Good used CD stores in Manhattan?

Hi,

I might in NYC for a biz trip and was wondering what good used CDs are there, since there are none here.

Thanks

 

NYCD is good. It's on W81st off Amsterdam. Also, Rocket Scientist on St. Marks between 2nd and 3rd.

 

My regular circuit focuses on the shops in and around St. Marks Place (that’s 8th Street, the name changes to "St. Marks" East of 3rd Avenue). On the block between 2nd and 3rd Avenues there’s:

St. Marks Sounds: middle of the block above The Grassroots Tavern. Cash Only – lot’s of promos of current albums and cheap prices all around.

Kim’s Underground: a badly lit shop for us codgers, but I manage to get by. Used stuff is to the back on the right. It’s not a huge shop, but they have multiple genre categories; Current Flavor of the Month stuff, The Establishment (anything recorded before 1990 or so), Reggae, Electronic, Krautrock, Psych, Country/Roots, 50’s/Blues/R&B, Soul, Jazz, Chanteuse, Rap. They have new and used vinyl upstairs.

Rockit Scientist: a very good, small shop with well-pruned racks – the proprietor digs deep for things that many other shops don’t have. Special sections for Prog, Psych and Sunshine Pop, Soul, Jazz, Reggae. Used CD’s are on the left past the counter and there’s collector’s vinyl in the back.

Norman’s Sound & Vision: just south of St. Marks Place on 3rd Avenue. They have used CD’s and vinyl in the basement – a mixed bag. Upstairs you can find catalogue items on import that aren’t commonly available.

Academy Music – Vinyl: the vinyl shop is on 9th Street, ½ Block West of 3rd Avenue. It’s a good all-purpose vinyl emporium with fair prices… lot’s of jazz.

From there you can walk through the village to:

Other Music: West 3rd Street opposite Tower Records. They have a small, well-pruned used rack with music that appeals to their clientele. It’s a hip shop with lots of “out there” stuff… great shop, really. They also have a collector’s vinyl section.

Generation Records: on Thompson Street in the heart of the village, ½ block north of Bleeker Street. Lots of boots; used CD’s and vinyl in the basement.

Bleeker Street Records: I think that’s the name; it’s on Bleeker ½ block West of 6th Avenue (Avenue of the America’s). The used CD’s are in shallow, stacked racks that line the walls and are a total pain to browse through. Used Vinyl is in the basement (I’ve made some good finds there).

Academy Music – CD’s: on 18th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Strictly used CD’s. Extensive Classical selection as well as Jazz, Rock/pop, Country, etc. They always have box sets on display and I’ve made some pretty good finds there over the years. The staff is a bit aloof and not always knowledgeable – they’ll price open Columbia/Sony discs higher than they sell for “new” at the chain stores. It’s a bit off-the-beaten-track, but worth a visit, especially if you’re looking for classical music.

Most of the independent shops in NYC are showing signs of financial struggle – a little down at the heels. Have fun.

 

One thing on Norman's...

they are hideously overpriced. Also, don't be surprised to see the same exact disc 3 times with 3 totally different prices irrespective of remaster, current, etc. There is no rhyme or reason to their pricing other than that it is too much, especially for used discs. They are trying to sell some discs there for $14.99 that I see on eBay everyday for $1.99.

Bleecker Street records is a b00t haven, but it too is overpriced at typically $20 per CD on HTF b00ts. They do get some seriously rare items sometimes though, so they are worth a lookover.

One place to avoid at all costs is Second Hand Rose on 12th street between University and Broadway (Across from The Strand). Not only is their out of print stuff behind glass and ridiculously overpriced ($65 for a MoFi Robert Cray!?!?) they are rude and extremely arrogant when you question their pricing or selection. It is owned by a husband and wife (the daughter works there as well) and they give the impression that they'd rather be doing anything else than helping you. A terrible, terrible store.

 

I found these threads about music shopping in NYC and found them pretty informative and helpful on my last trip to NYC.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=15446&highlight=York+Music+Stores

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=227234#post227234

http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/jur/recordshops/nyc.html

 

Very true... I rarely buy anything there. You have to be knowledgeable about what you're buying. They'll have import 'Nice Price' copies of Dylan albums from the 90's for $14.99 when you can find the remasters around the corner at St. Marks Sounds for $9.99.

