OMG. What a great selection of vinyl and what a good value. The store is no nonsense - the employees aren't trying to befriend you - but you will find what you want. I scored some incredible El Gran Combo records. Definitely worth a visit. I'd love to go back. read more

Friendly. Knowledgable. Great selection. High turnover of inventory So always new stuff available. Treasures abound.

Very helpful people in there. Also good selection of records. Will go back. I believe there are new and used ones available.

Absolute gem of a record store. The selection is always on point across all genres they carry. I've only ever been here when Ben is working and he's a great addition to the already top tier store. Knowledgeable and friendly staff, combined with a killer selection? What more could you ask for! read more

Tried to sell them cds, I would not do business with them again. Was kept waiting for a staff person who "would come back soon" but in fact, was there the whole time. read more

Academy Records E. 12th Street I think of this as Academy Records Annex. It's just that way in my mind because there's two brick and mortar locations. I search online for now. You can shop their website from anywhere in the world. If you need assistance they're the music experts to me. When I created the Music Legends area of Manhattan I had places like this historic record shop in mind. If you haven't visited it's a must visit for any collector. I like to browse. Many of the music shops have closed over the years. I haven't been here since Covid. I'm hoping they survive. Price is no object if you find what you're looking for. I'm sure they can check their other location too. If you don't find what you're looking for ask. They're very knowledgeable and helpful! They used to buy records and CD's although nowadays you better inquire first. read more

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Great store, always have a really wide selection. Fairly priced. And usually always have some great wall pieces. One of the best record stores in the city! read more

They wouldn't buy any of my records--and I kept trying to tell them Polka sounds better when it's scratched! Just kidding, these guys are great, and they make the East Village still seem like the East Village I moved into 28 years ago. The diversity of the recent arrivals used lps is great, along with the prices. All the best new records of my fave genre, too. There's also enough of an awning in front that I can get high in the rain before I shop without getting wet. Great staff, too! read more

Cool music playing upon entrance, a couple of interesting titles up the wall... the best part for me was the boxes of 45's... found a bunch of titles, everything from The Police to R.E.M. and the J. Geils band. There was a nice selection of Blues and Jazz as well some good titles there... Lightning Hopkins on cassette.... The rock selection was pretty generic and not as exciting as other places I've seen. Nothing groundbreaking... they had a lot titles stacked on the counter. Everything from Jesus and Mary Chain to the Smiths. The clerk said they weren't for sale yet. Unfortunately it's what I had just asked about literally a minute earlier so that was really frustrating. Overall it was ok. Definitely seen better shops definitely seen worse read more

Academy Records - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

Great store, but a little unbalanced. I had a fun time browsing the Classical section, the new Classical was a special treat. But when I tried to look for Rock, it was so small and crowded I gave up on it. I'll still visit next time I'm in town. Maybe I can find more gems. read more

I'm no record snob but I fully appreciated the professional and prompt way I received helpful info about the vintage biz, and was offered a decent price for some vinyl I came into possession with that I did not want. Would definitely do business again. Very organized and courteous staff here. read more

I was in NYC for the weekend and stopped in Academy for the first time. I was met with a hello upon first walking in. I bought a record somewhere else earlier. I asked if they could hold it up front while I browsed and they kindly obliged. The store isn't massive, but it didn't need to be. The selection was pretty solid. They had all genres and lots of new arrivals. There were quite a few records I've only seen online and never in a shop. The listening station was one of the better ones I've seen. Two nice Technics 1200's with a mixer. They also had two stools to sit. The shop was clean with pretty fair prices. I really liked Academy and would recommend checking it out. read more

Academy Records - listening station - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

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I was asked to put a mask on in the store today , so I just said "Are the records going to give me Covid?" and I walked out.

Very chill place to browse records. The guy at the counter when I was there was damn near like a zen master, just imbuing the place with his calm vibe. An annoying customer even came in at one point, but he handled it like a pro, diffusing the customer, never once letting the customer's annoyingness ruin his cool or the cool of anyone else there. A wide selection, but not too huge a selection, which I think is a good thing, because an overstuffed record shop can get pretty daunting. This place has just the right amount. Some of their selection is expensive, but I bought four great records from them and every one was fairly priced, some maybe even a little too fairly priced. So, definite gems to be found, if you flip through. Nothing better than stumbling on a record you've been looking for for ages, and its like $2.50. Will definitely be coming back. read more

Academy LPs is fair. No messing around - stuff is priced to move, and I always end up finding something on every trip. I never feel like they're pricing to take advantage...and the bargain bins often turn up some gems... Good rotation of new merchandise, decent selection of new releases - primarily rock & jazz, with some hiphop tossed in as well. Decent amount of 7" vinyl as well... I've never had an issue with the employees - they don't come across as typical record store douches... Well worth a visit at least every week or two...and be sure to check out the sister store in Williamsburg... read more

