Eric Levin had been fed up for a long time with the exclusive music releases given to big-box stores. After having grown up in a record store, working in one at age 13 and moving on to own one at age 19, it’s in his nature to become antagonistic toward the special treatment of corporate stores.

“For an artist like Bruce Springsteen to exclusively give a record to Wal-Mart, I mean there’s a reason he apologized for doing that, but he should’ve never done it in the first place, and shame on all those who do,” said Levin, co-owner of Criminal Records in Atlanta, Ga. “Shame on AC/DC and Guns ‘n’ Roses, and hooray for Wilco, who are giving us their DVD on April 18.”

Thanks to Levin and a few other independent record shop owners, independent record stores have exclusive deals with everyone from Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead to Metallica and The Misfits for one day out of the year.

Record Store Day, now in its second year, falls on April 18. The day is dedicated to honoring independent record stores across the country. Stores celebrate with in-store performances, exclusive releases, special sales and free stuff.

“Since more and more people are downloading and physical media’s not as popular, it’s a way to try and help out the little guy,” said Nick Myers, manager of Laurie’s Planet of Sound, 4639 N. Lincoln Ave.

According to Record Store Day’s website, at least 24 of Chicago’s record stores will be participating in one way or another. Levin said this is a testament to the amount of commerce the day brings to each store.

“A lot of participants last year called it Christmas in April,” he said.

Some of the exclusive releases for the day include a debut release by Jack White’s new band called Dead Weather, an unreleased pair of tracks by Flight of the Conchords, a new live album by Iron & Wine, an exclusive vinyl package from Neil Young, an unreleased Pavement concert LP and a four-LP history of Def Jam Records. Availability is limited, and everything may not be carried in every store.

Lance Barresi, owner of Permanent Records, 1914 W. Chicago Ave., is excited about participating in the holiday.

“I’m stoked on it,” he said.

In addition to stocking Record Store Day exclusives and giving away free stuff, Permanent Records is hosting two in-store performances: one with local artist Helen Money and the other with touring artist Marissa Nadler.  They’re also having a listening party for The Flaming Lips’ strange 1997 album Zaireeka.

“It’s a weirdo, experimental album that’s broken up into tracks and meant to be played on separate boomboxes,” Barresi said. “They smoke a lot of weed down in Oklahoma City.”

In the midst of the numerous performances and events around the city, Reckless Records, 1532 N. Milwaukee Ave., promises on Reckless.com a 3 p.m. performance by a “well-known and much-liked Chicago punk-rock band.” They will formally announce the band on April 17.

Other stores opt for more simple pleasures. While offering other Record Store Day deals, Dave’s Records, 2604 N. Clark St., will provide customers with a staple of any good holiday-free candy.

While store owners are doing their best to offer some great deals, they, themselves, are excited about some of the exclusive vinyl coming out on Record Store Day.  Myers is excited about some reissues from The Stooges and the MC5. Meanwhile, Baressi is looking forward to a new Tom Waits single and a box set of Jesus Lizard singles.

Baressi said Record Store Day highlights the importance of local record shops.

“What I always used to tell people is that I don’t know what would be the point of traveling to different cities if there weren’t record stores,” Baressi said. “It’s an institution of any good neighborhood, just like a coffee shop or a library, for that matter.”

To find the full listing of Record Store Day participants in Chicago and for a full listing of exclusive releases and official in-store performances across the country, visit RecordStoreDay.com.