Best online record shops in the UK: Where to buy your vinyl and CDs – Evening Standard

musicMagpie was established in 2007, within co-founder Steve Oliver’s garage, initially as a place in order to buy and sell second-hand CDs. Since then, it has become a leading reseller of consumer tech, but still offers its songs roots plus trades in CDs and vinyl.

The retailer started selling vinyl within 2014 and has benefitted from the effects of the vinyl upsurge over the past number of years. Competitively priced (note that their own prices include postage, so bear that will in mind when comparing with other sites) and with a wide range associated with artists plus genres to choose from in both used or new condition, you’ll be sure to find what you want in a reasonable rate.

Some stock is back-ordered to fulfil your order so since long as you’re happy to wait the targeted eight days for delivery, you may grab yourself a bargain. My purchase arrived well within this time and their TrustPilot reviews (over 220k) back again this up.

Once the mecca of CD and vinyl fabric digging upward and down the country plus a brand immortalised by ‘Nipper’ the dog (taken from your 1898 painting by Francis Barraud titled ‘His Master’s Voice’), hmv now primarily trades online, alongside its co-brand Fopp.

The site is just because expansive since their physical vault-like stores are, facilitating searching via genre or even artist with regard to pre-order or existing cds. Check out their ‘Features’ section that lists ‘hmv Recommends’, ‘Best Albums of the Year So Far’ and ‘Label Spotlights’ amongst others for informative guidance if you’re on the mission in order to broaden your musical horizon. And there are plenty of offers to be had too – click on ‘Vinyl 2 for £40’ to grab yourself a bargain.

Such is HMV’s links along with the industry (largely due to the century associated with trading experience), take advantage of their particular Limited Edition and Exclusive offerings. Searching is simple and the pages load particularly speedily. Delivery is fast and nicely packaged.

Born through the ashes of Beggars Banquet, an iconic and influential label since the 70s, Banquet Records is a musical feast in Kingston-upon-Thames, London. Operating from the physical storefront with a Tardis-like entrance, its online store is a gateway to a wide range of brand new music – their specialism – through Indie, Rock and Punk, to Hip Hop, Electronica plus Funk, plus the latest re-issues and remastered versions of all the classics.

Check away their ‘Banquet Exclusive’ variants of albums too or even ‘dinked’ editions’ (an independent record store collaboration in order to support local record stores). And if you’re lucky, you’ll nab a signed copy or even the gig ticket to see your favourite artist perform locally in Kingston (The Who, Wolf Alice and Lewis Capaldi have all recently played for Banquet). It’s a true indication of their pull within the music business.

​The website also includes YouTube clips so you can check out tracks before you buy, or hop on to Banquet’s lively social media channels where you’ll catch witty posts and video footage of artists in the particular store signing your LP sleeve.

Ordering online is easy with an useful search facility regarding genre or even artist, and delivery is swift with well- packaged records. Any issues plus their Banquet’s team are quick to help over the phone or via email.

You can also use Banquet’s own gift cards on the internet or ‘Record Store’ present cards that will help to support independent report stores. Head straight to the particular Sales page to pick up a bargain.

A marketplace intended for individuals in order to flip their records and stores to sell the wares, Discogs is essentially eBay to get music. If you’re looking pertaining to an early release LP that you simply can’t track down elsewhere, chances are usually someone will be marketing it upon Discogs.

Each item is catalogued according to year associated with release, territory (i. e. US/UK… ) along with comprehensively detailed biographies of the artist/band and record label. So, should you be seeking that 1st press release of Paul Weller’s Wild Wood or delighted to go with a more recent reissue, you can shop accordingly.

What’s more, each listing is graded on quality from the actual vinyl plus the sleeve itself (although this will be subjective yet, like eBay, customer reviews are crucial in order to your seller rating, therefore authenticity is usually key). If you buy an LP listed as in mint condition, expect it to become perfect.

What makes Discogs ideal meant for record collectors is the ability to list your selection and (providing it’s listed accurately) keep tabs on the resale value. You can even ‘wish list’ your wanted albums so when they come up for sale on the site, you’ll receive an alert. I have managed to secure several albums this way that I’d have otherwise missed out there on. The website and app also allows you to add friends and build up a local community.

