Buying vinyl is something that's been going on for ages, and with the recent death of Columbia House music club, we thought it a good time to bring up some of our favorite New York City vinyl shops, where you archaically and literally hand money to humans in exchange for vinyl you own in your physical possession immediately.
We're talking not the internet. We know, weird, right?
While online resources are amazing for convenient vinyl purchases, wax heads, and other shoppers alike generally prefer the inter-human contact that comes along with a knowledgeable clerk.
It seems, in some way, more appealing to have the chance of learning something directly from one person instead of browsing comments and reviews at home.
That's why there are still record stores around. Admittedly, they're not as numerous as they used to be, but we prefer to look at it like it's a good thing there are still so many, especially around NYC. You know, the glass half-full thing.
So we put together a list (not in order of amazingness or anything) of some of the City's more highly acclaimed, quirky, and useful spots to dig through crates. Check it out.
1. Rough Trade (64 North 9th Street - Brooklyn)
This British transplant indie label & shop is doing great in Williamsburg, and for good reason. They're a great resource for contemporary bands with vinyl distribution, but they also offer a small, but well-curated selection of instruments.
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Not only that, Rough Trade features a beautiful venue space comparable to Music Hall of Williamsburg in many ways where they showcase some pretty major bands as well as art installations.
2. The Thing (1001 Manhattan Avenue - Brooklyn)
The Thing is kind of a thrift store over in Greenpoint. It's sort of a junk store of knick knacks and vinyl. There's some vinyl upstairs, but the basement it literally floor to ceiling records, many for just $2.
If you're in town and specifically looking for a - different - record purchasing experience, than you need to check out this place. Chances are you'll walk away with something cool, even if it isn't music.
3. Academy Records (12 West 18th Street)
We knew you were just asking yourself, "Yo, where's the best source for house & techno, or rare funk stuff?" Well, first, stop using the word "stuff". Expand your vocabulary. You're better than that. That's why you're here.
Second, mosey (okay, so pick a more urgent speed of travel) on over to Academy Records in the Flatiron.
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If you need some kind of weird internet, user-reviewed validation, well, it's rated just under the "Extraordinary - Perfection" on Zagat. That's pretty impressive, if we do say so ourselves.
The original Academy Records location in the Flatiron district has been around since 1977 and is especially well-known for it's selection of classical, but merchandise varies from location to location.
4. Halcyon (395 Wythe Avenue - Brooklyn)
The good people over at Halcyon are self-identified "hopeless music nerds... DJs... vinyl addicts... black crack pushers... basically some obsessive over-involved people with nothing better to do than listen to, talk and write about music all day long... so you don't have to."
Thank God for you, you godforsaken, lovable nerds.
Part of the appeal to Halcyon is that the live DJ sets and the chill staff really make a big difference in your experience. It's a good for Techno, House, Hip Hop and Reggae.
,5 Human Head Records (168 Johnson Avenue - Brooklyn)
humanheadnyc JUST IN: An extensive selection of mint in and in the shrink original #bluenote and #prestige pressings! Gorgeous collection...Come check these out!! #jazz #vinyl #coltrane #milesdavis #blakey #leemorgan #vinyligclub #humanheadnyc #impulse #pharoah
Human Head Records is a fun one to check out if you're in Bushwick. Their selection is wide enough; it's not overly specialized. They're trying to offer something for everybody, with $2-$6 bins all the way up to high roller stuff.
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"Whether you’re an audiophile, or looking to find your first LP, there’s something here for you," is their attitude, and we can dig that. It appears they were really using their human heads when they devised their lowest common denominators strategy.
6. Other Music (15 East Fourth Street)
Just like the name implies, Other Music, has thrived at specializing in the underground, rare and experimental music. We can get down with this. The stranger, the weirder, the rarer, the more avant-garde or progressive it is, the better in some cases.
We love those cases. Go to NoHo and get weird at Other Music. The majority of what you find there will be obscure or bizarre, and that's why it's good - it's not a generic selection.
7. Earwax (167 North Ninth Street - Brooklyn)
This 25 year old record shop specializes offers a very respectably affordable selection of high-quality, hifi gear (turntables, receivers, integrated amps & speakers), and that's a convenience you just don't find at every store selling records.
Outside of their gear, you can get new and used 7" and LP's of high quality.
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It's been said that "on more than one occasion I’ve heard, 'Sorry, that’s on backorder' at Rough Trade, only to mosey into Earwax minutes later and find exactly what I need." That's a unique talent for accessibility that's hard to come across any store of any means, let alone mostly "extinct" vinyl.
8. A-1 Records (439 East Sixth Street)
This small vinyl outpost in the East Village has been running since '96 and doesn't appear to be slowing down.
Preferable among funk, soul, and jazz enthusiasts, it's not an impossibility that you'll find yourself rifling through records right alongside some of the most notable names in the industry who, in all likelihood, helped create the very product you're looking for.
That's usually just a wonderful perk of living in this great city, but usually you run into celebs and such on the street, not fighting them hand over fist for the same vinyl.
Honorable Mentions: Record Grouch, Rebel Rebel, Last Vestige.
Check out 9 Most Underrated NYC Music Venues You Need to Check Out Like, Now.
[Feature Image Courtesy of TurnTabling]