Records & Music

Howard Street, Nambour. Bad Habit stocks hardcore and punk vinyl — pre-orders on Encierro and Oratory 7-inches sit alongside second-hand records, figurines, and band merch available for free appraisal. They also run the Nambour Black Market, a recurring event pulling in regional bands, film photographers, and video game dealers. The kind of shop that puts on a horror movie and cranks the stereo on a slow Saturday.

Vic Aird opened Beatdisc in 1995 off the back of a DJ career and an overflow of second-hand CDs. Thirty years on, it occupies the Queensland Arcade on Church Street Mall — new vinyl, used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, turntables — staffed by people who've been here long enough to actually know the stock. Official record store for Laneway Festival since 2023.

Matt "Footy" Horvath spent five years at Big Star Records before it closed in 2010 — then opened Clarity on Pulteney Street the same year to fill the gap. The stock runs deep across punk, jazz, hip-hop and metal, with a strong local shelf. In 2021, the shop doubled in size by absorbing the space next door.

Tucked away on Rossmoyne Street in Thornbury, this beloved independent record shop has earned an impressive 4.9-star reputation among over a thousand devoted customers who keep coming back. Whether you're hunting for a rare vinyl find or seeking expert recommendations from passionate staff, the warm, welcoming atmosphere makes every visit feel like connecting with fellow music lovers rather than a transaction. Open and ready to guide you through their carefully curated collection, it's become a cherished destination for serious collectors and casual browsers alike.

Tucked away on Old Bathurst Road in Blaxland, this beloved independent record shop has earned its stellar reputation as a go-to destination for vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers. With consistently excellent reviews from a devoted following, it's the kind of place where passionate curation and genuine expertise shine through in every visit. Whether you're hunting for rare finds or discovering something new, it's a charming reminder of why physical music retail still matters.

Perth's longest-running independent record store with an encyclopaedic rock and metal collection. Known for Rock, metal, in-store performances. Set in Northbridge, Perth's vibrant cultural and entertainment precinct. Worth a visit for vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers hunting for rare finds and quality pressings.

Greville Records in Prahran stocks new pressings alongside secondhand finds — a 1972 Japanese Ike & Tina Turner double-LP here, a 1985 Benelux Anna Domino 12-inch there. Record Store Day leftovers go straight online and onto the shelves. The kind of shop where the used section does the real talking.

Warilla's answer to the crate-diggers of inner-city Sydney, Harbourside Records runs a tight physical shop on George Street alongside an online catalogue that spans Nina Simone reissues, Mobb Deep originals, and the *Shrek* soundtrack on wax. Every record ships in cardboard mailers with a fresh outer sleeve included — a small detail that signals they know their customer. Local pickup available.

Redcliffe's vinyl outpost in a strip-shop on Oxley Avenue stocks new records only — no second-hand crates — alongside turntables, speakers, cleaning gear, and band merch. The range runs from Lorna Shore and Amity Affliction through to Rosalía and Ethel Cain, with Record Store Day exclusives landing regularly. Powderfinger's 25th-anniversary *Odyssey Number Five* sitting beside a glitter-vinyl Taylor Swift 7" tells you most of what you need to know.

Vic Flierl has run Mr V Music on Semaphore Road since 2001, after fifteen years behind the counter at Big Star — long enough that most regulars just call him Mr V. The crates are mainly secondhand vinyl and CDs across every genre and price point, with new releases mixed in, a footpath rack of $5 discs, and the odd box of guitar picks and drumsticks. He buys collections for cash, runs the twice-yearly Semaphore Record Fair, and handles the record stall at WOMADelaide.

On Keira Street, Music Farmers runs deeper than a record shop. Alongside new and used vinyl — Coltrane, Sonic Youth, Coleman, Depeche Mode — it operates several independent labels including Farmer & The Owl and High Beam, and offers a vinyl flattening service that alone sets it apart. Record Store Day exclusives and shop pressings round out a stock that rewards the digger.

Selling records since 1991, Rare Records launched Australia's first online store in 1997 — before Spotify was a concept. The stock runs from graded vinyl across rock, jazz, funk and beyond, to signed tour posters and backstage passes. Every item is photographed individually, front and back. Voted Melbourne's number one record store, it now ships from Point Cook.