Here is exactly where things start to get serious. Juno began in 1996 as one associated with the very first global on-line record stores and is definitely now the largest dance music plus equipment shop on the particular planet.

It can be the mecca for any budding DJ or dancing music enthusiast, boasting a lot more than 50, 000 titles in stock. But their own selection doesn’t start and end along with dance music – Juno constantly expands into all fields of music.

What they don’t do is certainly list the records they have to backorder from stockists (except pre- orders). This means that in case it’s outlined when you order, it’ll end up being dispatched immediately to you upon that same day (orders must be made before 5pm). I ordered at 4. 30pm plus my shiny new album arrived at 9am the following morning.

Search is straightforward. Choose by performer, album title or label and read up on Juno’s review or listen to tracks before a person order. Underpinning their status as the authority on almost all things dance music is its ‘Juno Daily’ page with reviews, exclusive interviews and information features to help keep your finger on the particular pulse and assist you to discover songs. It’s what makes the world go around.

Having issues? Their customer service and e-mail response are spot-on plus gift vouchers are available online as well.

With more than 22, 000 glowing customer reviews it’s no wonder Grettle Records will be one associated with the majority of trusted on the web places to buy vinyl. Exactly what began as an one -man-band printing out hand- sourced lists of records and posting them in order to customers within the Leeds vicinity in the early 90s has at this point evolved into a highly reputable online vinyl store that ships over 5000 parcels a month worldwide.

It’s just about all down to the same values that underpins everything, through the best music, competitive pricing and top-notch customer support. You sense the team running Norman Records deeply care about music. Whilst some on the internet stores merely copy plus paste report label promo notes, these guys objectively evaluation albums and also publish regular guides and features on the site to help customers find out new music. It makes this so much easier to decide whether in order to indulge in another LP designed for the collection.

Search simply by genre, designer or brand alongside reissues and pre-orders for a diverse plus interesting catalog of songs. Shipping is usually prompt, packaging is bulletproof, and any kind of issues are usually speedily resolved.

Established in 2003 within the heart of Soho, London by a trio of music aficionados and part of The Vinyl fabric Factory (an independent British company that will collaborates with musicians plus artists to create ultra- premium handmade restricted editions with its own impressive pressing plant), Phonica is the number one destination for Dance and Electronic connoisseurs along with funk, soul, hip hop and reggae songs also obtainable.

Each EP or even LP listing has the own play button so you can check out a snippet of the monitor any kind of. Select from new releases, greatest sellers, pre-orders via genre or musician or check out the ‘Staff Charts’ – their particular team know their stuff and it is always good place to browse when you’re looking to broaden your own musical horizons. Keep an eye away for their Used Records plus Sale webpages to grab your self a discount.

Ordering is really a doddle, having a great reputation for packaging and prompt delivery. Phonica also offer their own gift cards, making finding a birthday gift just for the vinyl fan in your life incredibly simple.

Look out for the live streamed in-store DJ performances on their Insta account. And for actually more bonus content, take a look at their sister site, offtherecord. net, for more curated and editorial selection interviews and mixes.

Run by a hugely knowledgeable husband-and-wife group, Resident is a passion project found in the heart associated with Brighton’s Laines.

Built on solid foundations of warmth, inclusivity and first-class customer care, Citizen offers ‘music for all ears, from most eras’. While the bricks-and-mortar record store makes you feel right at home, the exact same ethos plus environment is definitely reflected on-line too.

Navigate your way around the new releases, reissues, dinked editions or pre-orders or even pop onto the Sale section to seize a discounted find. Customer service is as friendly and efficient online as it is in the particular shop and delivery can be swift plus secure.

Online evaluations for Resident are glowing. There’s the lot associated with love out there for the store. Perhaps the most amazing review of all is certainly a testimonial from songs god Nick Cave himself: “you are the best f*cking record shop within Britain! ”

‘Independent purveyors of great music since 1976’, the first Rough Trade shop was opened in West London and soon launched its own record tag, Rough Business Records, putting your signature on bands such as The Smiths plus The Libertines. The two are now independently run from each other.

