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Did you just buy a record player and realize you’re surprisingly low on music to play on it? You’re not alone: Everyone has to start their vinyl collection somewhere. That means getting some of your favorite music in analog format.
While we always recommend you hit up a local independent record store when shopping for your next album, sometimes you want something very specific or hard to find, or you’re shopping for vinyl records to send to friends or family. Here are the best ways to find those records online.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our buying guides, including the Best Turntables and Best Bookshelf Speakers, and information on How To Set Up a Turntable.
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Discogs
Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall
The center of vinyl collections the internet over, Discogs allows folks to buy, sell, and trade rare and desirable discs from their collections. This is the best place to find the coolest (and most expensive) albums and singles ever pressed to plastic.
The store here sells all formats of music, from vinyl to cassettes and CDs, so you’ll need to select the vinyl category before searching for whatever you are after. With over eleven and half million records in the United States alone, you’re unlikely to run out of things you want before you run out of cash. Make an account, register your collection, and start searching for new gems to fill it out.
Bandcamp
Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall
I love searching Bandcamp for new musical gems to order for friends and family. If you’re looking for truly independent music from all over the globe, select the Vinyl tab at the top of the homepage and get to listening. You may have to do a bit of digital crate digging to find something that you like, but that’s the best part of visiting record stores in person anyway. Shop till your eyes drop.
You can digitally search for tags, genres, and locations at the top, and I recommend you do so if you’re looking for something specific. It can be helpful if you are trying to buy something from your home town, for example.
Ebay
Screenshot courtesy of Wired
As with anything collectible, you can find good deals (and occasional ripoffs) on Ebay. This is a good place to buy very rare and expensive stuff, or on the flip side, lots of super cheap records that you’re willing to gamble on. I’ve had good results finding jazz records and other lesser-loved genres’ albums on here, but if you’re looking for something super specific, Discogs is better for tracking the market and finding good prices.
Vinyl Me, Please
Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall
Vinyl Me, Please is a record-of-the-month club that lets you also purchase one-off records. I like this service because it presses rare one-offs of classics as well as modern records in all genres. The folks that work there have excellent taste, which means that you’re always sent a record that you are likely to enjoy. When buying on-offs, I like that these are exclusive pressings, which means that your friends are very unlikely to have this specific version on their shelf, even if they already own the record.
Tower Records
Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall
Folks who remember the pre-streaming era are likely to recall Tower Records, which still exists! This is a great record store to check out what is coming out on vinyl soon and look at pre-order releases, because it is a major distributor of virtually every bigger release on the market. Maybe it’s the older nerd in me, but if you have a bit of ‘90s nostalgia, it’s fun to shop online at Tower Records and see what is the hip new music coming out.
Another great independent record store is Amoeba Music, made famous for its amazing selection at numerous California stores, and its “What’s In Your Bag” YouTube series. If you want to support a good store and know what you want, it’s nice to buy from there instead of Amazon.
Independent Labels
Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall
Record labels like Stones Throw, Sub Pop, Secretly Group, Fat Possum, Rough Trade, Daptone, and hundreds more all have websites and sell records directly. If you notice that there is an artist you like signed to a given smaller label, there is a good chance that other artists on the label have a similar vibe.
Start by checking out the liner notes on the back of all your albums to see who made them, then chase down those labels on Wikipedia and Google. You’ll likely find some cool new tunes on vinyl along the way.
Directly From the Artists
We’ve saved the best for last, the best being paying the artists you like directly for their work. Find their website, social media page, or record label and buy your music from the artist directly. It’s often the way that the artist makes the most money from their work, and it often comes with personalized notes and other cool items that you’d rarely get from a store. I have at least a few records with personal thank yous and signatures from small artists, which feels really special every time I listen to them!