Record Store Day in Sydney, Australia
Two dates to know: Record Store Day Black Friday is Friday, November 29, 2026, and the next main Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17, 2027.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual event built around independent record stores. The main event traditionally lands on the third Saturday of April each year; Record Store Day Black Friday is traditionally held the day after US Thanksgiving. Both days bring exclusive, limited-run vinyl and CD releases sold only at participating independent shops — not big-box retailers, and not mail order until the in-store exclusives sell through. Because pressings are limited, popular titles can sell out within the first hour, which is why a line-early culture has grown up around the day even at shops that are otherwise quiet on a weekday morning.
Tips for the day
- Arrive early. At busy shops, lines for popular titles can start well before opening.
- Bring cash. A cash line often moves faster than card on a shop's highest-volume day of the year.
- Check each shop's own site or Instagram in the week before the date — participating shops post their own opening time, line policy, and which exclusive titles they've ordered in.
- Release lists are first-come, first-served and vary store to store. A title in stock at one shop may not show up at another, even across town.
- Expect one-per-customer or per-household limits on the most in-demand titles.
- Not every independent record store participates every year, and allocations vary shop to shop — confirm directly with the shop rather than assuming based on a past year.
Shops to check in Sydney, Australia
Independent record shops open in Sydney, Australia right now. We don't yet track which specific shops participate in Record Store Day or what they've ordered in for a given year — check each shop's own site or Instagram close to the date for their exclusive-release list, opening time, and line policy.
- 19th Nervous Breakdown
Forest Lodge record shop, the new iteration of the former Black Wire Records. Independently run, buying, selling and trading vinyl, CDs and cassettes.
2 sources
- Beatdisc Records
Parramatta's last independent record shop, trading since 1995. New, used and rare vinyl, CDs and cassettes with over 7,000 vinyl titles in stock, plus turntables, mail order and occasional in-store performances.
2 sources
- Birdland Records
CBD jazz and classical specialist opened 1991, one of the longest-established specialist music shops in Sydney. The country's most extensive jazz CD/LP range and a large SACD selection; its label arm has won two ARIA Best Jazz Album awards.
2 sources
- Bondi Records
Family-run Bondi Junction shop born out of a 2021 lockdown vinyl-collecting habit. New, exclusive, classic and hard-to-find records sourced globally, plus regular in-store listening parties; ships internationally.
2 sources
- Classic HiFi
Newtown vintage hi-fi specialist since 2009, restoring and selling '70s-'90s turntables, amps and speakers — and stocking graded, professionally cleaned secondhand vinyl alongside the gear.
2 sources
- Crosstalk Records
Leichhardt record store, live venue and hi-fi museum opened 2022 by Joshua Gibbs, five doors from Bar Italia on Norton Street. New and used LPs, CDs and tapes alongside turntables, speakers and vintage audio gear.
2 sources
- Desire Books and Records
Manly secondhand bookshop that teamed up with Tim, formerly of Pigeon Ground Records in Camperdown — half the store, 'Pigeon @ Desire', is now given over to quality new and used vinyl spanning the 20th century.
2 sources
- Egg Records
One of Sydney's original record stores, in the same Newtown block since 2000. Family-owned, with a huge range of vintage and secondhand vinyl spanning '60s/'70s classics to obscure blues, jazz and folk, plus CDs and cult movies.
3 sources
- Fanático Records
Marrickville shop specialising in secondhand vinyl imported from Japan, with strengths in electronic/dance, world/reggae and jazz-fusion. Also sells exclusive merch and audiophile gear; a gathering point for DJs and diggers.
2 sources
- Gould's Book Arcade
Sprawling Newtown secondhand book arcade, at this King Street address since late 2018 (in Newtown since 1989). Stocks an extensive range of vinyl records and CDs alongside its famously vast book stock.
2 sources
- Halcyon Daze Records
South King Street, Newtown shop buying, trading and selling new and used vinyl — a self-described home for 'the lost, the weird and the simply wonderful', run by owner Brett.
2 sources
- Half Back Book & Record Exchange
Crows Nest secondhand book and record exchange on Sydney's lower North Shore, trading vinyl alongside used books.
2 sources
- Hum on King
ARIA-accredited independent music retailer on King Street, Newtown since 2000. Local and imported vinyl, CDs, turntables and headphones, plus an extensive DVD range spanning arthouse to anime.
