“Record stores can’t save your life, but they can give you a better one.” — Nick Hornby
Having penned the great record store novel “High Fidelity,” later adapted into a cult classic film starring John Cusack, Hornby knows what he’s talking about.
That picture, released in 2000, captured the passion, camaraderie and sense of discovery inherent in digging through the crates at your favorite indie music shop, a home away from home for music obsessives.
Two and a half decades later, that thrill has only grown: Vinyl record sales notched their 19th consecutive year of growth in 2025, moving nearly 47 million copies and hitting a new milestone of $1 billion in earnings for the first time this century, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Wax Trax Records
Even the bathroom is loaded with records at this packed-tight labyrinth of vinyl, a former two-story home stocked with over half a million LPs.
For nearly three decades now, Wax Trax has been catering both to serious collectors willing to drop $15,000 on rare Beatles vinyl — Elton John has been a longtime patron — and to crate diggers looking for hard-to-find gems.
Until recently, Wax Trax was helmed by founder Rich Rosen, a winkingly cranky presence who passed the reins to his musician son David Rosen. Among the younger Rosen’s innovations: He’s put actual prices on some of the records — some of them.
2909 S. Decatur Blvd.
Vinyl Pharmacy
The prescription for die-hard music and film buffs can be found at this recently opened den of wax, which follows two California locations.
Gold and platinum records line the walls above a large assortment of movie posters and bins of vinyl.
There are also CDs, DVDs and a whole lot of hard-to-find goodies in just about every format — fitting for a place that is a rarity in and of itself: a record store inside a casino.
Westgate’s North Tower, 3000 Paradise Road
Zia Records
Two stores, one giant fist bump for Vegas music enthusiasts: That’s what Zia Records has long represented around these parts.
The small chain, which launched in Phoenix in 1980, is fully employee-owned and feels like it’s run by music obsessives, from its voluminous selection of new and used records, CDs, DVDs, books and cassettes to an impressive array of vinyl exclusives available only at Zia shops to a mammoth collection of music memorabilia from T-shirts to posters.
There are also regular listening parties and release day events for anticipated new albums, and when touring bands do in-store signings in Vegas, they do ’em here.
7380 S. Eastern Ave.; 1216 S. Rainbow Blvd.
Record City
Opened in 1988, this long-running Vegas vinyl institution lives up to its name as a densely populated metropolis of wax whose stock is nearly large enough to demand its own ZIP code.
This is the kind of spot that’ll you want to hit with a few hours to burn, setting time ablaze by digging through a hefty selection of new arrivals paired with tens of thousands of LPs and a vast array of discount titles.
Record collectors could easily spend a day here — and most assuredly chalk it up as a day well spent.
300 E. Sahara Ave.
11th Street Records
At 11th Street Records, the front door doubles as a rabbit hole: To cross its threshold is to plunge down a seemingly endless well of vinyl, from rare Black Sabbath LPs that go for $100 a pop to classic records by The Replacements to pressings of some of Elliott Smith’s most seminal releases.
Owner Ronald Corso, a longtime Vegas music scene fixture and veteran of indie favorites like A Crowd of Small Adventures, seeded the shop with his own collection of 3,500 records back in the day.
A decade later, 11th Street Records has grown into a destination for vinyl junkies.
The building also houses the National Southwestern Recording studio in back, just in case you want to make a record in addition to buying a few.
1023 Fremont St.
Vegas Vinyl
The skeleton in shades sitting out front, gripping a guitar that doubles as an “open” sign identifies this decent-sized record shop tucked into the back of a strip mall near the airport.
A deep vinyl selection hits all the genres and then some — there’s even a category here for sports albums, in case you’re looking for that rare USC “The Trojan Marching Band” LP — combined with a broad selection of music- and film-related merch, from “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” T-shirts to Kiss comic books to framed concert posters to a selection of autographed CDs ranging from the B-52s to Robin Trower.
There’s also a back room loaded with discount vinyl.
The Bee Gees’ “Horizontal” for $1.99?
Don’t mind if we do.
1641 E. Sunset Road, Suite B104
Moondog Records
Upon launching the original Moondog shop near the UNLV campus a little over a decade ago, owner Clint McKean joked that opening a record store was a matter of life and death.
“I have a storage unit dedicated to vinyl, basically,” he told the RJ back then. “So I was like, ‘I need to do something with this,’ otherwise I’m going to be on one of those TV shows, ‘Buried Alive.’ But under vinyl.”
Step into Moondog Records these days, which has migrated to the west side of town, and it quickly becomes apparent that McKean was only being mildly facetious: The place is wall-papered, literally, in rare and limited-edition records catering to pretty much every genre, but with hard rock, metal, punk, blues and jazz strongly represented.
True record hounds will be howling at the moon here.
572 S. Decatur Blvd.
More vinyl
While not full-on record stores, these spots also offer unique vinyl finds:
Echo — Taste & Sound (1301 S. Main St.): This vinyl listening lounge ranks high among Vegas’ coolest places to hear records, and you can take some home as well thanks to a solid LP selection stocked by Moondog owner McKean.
Analog Dope (205 E. Colorado Ave.): This female-founded, African American bookstore/record shop is co-owned by former Vegas hip-hop standout Lady L.U.S.T. (Rachelle Luster) and features a small but well-curated selection of R&B, jazz and hip-hop vinyl ranging from pioneering spoken word poet Gil Scott-Heron to gangsta rap forebear Ice-T to the iconic Billie Holiday and more.
Vinyl Threat at the Punk Rock Museum (1422 Western Ave.): A must-visit for punk fans thanks to its exclusive selection of releases like the Punk Rock Museum’s Original Demos (TPRM ODs) series, which features early and demo recordings by punk notables like Goldfinger, NOFX and others.
Contact Jason Bracelin at [email protected] or 702-383-0476. Follow @jasonbracelin76 on Instagram.