The used CD's in the basement are a mixed bag, but generally cheap and I have found things there that I was happy with.

For price, start at St. Marks Sounds. It's probably the best all-purpose used shop in NYC - new stuff at good prices too.

 

Things change: regarding the info from the links above...

SMASH DISCS went out of business; Rockit Scientist moved into that space (they're no longer on Carmine Street). Joe's had moved to the space next door that used to be Venus Records (out of business) but he's also recently closed up shop (or is about to in the next week or so). There used to be two St. Marks Sounds shops, but they've consolidated into a single shop... the larger one above the Grassroots Tavern.

The list in the third link is also very old. Stooz went out of business, Finyl Vinyl moved from 2nd avenue like 15-years ago... there's still a shop (East 5th or 6th) but they're hardly ever open. The Downtown Music Gallery is on The Bowery now, just north of CBGB's on the West side of the Ave...

Footlight is mostly Broadway Shows, Soundtracks and stuff... not my cuppa tea, but they're still on East 12th. Rocks In Your Head used to be worth a trip to Soho, but I haven't been down there in years. Golden Disc is OOB; that space is now Bleeker Street Records, which is worth a visit. I used to shop at Rebel Rebel when I worked in that neighb, but it's mostly a Dance Music shop now; lot's of Ibiza imports (or whatever's hip these days). Midnight Records closed a year or so ago. Pier Platters is LONG defunct (sob)... that's a pretty out-of-date list.

If you're in the heart of The Village, also check out Subterranean Records on Cornelia Street just of 6th Avenue. A small shop, but they have "unusual" stuff.

 

Say goodnight to Nycd....
latimes.com

From the Los Angeles Times
COLUMN ONE
The Music Stops for Indie Shop
For 12 years, NYCD was a neighborhood record store with attitude. But it lost too many clients to chain stores and downloading.
By Josh Getlin
Times Staff Writer

December 26, 2005

NEW YORK — During the years they ran NYCD, a small record store, Sal Nunziato and Tony Sachs had their disagreements. Sal cringed when Tony played songs by schlock lounge singers. Tony winced at his partner's passion for Dixieland jazz.

They agreed, however, on the store's most humiliating moment: Earlier this year, a Yellow Book saleswoman came into NYCD and urged them to buy an ad, saying it might boost sales and win back customers who download songs off the Internet.

Just then, the saleswoman's assistant plucked a rock CD off the wall.

"Oh, don't buy that," her boss blurted out. "I'll burn you a copy at home."

Sal and Tony love telling the story, even though it now has a bitter ending. They closed their shop on Christmas Eve because its once-robust business had virtually disappeared. NYCD (New York Compact Disc) was one of the city's last independent shops selling new and used records.

"We gave this place everything we had for 12 years," Tony said. "Sal and I love music with all our hearts. We live and breathe it, every day. But in the end, the business and our customers didn't love us."

There is plenty of blame to go around. New recordings don't sell like they used to. Chain stores lured customers away with lower prices. Casual buyers who once crowded into the store began downloading songs.

These discouraging trends have been plaguing independent record stores across the nation. In Los Angeles, the most recent victim was Aron's Records, which greatly influenced the way pop music was sold — including the sale of used LPs — when it opened on Melrose Avenue in 1965. The store moved to Highland Avenue in 1990, and announced last month that it was closing.

What hurt the most at NYCD, however, was that many loyal customers also stopped coming to the store on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Shoppers who once spent $100 for Beatles bootleg recordings were now buying strollers and video games for their kids. They owned thousands of CDs, but there was less room for music in their lives.

"Many of the people who were our lifeblood disappeared, and the store died," Sal said several days before closing. "It was like we were laid out in a funeral home."

The two owners, both born in New York, became obsessed with music at an early age. They spent hours listening to the radio and bought hundreds of records.

"My grandmother sewed a pocket in my jacket so I could store 45s in there," said Sal, who grew up in SoHo. "I'd leave school during my lunch hour to go to the record stores in the Village. I'd look at all the LPs for sale. I was fascinated."

Tony, also raised in Manhattan, learned to play the guitar. Sal played the drums and joined a band. They met in 1992 when both were working at Smash, a record store in the East Village. Tony began to wonder whether he couldn't open his own shop.

