Vinyl Exchange

Whoever they are, they say Manchester doesn’t just make the best music: the kids here also have the best record collections. And by kids we mean everyone. In a city that has always looked to produce, push and play wildly diverse and forward thinking sounds, there are two important questions. Where are people getting these tunes from? And how long until we can go there? 

A simple answer is the Northern Quarter. Although there are excellent shops for tapes, CDs and black plastic discs across our city region, this central neighbourhood remains the number one destination for those looking to pick up the freshest tracks and albums from the best artists they may or may not already know. Vinyl Exchange has a lot to answer for in all this, and is widely regarded as a goldmine. Situated in the heart of the district, on the area’s most iconic shopping road — Oldham Street — this place first opened in 1988 and has been selling rare and second hand CDs, records and DVDs ever since. 

Spread over two floors, Vinyl Exchange claims to be North West England’s biggest seller and buyer of pre-owned and pre-loved listenable and watchable works of art, and deals in pretty much everything. Hip hop, house, industrial, psychedelic, rave, jungle, drum & bass, jazz, blues, folk, country, funk, disco and reggae. The list could definitely go on, but there’s only so many genres you can mention without things getting boring. Moving forward, a big reason Vinyl Exchange has become so successful is the team. From inception, it has been staffed by friendly and incredibly knowledgeable people who really want to help you track down that B-side you once heard in that other place. Or grab a copy of the new long form from bands Z, Y, or X. Talk about an institution.