9 of Beijing's best record shops you should visit at least once

Forget Spotify, the best place for recommendations is at a record store

We may live in the era of streaming, but radio, TV and the internet combined still haven't managed to kill off vinyl, or record shops – possibly because digging through boxes of old '78s is so dang fun. 

Luckily for the nostalgic among us, there remains a small-but-growing contingent in Beijing working to revive music fans’ deep-seated collecting instinct. Below we list some of the best record stores in the city that's great to get acquainted with local sounds or just for a few hours of fun scavenging. 

Indie Music 独音唱片

The small-but-mighty Indie Music divides local and foreign sounds right down the middle of its shop. One wall is filled to the rafters with domestic pop, metal, classic rock and folk (from 80RMB for CDs and 200RMB for vinyl) while the other end is full of international music, spanning rock, metal, hip-hop and more (Billboard-toppers like Adele and Taylor Swift cost between 220-260RMB). 

Indie Music 独音唱片. 24-3 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng district 东城区鼓楼东大街24-3号. Open noon-10pm daily

666 Rock Shop

This small shop just off Gulou Dong Dajie is a metalhead’s dream, stocking everything from CDs from Beijing’s thriving metal scene (from 80RMB), to vinyls of classics including Megadeth and Iron Maiden (from 200RMB). The shop also stocks apparel and accessories for headbangers to look the part. 

666 Rock Shop. 230-6 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng district 鼓楼东大街230-4号. Open 11am-8pm daily

Yue Space 乐空间

Inside Beixinqiao livehouse Yue Space, a small record shop stocks indie, jazz and Chinese rock. Many of the international artists’ records are second-hand and brought back from abroad. Scoop up new vinyls from labels including Maybe Mars and Beggars, or spend an afternoon flipping through old issues of Rolling Stone and Beijing ’zines in the space’s seating area.

Yue Space 乐空间. 7 Banqiao Nan xiang, Dongcheng district 东城区板桥南巷7号人美大厦北楼一楼. Open 10am-midnight daily

Cool Music Shop 酷乐唱片

Few Beijing record stores have maintained a cult status like Cool Music Shop has. After numerous closures and re-openings in its two-decade run, the venerable shop is alive and well. It has however drastically downsized from its previous 500sqm venue to a hole-in-the-wall that's tucked away in Dongsi. Its shelves are filled with unsorted bins and racks of CDs and vinyl records that runs the gamut from newly emerging electronic music to classic rock. Unsure of what to buy? Preview the vinyl on its in-store turnatable and audio equipment for free before purchasing.

Cool Music Shop 酷乐唱片. 499-1 Dongsi Bei Dajie, Dongcheng distric 东城区东四北大街499-1. Open Tue-Sun 2-8pm 

Music Store

A few hundred metres away from the Cool Music Shop is another local fixture worth a visit. Less grungy than other record shops, its venue is lined with racks that contain an eclectic collection of music.

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From a vinyl version of The Velvet Underground & Nico signed by the whole band and Andy Warhol and Recently signed by Joan Baez, to the oddity of a 1992 Chinese pop album titled The Red Sun which covers odes to Chairman Mao with a disco beat (according to Wikipedia), it promises to be a fun hunt for quirky treasures.

Music Store. 66-3, Dongsi Nan Dajie, Dongcheng district 东城区东四南大街66-3号. Open 10am-11pm daily

Polyphony 复调

Polyphony’s crisp white walls and minimalist design may feel more Apple Store than comics and record shop but, indeed, the shop’s soundproof listening booths are a great place to spend time listening to jazz and classical tunes. While it’s only the comics that are for sale inside Polyphony, with a store membership (which simply means following the shop’s official WeChat – it’s free) visitors can access the private rooms and listen to a wide selection on vinyl.

Polyphony 复调. First Floor, Topwin Centre, 1 Sanlitun Nan Lu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区南三里屯路1号通盈中心1层. Open 11am-10pm daily

Li-Pi Records 莱蒎黑胶唱片

Impressive in both selection and size, Li-Pi Records’ 798 store has expanded bit by bit since its opening in 2008. Vinyls from virtually every genre – from classic rock to domestic indie releases to hip-hop and everything in between – start at 240RMB and line the spacious shop’s walls, which are made accessible by library ladders. 

On our visit, a Beethoven symphony plays loudly from a raised stage in the venue’s largest room, making for a great spot to stick around for a coffee (americanos are 35RMB) after browsing. Recently Li-Pi has ventured into manufacturing its own devices, with its first product a suitcase turntable called the Luntik (3,520RMB), which has bluetooth and wireless capabilities.

Li-Pi Records 莱蒎黑胶唱片. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art DistrictChinese address:朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区. Open noon-8pm daily

Freesound Records 福声唱片

Founded in 2002, Freesound Records has managed to stay afloat for 18 years in the local indie music scene. Its current outpost tucked away on a residential street in Bingjiaozi Hutong, is the incarnation of its former location in Ping’anli, which was closed down in 2015. Returned in 2018 with a spacious two-story venue, it quickly settled into its element with a frequent host of events and music projects. 

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On the store’s top floor you’ll find a carefully curated selection of long out-of-print CDs, cassette tapes for mostly domestic releases, as well as second-hand foreign vinyl records. The bottom level is a real treasure trove for audiophiles. A listening station downstairs features a stellar collection of hard-to-find, vintage turnatables and stereo equipment, which makes for a cosy hangout for music junkies to bring and play their own collections. 

Freesound Records 福声唱片. 1-46 Desheng Jiayuan, Bingjiaokou Hutong, Xicheng district 西城区冰窖口胡同德胜佳苑1-46底商. Opens 10am-8pm daily

Fruityshop 水果店

Once nestled in a rusty Dongsi Hutong, Fruityshop has moved to its new digs near Joy City last year. Now in its third location, it still packs a fruity punch for every music lover. The shop’s offering starts with jazz and continues through four decades of vintage pop and rock, soundtracks, blues, country, bluegrass, ambient and experimental. It contains a mix of classics and hidden gems all priced from 40RMB to more than 200RMB. Just don’t expect too much in the way of modern music – while the shop offers a decent selection of relatively new ambient and experimental, as well as several 90s rock and new-age classics, Fruityshop is still a retro affair with few releases from the last two decades. 

Fruityshop水果店. 18-119, Yacheng Sanli, Ganluyuan Zhongjie, Chaoyang district 朝阳区甘露园中街雅成三里18-119. Open 12.30-7.30pm daily

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