On the Surry Hills-Darlinghurst border, Steph runs a tight electronic and DJ-specialist shop with a broader spread of LPs — rock, jazz, hip hop, reggae, funk — plus $10 digging crates that don't make it online. The repair side is serious: Technics 1200/1210 servicing, vinyl de-warping via a four-hour disc flattener, and imported, reconditioned OG decks converted to 240V by a licensed technician.

143 York Street in the CBD, Red Eye stocks new releases alongside vinyl reissues — current shelves hold everything from Sunn O)))'s first album in seven years to a silver-vinyl repress of *Confessions on a Dancefloor*. The kind of shop where Courtney Barnett's latest sits next to a deluxe Little Feat remaster. Sydney's most reliably stocked independent record store.

Rerun sits in the Renaissance Arcade off Rundle Mall, where John buys, sells and exchanges one of Adelaide's largest retro-vinyl collections. Stock runs from 50s rock'n'roll and rockabilly through 70s punk and new wave to reggae, soundtracks and Australian pressings, with rare and collectible records across 7-inch, LP and box-set formats alongside new releases. The shop traded at Norwood's Orange Lane Markets and the East End before settling here in 2010.

Rock Ape Records keeps what it bills as North Queensland's largest range of new and rare vinyl, on Sturt Street in Townsville. The racks run from jazz to rock and roll, alongside CDs, cassettes, and a horror sideline of DVDs, masks and patches. It opens six days a week, and carries the same stock through its online shop.

Scott and Glenyce Johnson have run Rockaway Records inside Westfield Carindale since 1992 — a sister business to Rockaway Records LA, owned by Scott's brothers in Los Angeles for forty-plus years. Specialty is import, rare, promo, and deleted vinyl LPs and 45s, alongside 20,000-plus new and 5,000-plus used CDs. The longest-serving independent record store in Brisbane, holding ground in a shopping centre that swallows independents. Pop culture and collectables alongside the music.

Brisbanes iconic record store in the Valley, serving music lovers since 1975. Known for New releases, Australian indie, and an enormous back catalogue. Set in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane's entertainment and creative arts precinct known for its vibrant nightlife and cultural scene. Worth a visit for vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers hunting for rare finds and quality pressings.

Since 1997, this Daw Park shop on Goodwood Road has been shifting vinyl, CDs, cassettes, 45s, and music DVDs across every genre worth caring about — rock, jazz, funk, hip-hop, classical, and beyond. Pre-loved and new imported stock sit alongside rarities and collectors' items. They buy collections too, cash on the spot.

Suffragette Records stocks one thing: music by women. Lauren and Oberon Carter run the Battery Point shop with their three daughters, shelving new and pre-loved vinyl, cassettes and CDs entirely by female artists — pop and folk through to jazz, hip-hop and a Produced by Women shelf. Pre-loved records are cleaned and regraded before they go out, sleeves replaced where needed. The Carters pitch it as a snob-free room rather than a collectors' gatekeep, and run record clubs for people building a collection from scratch.

Opened in December 1978 after its founder grew tired of stores ignoring the records he wanted, Utopia has spent nearly five decades as Australia's specialist in metal and hard rock. The current Kent Street basement stocks over 20,000 items — vinyl, CDs, merch — and carries the faint glory of a place where Pantera once signed records and Slayer drew crowds of a thousand.

Canberra's dedicated vinyl destination in Braddon with a strong Australian hip-hop section. Known for Australian hip-hop, DJ workshops, new releases. Part of Braddon, Canberra's trendiest urban village known for its independent retailers, cafes, and creative energy. Worth a visit for vinyl enthusiasts and music lovers hunting for rare finds and quality pressings.

Wax Museum Records carries new and used vinyl across an unusually wide range — from dubstep 12-inches (Mala, Coki, Youngsta) to hip-hop, jazz, and soul. The recently opened Wax Music Lounge runs inside the store itself, with a custom Pitt & Giblan sound system and a bar serving cocktails and local beer alongside live and DJ sets.