Academy Records - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

I'm always impressed with their shop. The house music is always so good. Almost hard to shop because the instinct to rock out is almost too great to overcome. Once you've settled into the groove, immerse yourself in an excellently curated selection that hits just about any spot. One of my selections lacked an inner sleeve, which they happily rectified. Good listening station setup. What more can I ask for? read more

Academy Records - Listening station. - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

This store is great! They have tons of good records for fair prices. They also have a couple great bargain bins. The staff is helpful and the store has two turntables, so you can listen to a record before you buy it. I highly recommend checking out this store. read more

They are a bit underhanded & exploitive about buying cd's & albums. Instead of getting an idea of what you own they urge you to bring your collection in, then cherry-pick & examine like they are buying a diamond. After their inspection of a couple hundred units with hemming & hawing for effect they select a dozen for a pittance which just covered the cab ride over! read more

Highly recommend and frequent this place. These guys know their stuff! Great selection. Fair prices and most importantly really cool, helpful and knowledgeable staff...unfortunately kind of a rarity in my experience. Check them out! read more

For such a small store they had a really great selection and at really inexpensive prices. I found a couple of really cool pieces of great quality for under $10 each. I'm surprised at the large selection of soul and hip hop albums which I normally cannot find. I only take a star away for how damn hot it was in the store that day which limited the amount of time I was able to shop. read more

Super nice staff and top dollar on vinyl trade in's. Unfortunately they don't yet have a huge selection of used vinyl that isn't classical or jazz. That said, you can find some real gems so worth a visit if your in the Union Square area. read more

Awesome place, staff is super friendly and always a new, fresh supply of Lps stocked weekly. Very careful about covid and keep capacity at a smart number, which is a plus! Always my go to regular stop. read more

I'm a huge fan of Academy Records and CDs, so it was certainly worth a shot to see what the other two stores were all about. I recently got a chance to walk around Academy LP's to see why vinyl enthusiasts appreciate it so much. What I noticed immediately was the shape of the store. It had an interesting crooked shape, with the left side of the store angling deep underneath the building while the right side remained relatively shorter. I also noticed that most of the LPs were organized in genre and alphabet sections instead of individual artists. Sure, there's an individually tabbed rock and jazz artist section near the entrance, but everything else is placed in general sections. For those looking for something specific this can be a little frustrating to find something, but then again it helps with music exploration. As they sorta say, maybe you won't find what you want but you'll find what you really need. The prices really ranged all over the place, but one won't likely find a record priced less than $8. However, for those looking for something more affordable one could comb through the somewhat battered $3 each or 2 for $5 section. This area mainly consists of 70s and 80s artists that were popular at the time but have since fallen into a 'to each their own' niche. For $2.50 one may find something affordably worth taking a chance on. And hey, even if you find your couple of dollars hard to part with the store has two fine listening stations around the corner. This is actually one of the more important aspects of the store, since vinyl fans usually have to cough up a decent amount of change to get one used record. Getting the chance to gain confidence in what you're interested in buying by listening to it really helps. Since there are only two to use, though, one may have to wait a little bit. You could take an extended lunch break on a weekday and go when it's less crowded to increase the availability of the stations I suppose. One of these days I'll get to Brooklyn to check out the Annex, but as far as I'm concerned Academy and its stores are doing things right. read more

Just go. Be ready for some excellent hunting, as well as delightful customer service. If you are looking for Classical - go west to their 18th street location. They carry world/pop/rock/jazz/blues - They have $1 bins, but even without they are priced on the low side. I got Court & Spark by the wonderful Joni Mitchell for $5! Go. read more

Fair prices on everything I sold. They pay b/t half and a third of what they're going to sell it for. Quick service. Best to get there before 6:30 if you're selling. read more

Used to love this place. Recently the clerks have changed and they are "too cool for school". I can get that at any mall, anywhere. Do yourself a favor. Head to Kim's Records and Video, new location, a few blocks down. Nice people. Nice selection. Not pretentious and rude. read more

I'm all for supporting local business as a lifelong NYC resident. But that goes out the window when the business staff are completely rude and disrespectful. Upon paying for a record at the Academy Records on 18th St. for my young daughter who has taken up the hobby, the price was $16.32. I handed over a $20 and a second later I said I have some change to cover the 32 cents. The millennial aged cashier with the register wide open flat out said no. She handed me the 68 cents of change and then I handed her back the four quarters I now had in hand and said please can you give me a dollar bill. Again she said no and refused saying "it would screw up the register". When I expressed my disbelief that it's a totally normal request to true up the change to get a dollar and my displeasure with her attitude, she called me an "angry white man." Truly disgusting - this sort of lack of any courtesy or dignity is another example that our society and city are truly at a terribly sad low point. Academy Records, you proved nothing today except how poorly you think of your customers. read more

