National Album Day returns on Saturday 14th October

Celebrating the Albums of the 90s - presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Sounds

National Album Day returns on Saturday 14th October and this year will be themed around The 90s, following previous celebrations that included The 80s, Women in Music, and, just last year, Debut Albums. It will also help to honour 75 years of the album LP format.

Now in its sixth edition, National Album Day sees the music community come together each year to celebrate and promote the art of the album. This year’s 90s theme will look to shine a light on a profoundly rich decade for music and album making that skipped between Britpop, Trip Hop and Hip Hop; gave us national treasures Take That and global phenomenon the Spice Girls; and saw diverse genres ranging from dance, house and techno to R&B, rap and reggae and to grunge and industrial rock, among many others, rise to reach their full cultural expression – in the UK and globally.

National Album Day is again presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Sounds, and will pay tribute to artists who tell their stories behind these significant and influential bodies of work. Artist ambassadors tied into the theme – both those that came to the fore during the 1990s and current new and emerging talent that are inspired by its music; specially reissued albums and new releases; and promotional events and other activities will be announced in due course alongside further updates.

Since its launch in 2018, NAD has been supported by a broad range of artist ambassadors, including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox and Jazzie B. Last year Franz Ferdinand, India Arkin, KSI, The Mysterines, Sam Ryder, and The Staves were the latest talents to add their voices as passionate advocates of the long player.

Typically benefitting from around a week-long build up, NAD has hosted a variety of activities such as listening events with album platforms including Classic Album Sundays, Pitchblack Playback, The Record Club, Tape Notes and Tim’s Twitter Listening Party; live performances; in-store artist appearances and record store promotions, street art murals; and album sleeve artwork exhibitions.

National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the association of UK independent and major labels across the UK (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize) – and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day). The event is supported across the breadth of BBC Sounds radio, TV and online channels, and is backed by the wider recorded music community, taking in UK record labels; AIM, PPL and other trade associations; independent record stores and specialist chains, such as hmv; and online retailers and digital/streaming services including Amazon, Spotify and YouTube.

Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer & Interim CEO, said: “So long as story-telling remains central to making great music, the album will always occupy a special place in the hearts of artists and fans alike – and the 90s were an especially rich decade for the format, with diverse genres, spanning Britpop, Hip Hop and Trip Hop among others, and brilliant artists who went onto become mainstays of our popular culture. We invite everyone with a love of the album to join us on this year’s National Album Day journey of appreciation and discovery that will highlight, as it does each year, the enduring appeal of the art of the album and celebrate a truly memorable decade of albums that are now inspiring the next generation of talent.”

Kim Bayley, Chief Executive ERA said : “With the album celebrating the iconic milestone of 75 years, it couldn’t be a more exciting time to delve into a decade so rich in musical heritage and culture. From giving birth to legendary genres to launching the careers of many much-loved artists, the 90s is a decade that continues to connect and bring joy to music lovers, young and old, to this day. We’re looking forward to not only celebrating the albums that shaped the decade but also to championing undiscovered gems and those that have inspired so many of today’s generation of artists”

Keep track of National Album Day online for regular news updates and for details of how to get involved over the coming months.