1. Rough Trade

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New York, NY

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Rough Trade

2.6 (51 reviews)
Closed • 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Rough Trade Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Rough Trade

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The Critical J.

Amazing record and book store! Staff is nice, prices are good, spacious with a large inventory amount

Pop Vinyl
Liza B.

Really cool new store at Rockefeller Center! A big selection and some records are under $5

"If music is my religion, then Rough Trade is my church." --Don Letts (British DJ, musician, and film director)
Julian H.

I really want to give Rough Trade NYC five stars, but this Rockefeller Plaza location is only a fraction of the size of their Williamsburg, Brooklyn location (which closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The Brooklyn location existed for about 7 years and it was PHENOMENAL (it was my favorite record store in NYC while it existed). Pros: It's very accessible by subway - steps away from the 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center station (B, D, F, M trains). There are a lot of events here (performances and signings) - apparently Green Day played here on 1/19/24 for the release of their Saviors album. I was able to meet Thurston Moore (guitarist from Sonic Youth) and Randall Poster (music supervisor) here back in December 2022. There's a variety of new vinyl records (rock, metal, jazz, hip hop) and many "Rough Trade Exclusive" pressings. There's a section of autographed LPs. Also the photo booth and wall of celebrity photos is really fun! Cons: It's a very small shop. It's not a comfortable experience shopping here, I don't like having to maneuver around people while I'm flipping through records. A lot of times I order records online and pick them up at the store. The staff employees do have an apathetic vibe - the shop was closed due to "annual inventory" (which is weird, I feel like that's something that can be done outside of store hours so the store doesn't lose revenue). For one of the most influential indie labels of all time (The Smiths, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, etc.), Rough Trade deserves better representation in New York City.

Sue S.

My husband orders albums from Rough Trade all the time so of course he couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit the actual store when we were in NYC. I did not know but was very pleasantly surprised to find that it's basically on the first level of the 30 Rock building. So that's an added bonus for those of you less into records. Anyway, the store itself isn't huge, but it is well organized and fun to look around. There's a book section, which I also did not expect but very much enjoyed. And there are some really interesting poster prints for sale. I can't say much about the selection really not being the music aficionado in the family, but I did have fun looking around. The one thing that did make me sad was not one employee acknowledged us at all ... no greeting, no can I help you, nothing. But they were super glad to take our money.

Sam P.

Cool record store in Rockefeller center which made for some fun shopping! Now yes the prices are high on some things but not everything and part of the fun is just the experience. As an example. Kids wanted Fleetwood Mac Rumors vinyl and the price here was actually $10 cheaper than Amazon but conversely the Beastie Boys book was more than twice the price of Amazon. Plus you have to remember that this area gets a lot of tourists from overseas so it's priced accordingly It's a fun shop with lots of cool finds - only complaint is that it's crazy warm in the store for some reason! But it was a fun shop and we left with some new cool vinyl !

Hours 07/23/21

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25 days ago

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10 months ago

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2 months ago

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1 month ago

Bought 3 death grips records i couldn't find at my local record shops! also interviewed machine girl which was why i visited!

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1 year ago

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4 months ago

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3 years ago

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

The venue is intimate and so cute, loved seeing beach bunny live! The records printed on the floor is amazing

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5 years ago

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11 months ago

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11 months ago

Kept money for 2 months intrest free and recieved nothing but a cancellation! Do not waste your time with this company.

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

RT cancelled my rsd items due to a false start. Searched online and called local shops but sadly they're all sold. Thanks Rough Trade!

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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Review Highlights - Rough Trade

“Cool record store in Rockefeller center which made for some fun shopping!”

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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Underground Vinyl Records - Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

Underground Vinyl Records

3.3(7 reviews)
0.4 mi•Theater District, Midtown West

I wandered into this place by accident. the nicest vintage record store I have ever seen. Very…read moreorganized, clean, amazing selection of all kinds of music. Lots of rock' roll, jazz, soul, classical and more. Many rare . Sam, the owner, very knowledgeable and helpful. The pricing seemed to be fair, but I haven't priced old vinyl so I'm probably not the best judge of that, but I do know some old vinyl can be expensive, depending on many factors of course. Bottom line, they don't make this stuff anymore, so if you find something you love...well, how much is that worth?

