THE MAP
Every vinyl destination inside the greater New York footprint. Zoom in to see individual venues.
New York never stopped being the record city.
The New York record scene never really recovered from the closures of the 2000s — and it never had to, because what's left is what mattered. A&S Book Company, Academy in Greenpoint, A-1 in the East Village, Superior Elevation in Bushwick, Human Head, Deep Cuts, Record Grouch — the surviving shops are among the best in the world at what they specifically do, and none of them are trying to be all things.
The city's edge is history. Every major genre — jazz, disco, hip-hop, house, punk, salsa — was built here, pressed here, sold here. That inventory still surfaces. Add the new listening-bar wave (Public Records in Gowanus, Eavesdrop in Greenpoint, In Sheep's Clothing in TriBeCa) and the current crate-digging weekend runs as long as it did in 1998, just on different streets.
THE FIVE ROOMS
85 Oak St. The strongest new + used counter in the city — jazz, classical, rock, dance, priced honestly and turned over weekly.
439 E 6th St. The 45-and-hip-hop-and-jazz institution. Cramped, essential, exactly the way you want it.
34 Meserole St. The dance-music heavyweight — disco, house, boogie, edits, curated by resident DJs.
168 Johnson Ave. A second-hand generalist with a rock and jazz backbone that could open a museum.
868 Cypress Ave. Small room, ferocious taste. Weekend restocks are why local DJs set alarms.