Physical record stores continue to be an endangered species in this day and age, so like any good conservationist, the good folks over at Discogs — the crate-digger’s ultimate online resource — have decided to start tagging and tracking them by launching VinylHub.
Conceptually, VinylHub works in much the same way as Discogs does. For those still catching up, Discogs provides record collectors and casual fans alike with a catalogue of damn near every vinyl or CD album that you could ever hope to own.
While it’s arguable just how comprehensive Discogs’ catalogue really is, VinylHub has the advantage of coming at a time when record store numbers are dwindling, making it somewhat easier to keep a thorough database of all the record stores in the world.
And when we say “the world”, we mean it. In addition to a list of all the places where you can get high off that fresh vinyl smell here Down Under, the community-focused project can help “diggers and travellers everywhere” find a record store, whether in The Netherlands, Argentina, Luxembourg, or South Africa.
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One of the most intriguing things about VinylHub is the fact that it positions Discogs in the role of ally to the struggling physical music retail sector, rather than as one of its primary competitors, particularly among the highly coveted “music aficionado” demographic. At the time of writing, VinylHub has a catalogue of 2,289 shops – the work of 3,092 members.
The setup of VinylHub is pretty simple, and if you already have a Discogs account your very own VinylHub account is just a few clicks away. Users are able to enter a store description, address, phone number, hours of operation, store URL, and a logo for each entry. Plus, each store will come up on an embedded Google Map, as well as a collective map featuring the entire site catalogue.
Judging by the site’s “Explorer” map, Australia is actually doing pretty well for itself in the music retail department, alongside obvious picks like North America, Europe, and Japan. However, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and India not so much.
