This is the best music shop there has ever been. There have been many music shops since the…read morebeginning of time. So far, this is the best one.

This is the best music shop for miles around. You can purchase a wide selection of musical…read moreinstruments including guitars, drums, bass guitars, saxophones, keyboards, drums and all the necessary accessories. Musical tuition is also provided by friendly teachers. I have taken drum lessons there and I can recommend it. I have made numerous instrument purchases from there, and I would highly recommend their instrument selection as well.

I stopped by here to search for some hard to find LPs. Been searching for a cheaper album by The…read moreSundays, but unfortunately couldn't find any. The staff was helpful, though, and suggested that I check out second-hand stores since the stuff I was looking for is already out of print! Selections here are still pretty good. I was able to find some rare records such as Joy Divison and New Order. Stuff you can't find in America. The record store sells mostly pricey brand new LPs, but CDs are still affordable.

I'm one of those people that loves the streaming aspect of digital media, but also miss perusing…read morestores like Tower Records for music, movies and books. When we stumbled into Fopp in Covent Garden, I was immediately in love. Not only did they have a ton of vinyl, band tees and movies on display, they had an impressive selection of really great books at super reasonable prices. I ended up picking up a copy of A Clockwork Orange and American Psycho on the cheap - something that I've been wanting, but now had no excuse. There are multiple floors to explore. Though it's on the smaller side, it still packs a punch!

This is a large HMV store with lots of choice or music, dvds and games aswell as consoles…read more The staff have been trained well and really know what you are talking about and seem to know where everything is in the store. They have a cheaper bit selling older music which can be cheap. They sell the Top CDs,Dvds and lots of games for ds, wii and others.

You know that oft-quoted line from the movie High Fidelity that goes "I agreed that what really…read morematters is what you like, not what you are like... books, records, films -- these things matter"? The truth of this is up for debate, but are you someone whose eyes light up (and ears perk up) at the mention of The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, Arcade Fire, and The Strokes (who were all signed to Rough Trade at one point or another), even though you're loath to admit that you read Pitchfork occasionally...? Go on. This is just the place for you. Make a pilgrimage to Rough Trade because we both know that you're the kind of person who'd wander around Brick Lane anyway. Rough Trade makes me feel like that this is probably what an everyday record store looked like back in the heyday of college radio back in the '80s and '90s. (Recent former college DJ here, confirming that absolutely no one listened to our station because we were online.) There's something for every music fan here, from indie to underground CDs and vinyl to hip music memorabilia such as posters and clothing. Browse to your heart's content and remember to stop by when there's a free gig going on. Soak up the cooler-than-you vibes that'll help boost your indie cred, fork out some money for the trendy black-and-white photo booth (you know you can't resist it), and brag to all of your friends back home that you discovered a cool new band here that they've probably never heard of before.

I loved getting to check out Rough Trade Records. As a vinyl junkie, it was like a music pilgrimage…read morefor me while I was in London. I wanted to check out the original location, though I read it was not in the original location/building any more and we were never quite close enough to it while on our trip to make it a convenient stop. So this one became the one for me given that I read it had the best overall selection in the city. Loved this place. Active, vibrant, folks everywhere checking out records. There's a coffee and bar up front so after shopping I sipped a pint and continued to listen to the great music they played throughout. Prices were fair, a lot of new sealed vinyl at "2 for 50 (pounds)" or even 13-20 pounds single. I loved the notes and "essentials" stickers pointing you to different music. I picked up several albums, focusing on ones I don't often (or ever) see on the rack in the states, a book, some rough trade branded merch. I love that they sell quality turntables and stereo gear, etc.--but sadly none of that would fit in my carry-on! The only thing that keeps this from being a "5 star" record shop for me is that if I lived here, it couldn't be my "go to" given that there are no used/trade-in options. I popped in one other Rough Trade location on our trip and guess that is standard, these are sealed/new record sellers only. But it's such a cool spot and I'm glad I went. Saved my Rough Trade cloth bag for display.

HD2 is a pretty cool little second hand DVD games and music store that is filled to bursting. Walk…read morein, and you feel swamped by boxes with the shelves tottering under the sheer volume of DVDs that line the place like wallpaper. Prices are also pretty reasonable, especially on CDs which are sold as 2 for 1 on anything. However, actually finding something you'd like to buy is slightly more of a challenge, as there doesn't seem to have been much organisation other than tenuous genres. Is Alien a horror or a Sci-fi? Either way, it may be here for a very good price for all I know, but I couldn't afford to spend two hours looking... There's a... unique and possibly pleasant vibe about the place too, with whoever is working here watching a film or two on a portable DVD player while you browse around, meaning you often overhear familiar lines from old films while you search the shelves.

HD2 is a second hand shop, specialising in DVDs, video games and music, just up St James Street on…read morethe way into Kemptown. As second-hand shops go, this is a viable alternative to a lot of the big chains around town, although the selection is a bit peculiar, and the presentation is somewhat lacking. Still, if you're looking for that one special DVD/video game/music that you can't find anywhere else, try here before resorting to Amazon. As second hand shops go, HD2 does exactly what it says on the can: buys and sells second hand media. There's loads of stuff on offer here, although the mix is somewhat strange. I guess the DVDs and music that ends up in second hand shops isn't always the most popular, but I couldn't find one band I knew on a 5 minute browse! Still, you might find a buried treasure in here, and I do mean buried: everything is piled on top of each other in a rather hodge-podge manner, and the filing system can, at best, be described as 'lazy'. Still, as second hand shops go, the atmosphere is the place does bring to mind the hidden den of some new media afficionnado, unlike the sterile colours of places like Game. However, is atmosphere worth more than being able to find what you want? I find it hard to directly recommend HD2, as it's impossible to find anything, and the chance of them having the one thing you're looking for is pretty remote. If you fancy a browse, the filing system makes it a bit of a nightmare to find anything that might even interest you in the slightest! Still, the kooky charm here is quite pleasant: worth a short visit at least.

Fantastic web site, excellent online service. Great shop. Looking forward to visiting the physical…read morelocation some day. I have indeed placed an order here and found the customer service and ordering experience to be top notch. Excellent service. Support your local record store!

Every city needs a great independent record shop. London has…read moreRough Trade Records, Soul Jazz and Sister Ray. Manchester has Piccadilly Records. Liverpool has Probe. And Brighton has Resident. Situated at the heart of the North Laines, Resident is a complete joy to visit. The record selection is small but perfectly formed and there's aisles of great CDs to flick through. The choice of music is also extensive as they stock everything from rock, pop, dance, hip hop and electro to funk, soul, jazz, bluegrass, country, americana and afro-beat. The staff are knowledgable, approachable and passionate and there's handy sections like New Releases and Resident Recommend as well as an on-going £5 section that includes recent and classic albums. I love this shop so much I would happily work there!