Correct me if I'm wrong, but does the closing of Soundscapes mean that Sonic Boom is the last independent record store in Toronto selling a substantial number of new CDs? I exclude Sunrise although honestly they are sort of "independent" now too, since they are apparently no longer connected to the old Sunrise parent company that owned Jean Machine. To be honest, the continued existence of Sunrise astonishes me; their new stores are like stepping into a 2008 time warp, in a good way.
Sonic Boom is probably the last store to do so. Dead Dog also carry new cds but it's a small selection and I think it's relegated to new releases only, at least at their Bloor location. They don't stock catalogue. They'll probably order it in if you ask. I think Pop Music on Gerrard will order in if you ask but I don't carry them as a rule. My friend used to order from them as he lived near by.
Yes, I didn't even think of this until you asked it. I guess I can't complain because, for years, I had Sonic Boom and Soundscapes to go, as well as Sunrise. shopp I agree about Sunrise. It's usually never busy when I visit. I rarely see shoppers looking at CDs.
I miss my old nook that was on The Danforth , just a block or two east of Main Street. It was run by talking parrot and a ex-team New Zealand world rugby coach…. I got all my first prints there almost 20 years ago now… I prefer a mad house over a well organized spot. There’s a good spot on Roncesville and Dundast west. Tonality Records ! Sonic Boom ain’t like it used to be , way to commercial now , I miss the El’Cheapo days !
I hear that. But if I can be a critic of Sonic Boom...Every record I got from Sonic Boom back in the day was damaged by them putting industrial grade price and grade stickers on the cover AND the label!!! The Label??? Why?? I can tell at a glance which from my collection came from that shop by: 1/ Sticker residue on the label- even if you could lift it off, the label always shows the footprint of the where the sticker was. Labels are more delicate than covers. 2/Label damage by removal 3/ Sticker is still on there because you know it ain't comin off without damaging the label. -end rant PS: Was that old spot on the Danforth called Open City?
There used to be a store called Open City that was on Danforth. Not sure if it's open now. Circus is the only one that I know of up that end apart from Mike's and Kops. Why would someone put a price sticker on a label?! At least they stopped doing that?! Sonic is good for regular stuff. They have a rare box in the back which is pretty good, but most of their stuff just flies off the shelf. It's picked dry. If you want used, you look in the arrivals section (upstairs), the walls and the rares in the crates at the back. Flipping through their regular bins for used is pretty pointless in my experience. Record stores are so picked clean in this city (in general) that I am convinced that 99% of record collectors, in Toronto, either have no jobs or jobs that allow them sufficient time off so they can be at the new arrivals the minute the new arrivals show up on any given day. : )
I have some vinyl and CDs to get rid of - mainstream stuff. I can do the local (Beat Goes On) but am wondering if Toronto stores might be a better choice. Comments? Suggestions?
For vinyl, I'd try Cal at Shortstack on Dundas (near Bathurst) or getting in touch with Lincoln at Volver.ca. They'll give you a good price, more than others. I've dealt with both Cal and Lincoln for years. BMV Books (Bloor St W) is pretty good too and they aren't as picky as record stores wrt to titles. They usually take everything I bring them. Never sold to Rotate so no first hand experience, but I've not heard anything bad about selling to them. CDs - Not sure what to recommend. The only place in Toronto I sold cds to is Sonic Boom. Relatively speaking, I did ok, but that's comparing them with everyone else that kind of pays the same. If Vortex was around still I'd have gone there first as they paid really well. Another option for CDs or LPs would be Don at Dixie Mall (Fantastic) Flea Market. He's only open on the weekends but he does pay well. He'll pay $10 for a record he sells for $13 sort of thing. But, he also sells for low prices vs Toronto stores so more common stuff is better there than say something worth $50. He pays well for CDs as well, more then just about anyone else but he has a lot of cds so he might not buy much if he has multiples of what you bring. My advice, CD wise I'd stick with your local as that sounds like it's less hassle. LPs, might be worth the trip if you have a good amount to sell. If you go to Don, I'd bring both.
I was in Toronto last month and had previously been in 2016. What a change with regards to record stores. Back in 2016 it seemed there were some really good stores on Queen west, but now it’s a plethora of cannabis stores. I managed to get to one store, looked at the prices and basically shuffled off. Thoroughly disappointed. At least the food and weather were fantastic.
