THE MAP
Every vinyl destination inside the greater Austin footprint. Zoom in to see individual venues.
THE 47 RECORD SHOPS
Austin trades in the Southern digging tradition.
Austin's record scene runs on a Texas tempo — steady, unhurried, deep. Waterloo Records on Lamar has been the anchor since 1982: new releases, in-stores, a listening-station culture that outlasted the CD era. Antone's Record Shop on Guadalupe keeps the blues, R&B and Texas catalogue serious. Breakaway Records on North Loop covers the punk, garage and second-hand rock end at collector level.
SXSW and Levitation still shape the calendar, but the shops matter year-round. East Sixth (BLK Vinyl, Drinks Records) and the Guadalupe / North Loop corridors form the two main loops. The listening-bar scene arrived recently — Equipment Room under Hotel Magdalena on Music Lane, plus regional rooms in Dallas and Corpus. Two active plants (Gold Rush Vinyl, Austin Signal) keep Texan labels pressing at home.
THE FIVE ROOMS
600A N Lamar Blvd. The city's flagship since '82 — new releases, listening stations, in-stores, and the wall of local Texas releases that still defines the scene.
2928 Guadalupe St. The blues and R&B institution — a working annex of the club's musical history, staffed by lifers.
211 W North Loop Blvd. Punk, garage, rock second-hand at collector-grade quality. The Saturday-morning ritual for locals.
2505 E 6th St. East-side hip-hop, R&B, jazz — the current-day counter for Austin's Black music scene.
2828 Guadalupe St. Basement-mood punk, hardcore, indie — the shop that keeps the aggressive end of Austin honest.