2 sources
- Impressed Recordings
Boutique Australian record label's brick-and-mortar home in Woolloomooloo, in a former art gallery space. Sells exclusive Impressed releases, secondhand vinyl and rare music books, and hosts in-store events.
3 sources
- Papa Disquo Records
Newtown record shop built on the late Brisbane collector Ken Perkins' 80,000-record library. New and used vinyl across reggae, jazz, soul, funk and more, with regular in-store events and listening parties.
2 sources
- Prop Records
Weekend-only Ashfield shop buying, selling and trading vinyl, tapes, books and electronics. Hosts events and fundraisers and publishes a monthly newsletter/zine.
2 sources
- Radio Free Alice
Small Darlinghurst shop opened 2014 by James Tsai, a former Title Music employee. New and used vinyl organised by genre — local compilations, out-of-print rock, jazz, world and soul reissues — plus import DVDs, books and art titles.
2 sources
- Record Store
Surry Hills store focused on electronic/DJ vinyl since 2003 — house, techno, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz and more. Buys, sells and trades records; also sells turntables and repairs Technics 1200/1210s.
2 sources
- Red Eye Records
Sydney's largest independent record store since 1981, now on York Street in the CBD. New releases and reissues alongside a massive secondhand selection; three-time ARIA Outstanding Independent Retailer winner.
3 sources
- Repressed Records
Newtown DIY institution since 2002, specialising in independent and underground vinyl from Australia and abroad — rock, punk, hip hop, jazz — plus a well-curated Japanese vinyl section.
2 sources
- Resist Records
Marrickville's punk and hardcore specialist, stocking new vinyl, cassettes, CDs and band merch from favourite artists alongside a well-regarded rare and out-of-print section.
2 sources
- Rocky Road Records
Family-run independent record store on Sydney's lower North Shore in Artarmon. New and secondhand vinyl sourced locally and overseas across rock, metal, jazz, hip hop, electronic and more, plus CDs and music books.
2 sources
- RPM Records
Marrickville record shop founded 2015, grown from a small secondhand stall into a community fixture. New and used vinyl, CDs, posters and memorabilia including pieces from promoter Kevin Jacobson's collection.
2 sources
- Sandy's Music
Dee Why fixture since 1973, run by the same owners for over 50 years — among Australia's longest continuously trading record shops. CDs up front, vinyl at the back, with original signage still in place.
2 sources
- Sauce Records
Sutherland Shire's old-style record shop in Jannali — owner Shane McGlinchy says it's the only one between Marrickville and Thirroul. New and secondhand vinyl, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, band tees, music books and pop-culture collectables.
2 sources
- Something Else Records
Newtown record shop launched by house/techno party promoters Dave Stuart and Alex Dimitroff. New and secondhand vinyl leaning European house, techno and electronica, plus turntables, mixers and DJ accessories.
2 sources
- Sounds Espresso Records
Marrickville café-meets-record-shop on Victoria Road — coffee and drinks alongside new and used vinyl leaning hip hop, R&B, dance, and '80s/'90s pop.
2 sources
- Tengu Records
Newtown/Enmore vintage vinyl shop opened February 2025 by a father-son pair, specialising in Japanese pressings alongside UK, US, European and Australian records, from $5 bargains to premium vintage.
3 sources
- The Vintage Record
Old-school bricks-and-mortar shop in Annandale since 1994, no online sales. Extensive vinyl from the past 60 years plus vintage hi-fi (turntables, amps), replenished via overseas buying trips.
2 sources
- The Vinyl Section
Hornsby record shop run by Peter, specialising in jazz, soundtracks, Latin, reggae and '60s vinyl with over 40 years of buying and selling experience; also trades locally as MixupMusic at the same address.
2 sources
- Title
Independent Surry Hills 'emporium of culture' since 2006 selling vinyl and CDs alongside books, films and high-end turntables. A second location trades at Barangaroo.
2 sources
- Title (Barangaroo)
Second Sydney location of Title, the Surry Hills music/film/book emporium, in the Barangaroo precinct. Vinyl and CDs alongside books, film and high-end audio gear.
2 sources
- Top 10 Sound And Movie
Haymarket/Chinatown entertainment retailer selling audiophile CDs, vinyl records, DVDs, Blu-rays and laser discs alongside AV equipment.
2 sources
- Utopia Records
Australia's largest heavy metal and hard rock specialist independent record store, open since December 1978. Stocks over 20,000 vinyl, CDs, DVDs and merch items in the Sydney CBD.
2 sources
See the full record store listing for Sydney, Australia.