He was on the verge of going to law school when his mother asked him what he really wanted to do. His answer was immediate: He wanted to open a record shop. To his amazement, she gave him the start-up money.

NYCD opened in 1993 and was an instant hit. It was named the city's best independent record store by New York magazine. Sal, who began as a manager, later became a co-owner.

Their store drew a predominantly younger crowd at first; on weekends, NYCD had $7,500 to $10,000 in sales. The little shop in a narrow storefront hummed with life — and attitude.

There were no "hi's" or "hellos" from the owners, who often sat stone-faced behind a high counter near the door. A raucous mix of bebop and Brian Wilson, Moby, Miles Davis and Johnny Mercer boomed from the loudspeakers.

It was tough moving around the store when it was crowded, especially on weekends; it was almost impossible when the two owners, determined to keep things loose, played Wiffle ball.

Customers browsed through hundreds of new and used CDs in racks on the walls, and in bins lining both sides of a narrow aisle. There were additional boxes filled with old LPs at the back of the store.

Shoppers got bargains that were hard to find in other stores — a used Hank Williams box set for under $20; Eastern European pressings of American versions of Beatles albums; rare recordings by Janis Joplin, Sting and the Band.

They'd also get a healthy dose of New York shtick. Sal, 41, a slight man with a thick helmet of dark hair, never hesitated to judge shoppers' choices: "Please don't buy that! Put it back!" he'd say. "That's a really terrible album!"

Tony, 36, who periodically dyed his hair pink and wore Hawaiian shirts, seemed more polite. But he once drove a shopper out when he demanded to know why she didn't buy a vintage Frank Sinatra recording instead of "Manilow Sings Sinatra."

Many customers — a mixture of graying boomers, college students, elderly shoppers, musicians and other music industry types — hung out at the counter like it was a bar. Some schmoozed for hours about rare jazz and the state of pop music. Others shared their troubles, whether the owners wanted to hear them or not.

In between chatting with regulars and ringing up sales, Sal and Tony bickered over Bonnie Raitt. They clashed over the White Stripes. Both loved to inflict their tastes on others.

"I've been waiting all day to play this record," Tony said, brandishing an obscure copy of "The Very Best of Ann-Margret." Sal insisted that shoppers listen to Maurice Brown, a young New Orleans-style trumpet player he adores.

Sometimes the owners fell silent, playing a game: They tried to predict which recordings shoppers would buy, based on their dress and appearance.

"We had a simple formula," Tony said. "Elderly and confused — looking for Frank Sinatra. Conservatively dressed woman, 35-40 — Alanis Morissette or Annie Lenox. Middle-aged guy with bad hair and embarrassing leather jacket — classic rock."

Inevitably, some customers concluded that both owners resembled the wisecracking, imperious clerks in the novel and movie "High Fidelity."

"Lots of people would say, 'You guys remind me of 'High Fidelity,' " Sal recalled. "They'd say it over and over: 'Have you seen the movie? Have you seen the movie?' And I'd finally answer: 'Shut up and get over it! Enough already!' "

Several customers survived Sal and Tony's hazing rituals and became friends. On Christmas Day, they would bring in red wine, cookies and whole roasted chickens from a nearby deli.

On Sept. 11, 2001, the owners expected a slow day. But 20 people came in to buy "Love and Theft," a new Bob Dylan recording that came out the same morning.

"They were saying, 'The world is ending, but I've got to have this record,' " Sal said.

Business, good for eight years, fell off dramatically after Sept. 11. The store lost customers as music downloading grew in popularity. The high prices of new recordings — which can range from $17.98 to $18.98 — also kept many people away.

To cut costs, Sal and Tony moved the shop in August 2003 to a cheaper basement location one block away. Sales continued to drop, plunging 50% from 2002. NYCD made only $1,600 during the last Thanksgiving weekend.

Meanwhile, the owners began dabbling in online business and listed some of their stock on Amazon.com. Sales jumped 500% in two years.

As much as they hated to close the shop, they decided NYCD could survive only as an online business. In the future, all their sales will be processed in a small room — with no customers. Sal and Tony joked that they could go to work in boxer shorts, but life in a Midtown office is not what they had planned.

