Music Stores
A list of the coolest music shops around.
Jive Time
Capitol Hill - Seattle, WA United StatesWe wouldn't necessarily know a rare import record from a poke in the eye, but we know enough to recognize Jive Time as the fine record shop that it is. Maybe it's the abundance of record geeks, thumbing through the collections with purpose. Or the overflowing 99-cent bin, that keeps us...
Jive Time
Fremont - Seattle, WA United StatesWe wouldn't necessarily know a rare import record from a poke in the eye, but we know enough to recognize Jive Time as the fine record shop that it is. Maybe it's the abundance of record geeks, thumbing through the collections with...
Mod Lang
El Cerrito - El Cerrito, CA United StatesThere are few true barometers of "coolness" out there. We firmly believe one of them sits behind the window of Mod Lang. Just look at their weekly chart of albums and see how many of them you recognize. 0-25%? You've got some work...
Musical Offering
Telegraph - Berkeley, CA United StatesA calm haven in a frenzied world, Musical Offering is one of few record stores left specializing in classical music. Their collection is extensive: they specialize in Early Music (music made from 1000-1750) and they even release their own records...
Musicwerks
Capitol Hill - Seattle, WA United StatesMusicwerks is a textbook case of why independent music shops thrive among national chains-they own their niche of goth and industrial music like general interest stores never could. In addition to your favorite goth records, the store carries...
Ooga Booga
Chinatown - Los Angeles, CA United StatesA raw and humble space, Ooga Booga is a product of the collective creativity of today's young artists and designers. These artists and designers publish zines and graphic novels and comics. They release CDs and DVDs. They design T-shirts and...
Other Music
East Village - New York, NY United StatesFrankly we don't have time to sort through the thousands of records released every week and find stuff that we'll like. For our indie/eclectic tastes, Other Music's focused selection as well as their weekly review of new music is...
Rasputin Music
Union Square - San Francisco, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an...
Rasputin Music
Pleasant Hill - Pleasant Hill, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an ever-growing collection of DVDs. A vinyl section...
Rasputin Music
Newark - Newark, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an ever-growing collection of DVDs. A vinyl section...
Rasputin Music
Vallejo - Vallejo, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an ever-growing collection of DVDs. A vinyl section...
Rasputin Music
San Lorenzo - San Lorenzo, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an ever-growing collection of DVDs. A vinyl section...
Rasputin Music
Campbell - Campbell, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an ever-growing collection of DVDs. A vinyl section...
Rasputin Music
Telegraph - Berkeley, CA United StatesIn lieu of the sanitized, homogenized look of corporate record stores, Rasputin Music prefers something a little more interesting. Posters, stickers and flyers cover the walls. Black shelves house new and used CDs of all genres, along with an...
Recycled Records
Haight - San Francisco, CA United StatesSomething tells us that long after CDs take their place on the shelves of history, vinyl records will be alive and well. Recycled Records has been selling used vinyl since 1977 and today serves as a fascinating resource to collectors and passersby...
Rotate This
West Queen West - Toronto, ON CanadaRotate this. That's an order. In a politically correct world where critisizing anything is anathema, Rotate This is CD/vinyl shopping with an opinion, an opinion apparent as much in the stock as in the staff. What you'll find is an...
Singles Going Steady
Belltown - Seattle, WA United StatesSeattle may be known for its grundge uprising, but at Singles Going Steady it's like punk is the only game in town. In a messy, totally punk setting you'll find everything from rare vinyl pressing of classic punk records to the latest...
Sonic Boom
Fremont - Seattle, WA United StatesSonic Boom is the kind of independent record store you would hope to see in Seattle. The cozy (relative to mega-stores) spaces house a little bit of everything. You'll find some pop, but that's among a nice contingent of indie rock and...
Sonic Boom
Capitol Hill - Seattle, WA United StatesSonic Boom is the kind of independent record store you would hope to see in Seattle. The cozy (relative to mega-stores) spaces house a little bit of everything. You'll find some pop, but that's among a nice contingent of indie rock and electronic. Seattle indie label Subpop is well...
Sonic Boom
Ballard - Seattle, WA United StatesSonic Boom is the kind of independent record store you would hope to see in Seattle. The cozy (relative to mega-stores) spaces house a little bit of everything. You'll find some pop, but that's among a nice contingent of indie rock and...