There is something very magical about taking a new record out of its case, placing it on the record player, dropping the needle, and hearing the melodic notes leak out. Sure, records are available online, but there’s something really special about walking into a record store and discovering new music in person.
Some music lovers travel the world for concerts, including the most iconic British music festivals and Australia’s most famous music festivals. Some even travel to Liverpool to see the Beatles-themed attractions. Another exciting vacation idea for music lovers is a record store road trip across America, from Nashville to Memphis, or Seattle to Portland.
But there are spectacular record stores all over the world that are worth visiting. Here are 10 record stores that every music lover should visit at least once.
Ten Wax Museum Records, City of Melbourne, Australia
From feeding dolphins at Monkey Mia to learning to surf at Byron Bay, there are many Australian experiences that are a must when visiting Australia. Music lovers in Melbourne must visit the Wax Museum Records. This record shop offers rap/hip-hop, electronic, dub/reggae, rock/pop, jazz, funk/soul, and more. Wax Museum Records also sells several books and magazines, which make great souvenirs.
The record store is also committed to promoting and nurturing local creative talent, so be sure to check out the unique selection of locally produced music.
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address:
basement/250 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia -
time:
Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm
9 Superfly Records, Paris, France
Paris is full of underrated places, including local record shops. At Superfly Records, walls are lined with colorful record sleeves and catchy tunes play from the store’s speakers. The store has a great selection of soul, funk, disco, jazz and Latin albums.
To get a feel for Superfly Records before you visit, check out the store’s blog. You’ll find “Finds of the Week” posts, music videos, and various blog posts.
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address:
53 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75003 Paris, France -
time:
Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm, closed Sunday-Monday
8 Reckless Records, Chicago, USA
Reckless Records has been a Chicago staple since 1989. Currently, he has three locations throughout the Chicago area, namely Lakeview, The Loop, and Wicker Park. Surrounded by some of Chicago’s finest shops, restaurants, and vintage stores, our Wicker Park location is the perfect place to spend an afternoon.
Wall-to-wall posters, light streaming in through the store’s large windows, and an endless array of records, CDs, and DVDs make this record shop unique and fun.
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address:
1379 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 -
time:
Daily 10am-7pm
7 Mabu Vinyl, Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa is known for its spectacular natural attractions such as Table Mountain National Park and Signal Hill. But his one of Cape Town’s great indoor attractions is Mabu Vinyl. From bright orange walls to iridescent records to posters on every wall, Mabu Vinyl exudes a fun and playful vibe. This shop specializes in vintage and used records and is a great place to find rare vintage records of his.
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address:
285 Long St Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, Philippines -
time:
Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm Closed Sunday-Tuesday
6 Rough Trade West, London, England
Rough Trade West in London, England is perfect for all music lovers. The shop sells a mix of mainstream and experimental vinyls and CDs. The shop also has a huge collection of autographed books, musician memoirs, art books, magazines and more. Rough Trade West has endless music genres to choose from when looking for new music, including Alternative, Metal, Psychedelic, New Wave, House, Blues, and Krautrock.
Travelers looking for a unique souvenir will appreciate the extensive collection of Rough Trade shop merchandise, including Rough Trade sweatshirts, stickers, keychains, guitar picks and beanies.
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address:
130 Talbot Rd, London W11 1JA, UK -
time:
Monday-Thursday 10am-6:30pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 11am-5pm
Five Tower Records, Tokyo, Japan
Tower Records is the largest 7-story record store in Tokyo! The first floor mainly features his K-pop albums and a record player. Vacationers looking to explore new genres should check out Tower Records’ collection of Japanese hip-hop CDs and records, as well as contemporary Japanese music. Tower Records also includes a huge collection of anime soundtracks on vinyl.
After buying your record at Tower Records, continue shopping for other great things to buy in Tokyo, such as good luck charms and Japanese beauty products.
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address:
1 Chome-22-14 Jinnan, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0041, Japan -
time:
Daily 11am-10pm
Four Waterloo Records & Video, Austin, USA
The iconic Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas is the best place to find alternative/indie, rock/pop, country/folk, R&B/soul, rap/hip-hop records. The store is always well-stocked with both mainstream and lesser-known albums. His website for Waterloo Records has the option to pre-order upcoming releases, a convenient option for record collectors.
What makes this record shop unique is the in-person event. Waterloo Records hosts many record signings and in-store performances by talented musicians.
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address:
600 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703 -
time:
Daily 10am-9pm
3 Amoeba Music, Los Angeles, USA
Amoeba Music is an indie music lover’s paradise. Amoeba sells music ranging from bluegrass to gospel to kids music, but the selection of indie and alternative records is unmatched.
Amoeba Music should be on every music lover’s bucket list as they frequently host free concerts. A full schedule of upcoming shows can be found on the Amoeba Music website. Vacationers looking for mementos to remember their trip will enjoy the record shop’s merchandising collection featuring t-shirts, posters, keychains, stickers and iron-on patches.
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address:
6200 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 -
time:
Monday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday-Sunday 11am-9pm
2 Eureka Records, Buenos Aires, Argentina
When doing something unique in Buenos Aires, travelers should make time to stop by Eureka Records. A record shop with an atmosphere unlike any other. The store features warm, subdued lighting, hundreds of colorful records hanging from the ceiling, album art on the tiled floor, and an amazing selection of records lining the walls. Eureka Records is the perfect place to find unique records and explore new genres of music.
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address:
C1143AAA, Defense 1281, C1143AAA CABA, Argentina -
time:
Tuesday-Friday 11am-6.30pm, Saturday 2-6.30pm, Sunday 12-6.30pm, closed Monday
1 12 Tones, Reykjavik, Iceland
A truly legendary record store is 12 Tónar in Reykjavik, Iceland. Tónar has been around since 1998 and is a major part of the Icelandic music scene. This unique record store doubles as an indie music label. You can also buy records, watch live shows and have coffee at this all-in-one store. Customers looking for souvenirs are lucky. At 12Tónar, T he sells shirts, postcards and tote bags.
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address:
Skólavörðustígur 15, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland -
time:
Monday 10am-6pm, Tuesday-Thursday 10am-11pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-1pm, Sunday 12am-6pm