A friend was forced to leave NY and left us with her records. Academy came to our apartment as scheduled to review our records. He was able to take 175 records (95%). We were very happy with his offer. I think it was clear to all that we would have taken less. they were in good shape and she was a musicologist. read more

I'm more partial to its sibling store, the Academy Annex, but this is also a wonderful place to buy records from. A pretty vast selection of almost every genre, it also has a good selection of new/reissue vinyl. One of the staff members put on some John Lee Hooker. I asked him who was the artist and what album it was. He was very friendly, then took the album off the record player and sold me it then and there. Well, that was my introduction to a great artist. It probably harks back to how people used to find out about music. Academy Records will always have my vote! read more

For used albums this is an absolute winner. Inventory always turning and changing. Good value and selection with varied genres represented. Large new arrivals section! A go to in the East Village. I don't buy much new vinyl but they do have a solid selection. A sister store to the Annex in Brooklyn- don't miss it. read more

Good prices, cool staff. I found the selection fairly limited and not presented in an easy way... I know a lot of people love digging through stacks of albums to find a gem, but I honestly want to go to an Artist, find the album I want, and get the F out. read more

I love record stores; I used to go to Tower (remember them?) and flip through the bins for hours. Academy is a great store, and I love their 12th street location; lately I've been in the habit of buying vinyl and stockpiling it without listening to it--just gotta have Plastic Bertrand and Lene Lovich. When Jim Carroll died, I went here and got a copy of Catholic Boy. I think my musical taste stopped evolving about the time they stopped pressing vinyl anyway. I've found such gems here, for such good prices--I'm just really happy they're so close to me. read more

This is the best place to go for your record collecting, nice staff and very helpful. I wish it was not so Far East in the village. I liked there old address better but the new location is bigger. Rock On Academy read more

This place is definitely NOT CLOSED. I just called them. If you're looking for classic Rock/Jazz/R+B/HipHop/Spoken Word and Musicals...this is the place. They have a sister shop uptown somewhere nearby that has classical records. They let you listen to anything you buy, and the prices are absolutely low for what you get. Significantly lower than every other record store in the village. They also have legit $1 bins with actually good quality records. I got the Yes album and Steely Dan AJA for $2 in really great condition, no scratches. read more

Stopped by for a quick shop. Decent selection and decent prices. I would go back. Cool neighborhood which makes it worth a trip. I didn't find anything this visit. read more

I came here for the first time yesterday after a storekeeper at the Flatiron location made me aware of it! I'm so glad he did because I fell in love with their selection of LPs and 45s! Its just as good as their Williamsburg location, which is closer for me, but this one is worth the subway ride over too! I liked being able to sit down and enjoy the music. I think I spent over $100 yesterday on 45s because I need my collection to grow faster. I bought Joy Division, Joan Jett, Bad Brains, Bad Religion, Sex Pistols boxed set, and a few others! Smle at the window display because they have an old school Cher make up kit doll. Ha read more

Went to Academy today. Charles Kynard on Prestige I had never seen before. Score! Met the owner today. He gave me a great price a big box set I needed to move for credit. Thank you. read more

Good records, bad staff. I was once in store, asked for some Radiohead records, and they told me to come back later. I called the next day to know about the records, before heading to the store. They said they got some, but when I asked which ones, the guy at the phone complains: "Oh my god...", and comes back later with the information. Is that a way to treat a customer? read more

While Academy Annex is my favorite out of the three shops, Academy LPs is the one I frequent most. It is within walking distance from where I work and I can usually make a good run through the store when I am on my break. The staff can be aloof at times, but that is the standard with nearly any record shop. Any time I had a question, they were more than happy to provide an answer or assistance. You just have to speak up, that's all. Selection and pricing is in line with the other Academy shops. I also feel like this location is a little bit less picked through than the N6th. (I have never been to W18th). When I first moved to NYC, Kim's used to be my favorite, but Academy changed all that in a heartbeat. read more

Fantastic record store. My significant other is a vinyl junkie and he swears by this place. It's not the biggest store, but they always have great stuff (and sometimes very rare finds) at reasonable prices. It's also the place to go if you need to sell or trade LPs. The Annex in Williamsburg is decent, but Academy LP's is the best. read more