl mix, or deliver a live set.

We’ve just released episode 399 by experimental producer Rob Clouth, celebrating the release of his new EP on Max Cooper’s label MESH. Over the past 17 years we’ve featured iconic artists from the underground electronic music scene, including Christopher Rau, Ulrich Schnauss, Nathan Fake, Deepchord, Giegling (mixed by ATEQ), Alvin Aronson, Lawrence, Vril, The Persuader, Young Male, Christian Löffler, C3D-E, Valentino Mora, Huerco S., Levon Vincent, Florian T M Zeisig, Sa Pa, Ben Kaczor, Bjarki and Intrusion.

Birdman: Our main broadcast happens inside the shop itself, every day, through the records we play in-store. We also curate playlists regularly, featuring music that reflects what you can actually find on our shelves.

Who presents your content — staff, local DJs, visiting artists?

Dash The Henge: A mix of contributors from our internal team to local DJs that have played the store to guests from further afield. One of our most popular mixes was contributed by an Australian DJ called Reenie who is now a major part of the Dash The Henge family!

Birdman: Mostly our staff, people who genuinely love music and know the collection well. From time to time, local DJs, friends of the shop and visiting artists also step in and share their selections.

Inverted Audio: Inverted Audio is curated by me – Tom Durston aka DJ Antepop. I’m the filter for the entire platform: the magazine, the mixes, the record store. Every piece of music featured is hand-picked. Over the years the platform has been powered by an international roster of writers, each an expert in their own corner of music. That has allowed us to uncover niche scenes and dig deeper than most. Without them, Inverted Audio wouldn’t have lasted this long. I’m grateful to every single one of them for investing their time and passion into writing about music.

How did your broadcasting begin? Was it a marketing idea or something more organic?

Birdman: It was completely organic. Playing music has always been part of what a record shop should be. It’s not an add-on, it’s part of the culture. Music is one of the core pillars not only for Birdman Record Store, but also for Birdman Pub & Grill just a few steps away—the place where this whole idea first took shape. The energy, the playlists, the sense of discovery there naturally evolved into the creation of a record store that could carry that spirit further.

Inverted Audio: I wanted to connect with the artists I admired. To interview them and commission a unique body of music from my musical heroes. It’s naturally led to collaborations with artists and labels around their latest releases, and supports what we stock in the record store. But at its core, the IA MIX Series is about championing the underground and shining a light on artists who deserve the recognition.

Dash The Henge: We just felt it right to be able to share the sounds of the shop further afield. With the long game to actually put out the mixes on physical tapes in the future, which would be great marketing to be fair!

What is the intention for your broadcasting? Is it a way to show people more of a curative side to your store?

Dash The Henge: We’re always looking at ways we can increase the reach of the store.

To those that may not live locally but want to be part of what we do here at The Henge.

Inverted Audio: As a music magazine that is now also a record store, I’ve pivoted the editorial to support the store as much as possible. We review records we stock and we commission mixes around releases that genuinely excite us. The magazine is the engine behind the store; the Inverted Audio reputation was built through the writing, and that credibility carries everything else. We are an electronic music platform for the heads, by the heads.

Birdman: It’s absolutely a way to let guests discover music and understand the identity of the shop. Every record we stock is there for a reason, and playing it is the best way to show that. 

At a time when human connection is evermore lost between algorithms, AI and faceless online platforms, how important is it for you to provide a meaningful space for people and communities to thrive?

Inverted Audio: Being an online magazine, operating from behind a screen is something we’ve always navigated. But the moments that have truly defined us are the real-life ones. Producing the Sole Selector films for Dekmantel in 2015 and 2016, travelling to Amsterdam to film with Steve Rachmad, to London for Joy Orbison, to Bern for Sassy J, and capturing Red Light Radio. Those were the moments that set us apart from the blogs.

When I relocated back to London from four years in Berlin, I felt the pull of human connection more than ever. Opening a record store felt like the natural next step: literally putting our money where our mouth is. I launched the store website in February 2023 and started selling at record fairs. It went well, so I found a small unit at Holdrons Arcade on Rye Lane in Peckham and opened in September 2023 – our first physical space.

The connection I now have with people through music is unparalleled. Opening the shutters, hand-picking records for customers, playing them on the speakers, hosting in-store events with the artists whose records we sell. Being the epicentre of a community we helped build. Real connection is what this scene is about. When you’re gone, nobody will care about your view count. People remember people. I wish phones and social media weren’t so dominant in this industry; they’ve warped how people engage with music. Attention is fractured and taste has suffered for it.

Birdman: We believe people are still looking for (and need) real places where they can meet, talk, share ideas, and connect through music. A record shop can still offer something personal and human. Birdman Records is this place, where the musically curious can browse, listen, dig and mingle.

Dash The Henge: Absolutely, having come from a label background and having always had a bricks and mortar base camp, we opened the store so we could provide a physical space for local artists and those from out of town had a safe space to come and share their art. Human interaction is key!

Is your programming (outside of selling records) something of a response to the growing shift towards algorithms and AI?

Birdman: In many ways, yes. Our choices come from taste, instinct and experience rather than data. We value surprise, personality and the human touch.

Dash The Henge: Not specifically, we don’t worry too much about that sort of thing. It exists, we’re aware of it, but see our role to provide real world experiences and not waste energy pushing back against something so irrelevant to what we’re doing.

Inverted Audio: I sell more records in the physical store than online. I’m not competing with big retailers; I’m a specialist offering hand-picked records built on over two decades of real musical knowledge. People come to soak up that passion. If it’s quality, we’ll have it. We know the artists, we know the labels, and we work with them directly. If you want to feel the pulse of what’s actually happening, you know where to find us. As for AI, it’s a genuinely useful tool that helps sharpen the platform in various ways. But right now, it is not a replacement for human judgement, taste or instinct.

More and more record stores are doing their own broadcasting – what do you think that is a response to?

Dash The Henge: Again, increasing reach, using the tools available to us to share our message and art to a wider audience.

Birdman: We think it reflects a wider need for authenticity. People want trusted voices, real enthusiasm and spaces with character. Record shops naturally offer that.

Inverted Audio: Ultimately, I think it comes down to personality. Broadcasting live from the shop, mixing, on the mic, serving customers – while people across London listen in their cars – still blows my mind. Personality shines through a radio set – records at your fingertips, words flowing through the mic. That’s the real thing.