"It's a tragedy for the owners and for the neighborhood," said Ariel Hyatt, a music publicist who has shopped at NYCD since it opened. "They should have been allowed to grow old gracefully behind the counter here."

When the end comes, most independent record stores typically hold a final sale. They thank customers for years of support before shutting their doors.

Sal and Tony went out in a burst of anger.

In a series of caustic monthly newsletters, they excoriated the music industry — and their fickle customers. "Come on in, say goodbye, tell us how much you'll miss us, shed a tear, and maybe spend a few bucks on a CD," they wrote. "NYCD is a sinking ship with the unfortunate absence of lifeboats."

A handwritten sign outside the store announced that the owners had lost their desire to be in the shop — let alone the neighborhood. When people came in, shocked at the news of NYCD's closing, the owners were polite but characteristically blunt.

"I'm glad people feel this way now," Tony said. "But this place is empty. It's nothing like we dreamed it would be when we first got started."

Complaints about chain stores crowding out independents are nothing new. Yet the loss of smaller record shops can be particularly painful because many of them play a crucial role in the appreciation and marketing of American pop music.

Unlike most radio stations and chain stores — which focus on top 10 hits and big-name stars — independent shops promote lesser-known artists. Store owners are like musical missionaries, spreading the word, even as their ranks dwindle.

"We were the victims of competition," said Jesse Klempner, owner of Aron's Records in Los Angeles. The store could not compete with the lower prices offered by chain stores, big-box retailers and a profusion of low-cost online sellers.

Klempner acknowledged that his shop was also hurt by Amoeba Music, a Bay Area-based independent store that opened a Los Angeles branch a mile away from Aron's in Hollywood. Amoeba features a bigger inventory of music and DVDs, and has been praised for its pricing policies and marketing savvy.

Nationwide, nearly 1,000 independent stores closed in the last three years, according to Clark Benson, chief executive and founder of the Los Angeles-based Almighty Institute of Music Retail, which has compiled an industry database. There are 2,800 stores left; 10 years ago, there were about 5,000, he said.

As Christmas Eve neared, Sal and Tony made final plans. They threw a party in the store for some close friends. They started removing stock from the bins.

On the last night, the owners put bottles of vodka, gin and vermouth on the counter; they drank vodka martinis, toasted an uncertain future and said goodbye to customers, as Sinatra sang "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)."

Just before he locked the door and left, Tony took down the handwritten NYCD signs outside the store. But he decided to leave one over the door, for old time's sake: "Get insulted by a drunk guy in a Hawaiian shirt," it read. "Only $1."


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Excellent article there, thanks for posting it John Doe.

 

i've heard of a place called called discorama......

renny

 

That above article is the truth. The Baby Boomers that fueled the music biz have either moved on to something else or dropped out completely.

Not many of us left that actually worry about what comes out each Tuesday.

 

The store closed last August ... they still sell on the web, however.

 

Generation might have closed. Not sure (haven't been in a while). I find most of my good discs at Academy (18th between 5th and 6th) and Bleecker.

Also some good stuff in Brooklyn, but I don't want to cause thread drift.

 

Thanks for the great article - sad but true. Our local Blue Dog Records and Tapes went out of business earlier this year. Sorry for getting off topic.

Take care

 

I was at Generation a few months ago and to the best of my knowledge, it is still open. It's a good place, as is Bleeker Street Records. Also within walking distance of these two is Rocks in Your Head and Rebel Rebel. Both are small. Rebel Rebel does have more dance oriented stuff I guess, but you can dig through cardboard boxes that have older used rock CDs.

Rocks in Your Head
157 Prince St
New York, NY 10012-3107
(212) 475-6729
Directions: N, R at Prince St; B, D, F, Q at Broadway-Lafayette St; C, E at Spring St

http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/7109065

Generation Records
210 Thompson St
New York, NY 10012-4841
(212) 254-1100
Directions: A, C, E; B, F, D, Q at West 4th St-Washington Sq

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7109060/new_york_ny/generation_records.html

Bleecker Street Records
239 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014-4418
(212) 255-7899
Directions: 1, 9 at Houston St.; B, D, F, Q, A, C, E to West 4th Street

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7117378/new_york_ny/bleecker_street_records.html

Rebel Rebel
319 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014-3429
(212) 989-0770
Directions: 1, 9 at Christopher St

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7117384/new_york_ny/rebel_rebel.html

 

Good article about NYCD. Unfortunately, I discovered this store too late when it was mentioned earlier in this thread. I live on Amsterdam Avenue in the 60's in NYC, so this is right in my neighborhood. And I never knew about NYCD until this thread and never made it there before it closed.

