If you’ve not been to this Ballard landmark recently, you may be startled to see a dwindling number of CDs and books and no magazines on the racks. Chalk up these moves to vinyl’s growing hegemony. Manager Jefferson Petrey explained that CD sales have been contracting while vinyl revenue has been ascending. Ergo, Sonic Boom plans to dramatically expand its vinyl metal and soundtracks sections. But far from being a specialist establishment, Sonic Boom tries harder than most retailers to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. Among the businesses profiled here, it has the biggest selection of popular-ish new rock, hip-hop, electronic, and jazz releases. And Petrey has done a remarkable job keeping the experimental-music and avant-jazz bins stocked with greatness. Also strong are Sonic Boom’s reissue, 7-inch singles, and box-set games. Among the latter, high rollers can cop Nirvana’s Nevermind, Popol Vuh’s Volume 2: Acoustic And Ambient Spheres, David Bowie’s Brilliant Adventure, Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels, and Engine Kid’s Everything Left Inside, among others. And if you’re looking for a turntable, Sonic Boom sells Audio-Technica models.
A First-Timer’s Guide to Record Shops in Seattle 🛍
It was difficult for us to narrow this guide to a few shops, but you can’t go wrong by starting at these places.
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