May I ask: for Jazz is Cosmos West better than Cosmos? Looks like they are only a few blocks apart so I assume one might specialize. Any advice you can give about one vs. the other overall? Have a 10 hour layover there on June 27 so planning to visit 2 or 3 places.
Yes for Jazz, go to Cosmos West rather than the other Cosmos. Their West location is essentially their Jazz store. If you don't see it in the bins, ask for it. He might have it in the back.
West also has a lot more international and soundtrack stuff along with the jazz. If you can only do one, do West, but they're a five-minute walk apart so try to hit both.
I'll be in Toronto about 6 weeks from now. Looking for 50s & 60s era 45's, rock and roll, r&b, soul, etc. Also, 70s to the present punk, garage, power pop, etc. 45s and LPs. I know that pricing runs the gamut these days from reasonable to insanely overpriced. I'd like to try and avoid the latter category. I have no issue with pricy but fair for rarer items.
@troggy 45s is kind of deadsville based on my memory but there's a few options. For rock n roll 45s I guess your best bet would be Kopps on Danforth Ave and Queen St W (though I can't recall if they have 45s at their Queen St location). Probably has r&b and soul in the mix too. They carry a lot of used stuff too though I find them overpriced for condition. Rotate This on Ossington Ave has 45s in the punk, garage genres. Good prices too. Probably the fairest in the city. Small selection. Check the wall as the rarer stuff is put up there. Worth it for lps too. Just depends on what they have in. They separate their lps between used and new so you don't have to flip through new stuff to see old stuff. If you go to Rotate you might as well stop in at Shortstack. They're just a 5-10 min walk. Shortstack Records Toronto - WE BUY RECORDS - Toronto, Canada I think he has some 45s but stronger in the LP side of things. No real specialisation genre wise but pretty much carries everything so he might have something in the areas you are looking for. Check these guys out for punk Record Shop Emissions they specialise in punk, metal. Never been there myself so not sure what their used to new ratio is. I'd say Neurotica is worth a visit for lps. Can't recall their 45 selection though he might have some Neurotica Records (@neurotica3) • Instagram photos and videos If you want soul/R&B lps then Cosmos is a must visit. High prices though I find that collectibles up in Canada tend to be cheaper than the US. So with your exchange you could do well. They also carry rock, etc so they might have something for you. Ask if you don't see what you are looking for as they might have it in their other location down the street, especially if it's a higher end collectible. Keep an eye out for nightly postings by Lincoln on volver.ca No 45s but good selection of lps. A lot of jazz but good cross section of genres generally. He only sells local, via his website and it's pick up only but since you are in town for a while, it might work out. It's times like this that I realised what a gem we had in Hits and Misses. It was a store dedicated to punk.
Kops in Queen Street does have 45s in the basement. I think the last 45 I bought was from there, "Telstar" by The Tornadoes.
Thank you, this is helpful. Rotate This sounds like a good one and would definitely hit Shortstack at the same time. I tend to go to several places when I'm in a city, so we'll see.
You should hit up the Greek part of town on the Danforth, grab a gyro at Messini's, get lots of napkins, then pop in at Kop's on Danforth. Kops Records Messini Authentic Gyros – Messini Authentic Gyros
Thanks again for the recommendations. I got to about ten shops in Toronto this past week, plus a couple in St. Catherine's on our drive down to Niagara Falls. Rotate This was the best of them but there were several other good to great ones. Amazing how many records are fairly common up there that I never see here. Lots of cool punk rock, power pop and other things. Loads of Canadian pressings.
By the way, Shortstack is a fantastic shop. It's small but lots of great records and very reasonably priced. I was really impressed with it.
That store was amazing for cds. They have expanded their cd section in their Spadina location. They stopped selling DVD and BR movies and that area is now cds.
Yes, last time I was there there were more CDs again, but nothing like it used to be. I'm old enough to remember Sam the Record Man, the big HMV store, etc. so now it feels like a wasteland to me. I mean there's lots of vinyl if that's what you're after (but I'm not) and I cannot beleive what they're charging for vinyl now. Insane. So glad I bought all mine when they were $5 used and $10 new.