This review is for the record store portion of this establishment-- I love any record store, and…read moreseeing one plopped down in midtown manhattan in the middle of a busy, business-y district does my heart good. It's not what I expected to find here, and if I worked or lived in this area I'm sure I'd want to pop in often to browse or shop. Having said that... the shop is a bit cramped, which makes comfortable browsing a challenge--understood it is the city and real estate is a challenge, but the layout does make for a less than comfortable experience. Perhaps it is the hybrid portion record shop/portion club that means there isn't a ton of room for the shop portion. As for the browsing, it was a bit frustrating -- I was looking for a holiday gift and was having issues and wound up asking for help - "Do you have anything by Tori Amos?" "i dunno" (not super helpful) "...but you can look under T. Yep... they alphabetize by artist first name. I found Weird Al Yankovic under "A". I don't even know where to start there...I would personally expect to find this under Y...if you want to try to make a case to have it under W and treat "Weird" like a band or entity name I won't agree but I'll listen... but under A? For Al? We're alphabetizing by first name? Come on!! Mock outrage aside, it just felt too hard to find anything, not a fun place to browse and not a lot of assistance available to do so. Decent amount of records though, prices seemed a bit all over the map to me--some reasonable, some a bit outlandish--perhaps more careless than trying to rip people off--but I'd wager you can make some finds here. Might not have been my favorite record shop, but it's a record shop nonetheless--I'm sure I'll be back.

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Underground Vinyl Records - Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

Underground Vinyl Records - Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

Underground Vinyl Records - Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

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Record Store in Midtown Manhattan

Jazz Record Center

Jazz Record Center

4.4(53 reviews)
1.2 mi•Chelsea
•$$

I am by no means an expert in jazz records, but I'm confident in what I do know. I do know this…read morestore is an absolute gem, racks and racks of jazz records. Some people are saying the prices are high, but every record I checked via Discogs fell within the median range as far as pricing goes. To me if it's a record you really want and the price is a few $ more than normal, I am ok with paying the extra for the convenience of not having to keep hunting. The owner is a quiet guy who says hello when you walk in the door and then lets you do your thing. I didn't have an extensive conversation with him, but when I was ready to pay I asked what was playing on the sound system. He was stoked I asked and told me it was a live recording of Herbie Hancock live in Germany. I swiped my card and he gave me kudos for bringing my own bag. FYI, the store is located in an office building and you have to buzz up to get to the actual store on the 8th floor. This was my first visit, but I will certainly be back when I return to the city.

I made ONE LAST attempt at having a good experience here, and was let down yet again…read more The owner is incredibly off putting. His communication skills (or lack there of) ruin my experiences here every time. This time he scoffed at me saying "I'll pass on this one" to a record with a 8" scuff. Even after I apologized and led with "I am admittedly picky with my vinyl". Customer is always wrong in this establishment. It's unlikely i'll be returning in the future, and if I do it'll be for the selection of CDs only as I find the used selection is rather out of style. Very little GOOD used stuff. The reissues are plentiful, well curated, and priced at MSRP. The CD selection is admittedly incredible, but the pricing reminds me of FYE prices circa 2003; height of CD era prices. If you decide to come here I'd suggest only coming for the great selection of CDs and reissues, despite the prices of the former. I am happy with the CDs I did buy, as well as the reissue, but am very let down by the condition of the used record I brought home. The lighting is plentiful, so I'll take full responsibility for picking out a subpar album. I will never take responsibility for being treated like I am a nuisance by the owner; time and time again despite always spending a good chunk of money every time I visit. I'd much rather spend my hard earned money where it is appreciated.

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Jazz Record Center - Record Racks

Record Racks

Jazz Record Center
Jazz Record Center

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Rough Trade - vinyl_records - Updated October 2026

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