THE MAP
Every vinyl destination inside the greater Boston footprint. Zoom in to see individual venues.
THE 29 RECORD SHOPS
Boston has thirty record stores and a lot of students.
Boston and Cambridge together carry one of the deepest record networks in New England. Cheapo, In Your Ear, Nuggets, Weirdo and Deep Thoughts handle the second-hand generalist end. Newbury Comics still runs the largest local chain. The Cambridge student market keeps flow high and prices honest.
The dig is heavy on rock, punk, indie, hardcore, and a serious jazz catalogue (Boston's jazz history is under-covered). The Sinclair, Great Scott (RIP) legacy, and The Middle East still handle the shows. Weekend-heavy, walkable within Cambridge and Allston.
THE FIVE ROOMS
The Allston institution — deep second-hand rock, prog, jazz, punk. Priced honestly, restocked constantly.
Long-running Boston shop — new-and-used, indie, rock, jazz. The city's default first stop.
Central Square institution — the student-flow second-hand shop that keeps Cambridge crates moving.
Tiny room, huge reputation — experimental, noise, jazz, outsider. Angela Sawyer's picks read like a magazine.
Sharp neighbourhood shop — punk, indie, hardcore, soul. The community counter.