Residency Records — Local services in Salem

The Best Record Store on the North Shore for New Music! This is the type of store that thrived in the heyday of vinyl, and is a welcome addition to the city of Salem. Having been going to RR for several years now (and supporting via remote orders during the pandemic) it's great to see how well this store has thrived.

The new space they acquired is the perfect size and has room to grow even and it's THE place to go if you want new, cutting edge/Indie, (or any genre really) on vinyl. Note that they carry CDs and tape too, but it's a more of a subset. Unlike many record stores still around, Residency Records is less about used "bargains" (they do have some used however) than the very best selection of what's new (or re-issued) in music. So if you're looking for an emphasis on what's happening "now" in music, Residency Records is your place.

The owner is both really friendly and incredibly knowledgeable about a wide range of periods, styles and genres. This would seem sort of an obvious requirement, but that's not always the case with record stores. What's more, he's always happy to special order something that he might not have on hand.

Over the years he's turned me on to several new artists/bands that he (correctly) thought I might like, which is pretty fantastic! Lastly, he's always been more than fair regarding what he's given me for used records I've...

Nice shop overall. Plenty of space and very well-lit. Good selection of metal, punk, hardcore, & indie vinyl. Pricing is very high on new albums, and questionable on used stock. For instance, $10 each for old Herb Albert and Kansas records is ridiculous. There are some "cheap" records in the back ($5 and under) but it's the dusty old stuff no one really wants that you would typically find at a Goodwill. CD selection is decent, but a few of the CD's I found that I was interested in had scratches on the surface and were not worth buying at their marked price unfortunately. I did purchase a $7 used LP that turned out to be quite warped once I got home, and there was another used LP I found the next time I went in that was ALSO badly warped, yet it was still marked top-dollar. Always check the condition of the vinyl before you buy - just because the surface looks clean, doesn't always mean it's "mint". Place it at eye level and be sure it lays FLAT too. Realistically, this shop is a 3.5/5 based on my experiences there, but I'm being generous and...

I've been collecting vinyl since I was a kid (in the dark ages of the 80's), and am raising kids who love vinyl. I took my 16 year old daughter to Salem for her birthday and we came across this place.

They had a really interesting selection, and like others said, some of the organization felt a little random. I don't mind random--especially when I'm just browsing and not looking for anything specific. While digging through the 7" section, I stumbled upon Twin Temple's Babylon--something my daughter has wanted for a while, but I could never justify the cost. This shop was selling it for about half of what I'd seen elsewhere. When the guy working rang it up, he discounted it a little more. I was thrilled with the price, my daughter was thrilled with her gift, and on the way out, we bought something from a local leatherworker who was set up at the front.

I'd absolutely go back on another trip to Salem to see if I could find anymore...