In-store appearances paid off for artists who made it to Minneapolis’ best-known record store in 2025, but they couldn’t top the performer behind this year’s much-ballyhooed Super Bowl appearance.
Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” was the Electric Fetus’ top-selling record of 2025, according to the store’s annual year-end list. Released to streaming sites in November 2024, the album was issued on vinyl in January just before the Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles rapper’s halftime gig at Super Bowl LIX in February and his tour kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium in April.
“The Super Bowl gave it a boost, but really it’s been a steady seller all year,” said Jim Novak, the Electric Fetus’ music buyer. “I think that’s a testament to how it’s just a very solid record.”
Underneath “GNX” on the Fetus’ year-end tally are titles by many acts who appeared in person at the store to sign records for fans, including funk legend Bootsy Collins and homegrown favorites Poliça, Alan Sparhawk and Durry.
Collins slid into the DJ booth there on Record Store Day in April to promote his humbly titled “Album of the Year #1 Funkateer,” while the other artists all played in-store live sets to tout their new LPs and CDs (the Fetus’ list reflects both physical formats).
Maybe the biggest surprise is who’s not on the Electric Fetus’ bestseller list for 2025: Taylor Swift, who landed near the top in many previous years. Her latest record, “The Life of a Showgirl,” was still a hot seller, but much of its promotion focused on big national retailers such as Target.
New for 2025, the Fetus staff also broke off a separate list designating the top-selling albums by Minnesota artists in 2025 (or: ex-Minnesotan in the case of Bon Iver and Bob Mould). That list includes “legacy” albums such as “Purple Rain” and the Replacements’ “Let It Be,” which was rereleased as a box-set edition in November.
Novak was happy to see that several albums on the all-local list also made the overall bestsellers roster.
