Between vinyl skyrocketing again in popularity (more than they have since 1986) and brick-and-mortar stores having limited in-store hours due to the pandemic, there’s been an increasing need for good places to buy vinyl online. Luckily, plenty of retailers have now made their storefronts digital, and we found all of the best places to buy vinyl online.
online purchases versus purchases in a physical store
every vinyl enthusiast has a preference for where to buy vinyl. Some like the tactile experience of spending hours in a store with other music enthusiasts, rummaging through boxes and hoping to find a rare LP. some like to skip buying their own vinyl and leave the hard work to a vinyl subscription box that selects and ships them records each month. and others prefer the simplified convenience of shopping online, as it makes it easy to find the exact records we’re looking for in a matter of minutes.
some of the places we have listed have a physical store as well as an online store. And while it’s always fun to explore a store’s selection on your own, buying vinyl online gives you access to a large selection in one go, rather than having to travel to three or four stores to find a particular record. online shopping also makes it easy to listen to songs before buying the record, a feature not all record stores offer customers.
other things to consider
Whether you’re new to vinyl or thinking of dusting off your trusty old turntable, you’ll want to make sure your turntable is working properly and that you have all the right accessories for your setup. this way you can have a hassle-free listening session and keep your vinyl clean and properly stored between sessions.
While searching for records online, keep in mind that selection and pricing will vary by store, so if you’re interested in finding a good deal, you may want to shop around a bit. rare and out-of-print records will cost more than those still in print. individual vinyl shops tend to specialize in a handful of genres, rather than also offering a more general selection. We recommend having a list handy of the artists or genres you’re interested in to make things easier, unless you’re just window shopping, which totally we understand.
comprehensive and international: discogs
Hands down, Discogs is the best online resource for buying vinyl, thanks to its enormous Database and international Marketplace. It’s also the closest you’re going to get to duplicating the in-store shopping experience because it’s run hive-mind-style by the hundreds of thousands of users that love the site.
The site’s database is an amazing place to browse artists from all genres and styles of music and explore the latest trending releases. It’s easy to learn more about a specific artist, view her full discography, view album track listings or song lengths, and even get copies of an album with just a few clicks.
From the marketplace, you can search for records by format, genre, style, artist, media condition, currency, year, and many other useful filters. You can also choose which seller you buy an album from, as all connected stores are displayed in the marketplace; likewise, you can also click on a store to see what other albums they are selling. the wish list option allows you to save the albums you want to buy, while the various community pages allow you to talk with other users in groups or on the forum, see upcoming events, find local record stores and add others users as friends.
the world’s largest independent record store: amoeba music
Based in Berkeley, CA, Amoeba Music is the largest independent record store in the world. Its vast record collection (and other entertaining things like movies and merch) along with the charm of its mom-and-pop success prove that it’s possible for small stores to find success in a world of Spotifys and Amazons and Walmarts.
The music section of the site offers a huge catalog of vinyl from the most popular genres, from rock and reggae to hip hop and country. It even has an excellent selection of albums from less common genres, such as New Orleans, Underground Metal, Celtic, and World. you can filter your selections by format size, new or used. Clicking on an artist brings up their full discography, and amoeba even offers recommendations for similar artists and bands that influenced that artist. Also don’t forget to take a moment to check out the store’s iconic what’s in my bag series.
specializes in classic vinyl: classic presto
Presto Classical has a solid selection of classical records up for grabs. You can browse its general selection, or narrow down your search by era (like Renaissance or Baroque), by music type (Opera or Chamber), or by awards won. In the store, you can purchase vinyl directly, and even add others to your Wishlist to purchase later on.
the shop has gems like dvorak’s stabat mater performed by the antwerp symphony orchestra & collegium vocale gent and conducted by philippe herreweghe, friedrich gulda performing mozart’s piano concertos 20 and 21 with the vienna philharmonic, itzhak perlman’s complete performance of j.s. Bach’s violin sonatas and partitas, and the legendary 1965 recording by Martha Algeria.
ideal for funk, soul, reggae and jazz: dustygroove
Whether you’re looking for artists like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Meters, and Sun Ra, or something more along the lines of Keith Jarrett, Grant Green, or Art Blakey, DustyGroove has a record for you. Though the store carries music across every major genre, it specializes in soul, funk, jazz, reggae, and other underappreciated genres.
dustygroove has a great selection and really digs into many of their genres, which is good for crate seekers. Prices are competitive in the store too, and there’s an entire part of the site dedicated to a really decent selection of discounted lps. And of course, if you’re in Chicago, be sure to stop by the Dustygroove store and browse their selection in person.
rare finds and newest songs: boomkat
If you’re all about scoring super-rare finds, stop reading now and head over to Boomkat. The store is renowned for its smartly curated collection of innovative and overlooked music that’s exactly the type of stuff seasoned record collectors are always on the lookout for. Even Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is a fan of the store.
The independent online store tends to focus on the newest songs rather than classics from decades ago, but if that’s your thing, then everyone wins. Where most music stores focus on popular tunes and time-loved standards, it’s nice to have one place you can go to learn about all the new music being made.