And it's funny the article mentions shoppers buying strollers and what not intead of CD's. I don't let having a family prevent me from buying CD's, but the irony is that the one time a couple of months ago that I was right there and about to head over to the store, my wife called and said she needed me home to help take care of our baby. Well, life does intervene in our hobbies, but I would have loved to see what these guys had. Oh well.

 

Manhattan to Brooklyn is certainly an acceptable level of "drift."

I'd really like to know the names and locations of some good stores over in Brooklyn (along with the nearest subway stop). I know they're out there... I just haven't put the effort into investigating.

Shame about NYCD, but it was out of the way for me and I never shopped there. I did go to the shop a couple of times because my friend Chris worked there and he had encouraged me to check it out... seemed like a perfect indie hangout.

 

Yeah, I used to go there all the time. Electric Ladyland has been completely renovated and that entrance is now history (I think they took over the movie theater space next door).

Venus/Joe's is actually still open, but you wouldn't recognize the store. It's changed hands a couple of times and is now a promo-based used shop with some bootlegs, but no knowledge or attitude whatsoever, and it's a filthy dump. Back in the day when it was upstairs off 6th Avenue it was a great shop. They'd get all the R&B reissues from EVERYWHERE and had all the cool indie stuff and lots of collectable 45's at fair prices. Lots of personality behind the counter too.

Ahhh... the good old days.

 

I have to be honest. I went to a lot of these places mentioned last year and none of them really floored me. I came out pretty empty handed. I wish an Ameoba would open up there.

 

From north to south:

EAT Records. 122 Meserole St., Greenpoint. Take the G to Nassau Av.

Academy Record Annex. N. 6th St between Bedford and the waterfront. Take the L to Bedford.

Somethin' Else, 5th Av between 1st and 2nd Sts (or is it 1st and Garfield? I can never remember). Take the R or M to Union St.

For a bad record store that sometimes turns up deals on higher-end stuff (ex: a friend of a guy who worked at Somethin' Else once turned up a VU/Nico original pressing there for $20), there's a store on 5th Av. at 9th St. Take the F or R/M to 4th and 9th, or walk from Somethin' Else.

There's a smaller CD/record shop on 7th Av. between 12th and 15th Sts. Don't recall the name. Take the F to 7th Av.

 

With the real estate market being what it is, that's impossible in NYC. I've never been to California, but people I know who shop at Ameoba say it's the greatest fun. I'm not surprised you were underwhelmed by the NYC shops; you really have to make the circuit on a regular basis to find cool things at good prices and it ain't like the good ol' days.

I've actually been stopping at Academy Vinyl on a more regular basis (East 10th Street, not 9th as I said above). They're focusing more on collectibles with lots of records priced at $12 - $20 or so. Some are overpriced, but it's become a more interesting shop.

 

Reviving this 2005 thread for updates. It is incredible how many used CD stores in New York City have closed since 2005.

There are separate threads dedicated to vinyl shopping in NYC. Given that many NYC shops are all or almost all vinyl, I would ask to keep this thread to CDs.

Maybe a Gort could update the thread title to "New York City area", not just Manhattan. Any suggestions for used CD shops in Jersey City and places easily accessible from NYC are welcome too.

 

bump???

 

Bleeker Bobs - West Village off of 6th ave (a bit pricey, but good selection)

Academy Records - 18th street btwn 5th and 6th aves (started selling on amazon for inflated prices recently, so it's not what it once was)

Small Shop (not sure of the name) on 72nd street between Bway and West End (CDs in front, lotta vinyl in the back, mostly classical)

Second Hand Rose - 12th street between Bway and University (expensive)

Normans Sound and Vision - 3rd avenue between 8th and 7th streets (cheap stuff in the basement)

That's all the ones I bother with these days. Frankly, I'd rather take the train to Princeton Record Exchange any day - better selection, prices and environment.