The Best Record Stores in Sydney

The thin layer of dust left on your fingertips after trawling through crates of vinyl, selecting an album that suits your exact mood, sliding the record out of its sleeve, that “crackle” you hear the moment the needle touches the wax: there’s nothing quite like the ritual of playing a record.

Where to feed this obsession? Here are my favourite four record stores in Sydney.

The Vintage Record

It has a variety of new release and reissued LPs but The Vintage Record specialises in pre-loved records. These guys really care, professionally cleaning each used record before making it available for sale and keeping their prices pretty reasonable. Definitely worth a visit, this is one of my favourite places to spend a Sunday afternoon.

31a Parramatta Road, Annandale

TITLE Store

A great pit stop along the busy high street and the perfect place to get your culture on, TITLE Store is home to a fascinating collection of books, DVDs, CDs and a wide selection of vinyl. Although they stock classics from all genres, these guys really cater to jazz, blues and classical lovers – easily the best variety in Sydney.

499-501 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Red Eye Records

Established in 1981, Red Eye is Sydney’s largest independent music retailer and has become something of an institution for music lovers. You can spend all day digging through the impressive collection of new release, rare and collectable records from just about every genre. The variety of Australian and NZ artists is by far the largest I’ve come across.

143 York Street, Sydney

Mojo Record Bar

In addition to stocking all the latest releases, Mojo Record Bar houses an impressive selection of hard-to-find new and pre-loved blues, funk and psychedelic albums. Feeling thirsty? There’s also a cool bar at the rear of the premises, which features a variety of local beers and an extensive list of cocktails.

73 York Street, Sydney