Are you a music fan suffering from digital fatigue? Bored of the internet, and fed up with the fleeting, ephemeral nature of streaming services. You\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n
Since the long dark days of the pandemic, physical media has surged in popularity, especially among young people. In Canada, record sales have risen by 240 per cent since 2019. Last year, revenue from vinyl sales topped $1 billion in the U.S. for the first time since 1983.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re definitely seeing a technological backlash taking place,\u201d said Jeff Barber, who owns Sonic Boom, Toronto\u2019s largest independent record shop. Turntable sales, which Barber says are a \u201cgreat barometer on where things are,\u201d are higher than ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople want something tangible. They want the ritual of putting on a record or a CD. The ritual is what brings you back into the moment, kind of like pouring a glass of wine with your friends \u2014 you sit back and enjoy it, rather than just have it go in one ear and out the other without even knowing what you\u2019re listening to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The market is also changing rapidly, according to Barber. Once the domain of middle-aged men, the vinyl collectors who visit Sonic Boom today are younger and far more diverse. To stay afloat, record shops have had to rapidly adjust to changing tastes and preferences.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call it the \u2018second vinyl revival,\u2019\u201d said Andrew Koppel of Kops Records, a Toronto institution that has spent a half century evolving to keep up with fluctuating consumer preferences.<\/p>\n
We asked Star readers to share their favourite spots to buy records. These four were the standouts.<\/p>\n
Kops Records (209 Danforth Ave.)<\/p>\n
A slice of Toronto history, where old meets new<\/p>\n
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Kops Records, a staple on the Danforth, also has locations on Queen West and in Oshawa.<\/p>\n
Richard Lautens\/Toronto Star<\/p>\n
Time collapses the moment you step foot into the Kops Records on the Danforth<\/a>. The shop is home to tens of thousands of LPs and 45s, new and vintage, some dating back to the 1950s and earlier, a microcosmic sample of nearly a century of popular music. Each wall is lined with photos and other bric-a-brac that span the decades: a promo poster for the Grand Ole Opry (tickets just $1.75), a black-and-white photo of Elvis in cowboy hat, glossy posters of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. Moving deeper into the space, you\u2019ll discover retro record players, displayed on shelves like ancient artifacts in a museum.<\/p>\n \u201cBlending history with modernity, that\u2019s our big thing,\u201d said Andrew Koppel, who runs Kops with his brother, Nick, and father, Martin. \u201cIt\u2019s about preserving the classics, while also appreciating new artists like Bruno Mars or Olivia Dean.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew Koppel, a Kops co-owner, stands among the shop\u2019s collection of seven-inch, 45-rpm records.<\/p>\n Richard Lautens\/Toronto Star<\/p>\n Toronto\u2019s oldest independent record retailer, Kops was founded in 1976 by Martin, a Manchester, U.K., transplant, who got his start selling 45s that he\u2019d amassed as a young man as a side hustle. Eventually, Kops became a key supplier for major record stores like Sam the Record Man and HMV. On the verge of turning 50, Kops now has three locations, including a shop on Queen West and one in Oshawa.<\/p>\n Today, Kops remains a great place for seasoned collectors, but in recent years, has shifted strategies to appeal to a new wave of music fans \u2014 namely, Zoomers. To that end, Kops has not only cultivated a buzzy social media presence but has also tapped into the popularity of listening parties, where fans gather for an exclusive preview of new releases.<\/p>\n Thaarakai Sailan and Yasmin Ali peruse the offerings at\u00a0 Kops.<\/p>\n Richard Lautens\/Toronto Star<\/p>\n Younger audiences, Andrew explained, aren\u2019t just interested in physical media, they\u2019re also interested in experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve survived so long because we\u2019re willing to change,\u201d said Martin, who is now in his mid-70s. He mentioned one of Kops\u2019 new regulars, a 14-year-old girl who collects 45s of old songs that have been sampled in new songs or that go viral on TikTok.<\/p>\n \u201cShe came in asking for Connie Francis and the Ink Spots,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cBecause of her, I decided to create a new section of songs that have been famously sampled. It\u2019s very popular.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI call him the master of reinvention,\u201d Andrew quipped.<\/p>\n Martin: I\u2019m on a Hank Williams kick after watching the biopic (2015\u2019s \u201cI Saw the Light\u201d). I\u2019m also listening to lots of stuff from the \u201920s and \u201930s, the pre-big band stuff, the guys who started all that.<\/p>\n Andrew: I am really into \u201cPacific,\u201d this Japanese instrumental from the 1970s with Tatsuro Yamashita and some of the other big City Pop guys. The staff play it all the time.<\/p>\n Nick: Anything Bruno Mars. I wasn\u2019t into him until I went to the show. I ended up going twice. The choreography, the set changes, everything about it was amazing. I\u2019ve been listening to his entire discography on the way to work and coming home.<\/p>\n Play De Record (411 Spadina Ave.)<\/p>\n Vinyl mecca for crate-diggers and DJs<\/p>\n Chinatown\u2019s Play De Record specializes in hip-hop, dance and electonica.<\/p>\n Richard Lautens\/Toronto Star<\/p>\n Like any great vinyl shop, Play De Record<\/a> is a bit of a mess. Within the narrow confines of the unassuming shop in Chinatown, haphazardly labelled milk crates jammed with LPs and 12-inch singles are stacked into perilous columns, and the walls seem to strain under the weight of merch racks that stretch from the floor to the ceiling. Nearly every surface is covered by posters or plastered over with colourful stickers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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