Its reputation for post-punk grew, and other shops soon followed in the capital, together with Nottingham, Bristol and New York. Today, a much wider range of musical genres are available both instore plus online with Rough Trade becoming synonymous with the particular alternative and underground scenes.

Online, you are able to feeling their strong ties in order to the market and deep-rooted passion for great music. This is no online store knocking out vinyl; it’s a well-curated and considered collection associated with pre-orders, brand new releases plus exclusives packed with intelligent reviews of new albums alongside the option to preview tracks to help make up your mind.

The particular search facility is super useful enabling you in order to browse simply by artist, style or content label making ordering a breeze. Packaging and delivery are quick as well as the joy of receiving your Tough Trade branded 12” box within the post gives you that little dopamine hit every time. It makes you feel part of a good important music tribe of fellow vinyl fabric lovers.

Check away their Rough Trade Exclusives and their own annual ‘Counter Culture’ compilations – their particular staff’s ‘mix tape’ associated with the year’s best tunes.

Sister Ray has been selling music in the coronary heart of Soho for 30 years with the friendliest and most enthusiastic staff.

Named after the Velvet Underground track, Cousin Ray provides survived the particular twists and turns of the songs industry plus consumer trends – striding on through the years when the internet signed most other bodily retail and record stores’s death certificate.

Through sheer determination and commitment to the vinyl format – and by becoming a major force behind ‘Record Store Day’ and the recent vinyl fabric revival – Sister Ray is 1 of the particular UK’s foremost record shops with a reputation since the expert on vinyl.

Their physical shop is legendary (immortalised upon the cover of Oasis album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory) but their online shop is the gateway to a vast array associated with music, each new plus old. Search for new releases, pre-orders or dinked editions by artist, label or genre and be impressed by the particular detailed product info, artist bio, track list and soundwave that will accompanies many listings offering a great way to increase your knowledge plus discover songs. You can even sell your vinyl fabric or pop into their own Merch shop or check out their particular Latest News section along with updates on upcoming gigs or testimonials.

Ordering is delightfully simple; vinyl will promptly arrive securely packaged and ready to spin. Their own online client reviews are usually hugely impressive as are their upbeat and effective staff who are quick to reply and answer any queries pre- or post-purchase.

Need some help curating your selection? Or perhaps you’re stuck for a gift idea for your vinyl-loving nephew? Well, look no further than VinylBox – a monthly subscription-based providing managed with a small group of vinyl lovers with contacts with the top vinyl fabric suppliers.

From a range of around 14 genred collections (check out the particular ‘Amsterdam Coffee House’ or even ‘Woody Cook’s House Party’ – two of their most popular categories) you will get around three cds per month, depending on your own subscription. Every will arrive from eight 4 or 5 star-rated album options but you obtain to veto two in case you already have them or the performers isn’t your bag.

What’s more, new subscribers receive a welcome pack worth £50 and access to rare and limited-edition albums through ‘The Vault’.

With a core consumer range of 25-35 year olds, this particular subscription-based method of ​collecting vinyl is proving very popular and with great flexibility it allows you in order to try brand new music and receive albums that a person perhaps wouldn’t had picked up or even stick to genres you know plus love. Keep an eye out for the exclusive events for members along with pop-up shops

With humble beginnings of a Huddersfield market stall n the particular mid-80s in order to a leap of faith into the online sales market in the late 90s, Vinyl Tap has meteorically grown into a single from the UK’s biggest impartial record sellers.

The secret? Offering a wide range of musicians and bands spanning across all musical genres and with a vast stock associated with around 250, 000 items to order there really will be something with regard to everyone. Vinyl fabric Tap (who doesn’t love a musical pun? ) offers its own gift vouchers and furthermore accept the particular ‘Record Shop Tokens’.

The website is vast but along with an useful performer search facility as well as the choice to browse by style, you’ll discover what you are after in no time, whether it is a new release, pre-order or existing stock.

But that’s not all. Vinyl Tap offers a huge offering of second-hand information and they’re all rated meticulously so you know what you’ll become getting. Ordering in simple, and it is made clear whether your choice is in share or is usually ‘available to order’, meaning that it’ll end up being ordered within from their own supplier catalogues but with orders placed each day, waiting time is definitely kept to a minimum.