The Ten Best Music Shops in Sydney

For some people an mp3 is like a Japanese leg pillow — it's just no substitute for the real thing. We're not relinquishing our iPhones and cancelling our Rdio and Spotify subscriptions any time soon, but those newfangled things make having music you can hold that much more special.

Luckily it appears there are still plenty of discerning Sydneysiders who agree, so if you're sick of browsing the iTunes store then immerse yourself in one of these musical wonderlands instead.

1. RED EYE RECORDS

Red Eye has been peddling LPs since 1981, making it Sydney’s largest independent music retailer. The store is small, but the selection is excellent. Second-hand collectibles and covetable memorabilia are Pitt Street’s scene, while the York Street shop will help you out with new releases.

143 York Street and 370 Pitt Street, Sydney; 02 9267 7440

2. TITLE

Record junkies rub shoulders with movie buffs at this airy Crown Street store. It’s more orderly than most of its off-the-beaten-track counterparts, but that doesn’t mean TITLE isn’t a treasure trove. The film section is like one enormous cult department broken down into smaller cult subcategories including 'Hollywood Cool' and 'French New Wave', and their CDs and vinyls are just as deliciously obscure.

499 Crown Street, Surry Hills; 02 9699 5222

3. THE RECORD STORE

Rock, indie, hip hop, funk, soul, drum ‘n’ bass, party breaks, eclectic electronica and sweet bargain fanatics flock to this LP paradise of over 1000 titles. Records come either meticulously organised or uncatalogued for your digging pleasure, and they’ll even transfer old vinyls to CDs.

255b Crown Street, Darlinghurst; 02 9380 8223

4. EGG RECORDS

Milk crate bargain bins you have to get down on your knees to rifle through, too-cool-for-school customers, plenty of incredible finds and a few bits of overpriced memorabilia — this is everything a record store in 2012 should be.

3 Wilson Street, Newtown; 02 9557 4809

5. MOJO MUSIC

Ever had a really cool friend who made you feel like your music collection was about as interesting as a cement museum? They probably shopped at Mojo. The Kings of the Back Catalogue aim to make your music world a little bigger and a little hipper, stocking everything from psychedelia to Cajun-zydeco. If you can’t find it anywhere else, you’ll find it here. And if you don’t, you can now drown your sorrows in a groovy drink — they've just received their small bar license.

73 York Street, Sydney; 02 9262 4999

6. REVOLVE RECORDS & RELICS

Nestled in Erko for almost a decade, Revolve specialises in rare, collectable and out of print vinyl and CDs. They bring in fresh material on a weekly basis and the old stuff is just as frequently reduced, so you can balance out that $400 back issue purchase with one from the bargain bin. Revolve also stocks books, magazines, clothing and mothball-scented bric-a-brac.

3/65 Erskineville Road, Erskineville; 02 9519 9978

7. THE VINTAGE RECORD

This friendly music haven boasts a good selection of used and new CDs and records, plus plenty of good vibes. They also have a boom box that plays vinyl, and it’s worth venturing out to Annandale for that reason alone.

31a Parramatta Road, Annandale; 02 9550 4667

8. LAWSON'S RECORD CENTRE

If you like really weird movies that fall into genres like Lucha Film or Nudist Camp Horror, you will probably also like the eclectic and reasonably priced selection of records and CDs at Lawson’s. And if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for, you’re 99% guaranteed to leave with something even more wonderfully bizarre.

380 Pitt Street, Sydney; 02 9267 3434

9. REPRESSED RECORDS

This King Street mainstay recently moved down the road a few numbers, but they’ve taken their friendly staff and excellently curated musical repository with them. There’s something for everyone at Repressed, whether you’re into back issue psych vinyls or DIY zines.

413 King Street, Sydney; 02 9557 6237

10. PIGEON GROUND

If you like amazing clothes, amazing records and insisting that Sydney is cooler than Melbourne, Pigeon Ground is probably already your favourite stomping ground. The vinyls are mostly sourced from private collections and garage sales, and cover pretty much any genre you can think of (except for ones that aren’t amazing).

102 Salisbury Road, Camperdown; 02 9557 6364