‘Freshly Independent’ Paramore Named 2024 Record Store Day Ambassador

Paramore has been named ambassador for Record Store Day 2024.

The trio of Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro took to social media on Saturday (Feb. 10) to announce the exciting news and note that the group is now “freshly independent” and ready to “continue to have a long career in the music industry.”

“After a long career in the music industry we have decided to announce that… we are going to continue to have a long career in the music industry (sorry for any inconvenience),” Paramore wrote on Instagram. “Our first order of business as a freshly independent Paramore is to shine a light on independent record stores — a vital part of our journey from music obsessed school friends to professional music makers. With that being said, we are humbled to be your Ambassadors for Record Store Day 2024. The timing feels kismet.”

Earlier this year, Paramore game some fans a scare after unexpectedly pulling out of numerous live performances, wiping their website and social media accounts, and teasing their “next era.” As previously reported, the band’s 20-year contract with Atlantic Records expired in December 2023 with This Is Why, allowing the act to become a free agent.

The group added on Saturday, “The discovery of music was always meant to be romantic. Indie record shops are some of the only spaces we’ve got that offer a tangible, tactile experience of music discovery. In this world that feels more disconnected and hostile than ever, it feels important to remain in touch (literally) with what inspires us, empowers us, or simply brings us joy. Thankfully, for all our sakes, there still survives among the chaos, the purity and radical simplicity of a great record store.”

This year’s Record Store Day is scheduled for April 20. Past ambassadors have included Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Jack White, among others.

Paramore won their first two Grammys at this year’s ceremony on Feb. 4. The group took home best rock album and best alternative music performance for This Is Why and its title track, respectively.

“First off, infinite thanks to our fans, our team and the voting academy for making This Is Why such a moment for us, 20 years into our career. Our band won two Grammys last night, sitting together in Zac’s living room, dressed in our regular clothes (yes, we saw the empty red carpet meme),” the trio wrote on Instagram. “Turns out, our win for best rock album was a historic feat as we are the first female-fronted band to every take home a trophy for this category. Ridiculous yet true! It’s an honor for Paramore to be a small but constant reminder for people to keep pushing these rock and alternative spaces to be more inclusive.”

They added, “Some of you will know that This Is Why was our last album for our deal with Atlantic Records. To finish anything well is something to be proud of. Thank you to anyone who supported the ethos of Paramore as much as the music.”

Paramore released their sixth studio album, This Is Why, in February of last year, scoring their highest-charting album in nearly a decade with a No. 2 debut on the Billboard 200. The album was the band’s first since After Laughter was released in May 2017; it debuted and peaked at No. 6. The band’s last album to go higher was its self-titled 2013 release, which debuted at No. 1 on the April 27, 2013-dated list.

See Paramore’s Record Store Day 2024 announcement on Instagram below.