Record Store Profile: Catalog Music QLD

What is your store called? 

Catalog Music

Where are you located?

In Magandjin/Meanjin (Brisbane's) revered music, arts & mayhem capital Fortitude Valley. We operate within the unceded lands of the Jagera & Turrbal people and online here.

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?

I'm Martin Spencer I am the owner/manager/janitor. I'm a washed up DJ & retired tree guy. I live onsite with my 1 year old cavalier King Charles spaniel named Judy. Helping me out right now is the renowned Italo disco producer/remixer/DJ veteran Dave Mathmos, doing some days so i can get a break, also i've been supported over the years by my former partner Tara & her daughters Edie & Abbey, Josh the wizkid, local dj Natasha gets a mention, Cahroon the junior Iranian-Australian hip hop head during 2024/25, detroit producer DJ Chris Lowell, and in the beginning gotta prop producer & DJ Walrii aka Isaac Ismail who was a big support & contributed to the stores initial launch & early stage buying music etc

When and why did the store open?

The store opened in October 2020 as i had just procured the key to the store when covid hit. I did the shopfit myself with some assistance from a couple of hands. I conceptualised catalog after 25 years of record collecting and DJing in Australia & the USA and leant into the record store project for lack of anything else to do at age 42, midway thru suing the government (my former employer) for reasons i can't disclose. I had also done my time in the tree industry as a contract tree climber then as a senior consulting arborist for the city of Gold Coast for 9 years. Was a huge shit fight and i had a meltdown and wanted to just play records and hang with my (then elderly) dog Huxley, and opt out of the scam of having a job, commuting, stressing out over nothing. Turns out records stores are fkn stressful too, in different ways, but it was the right call at the time, no regrets!

What do your customers most know you for?

Being friendly & welcoming, pretty unhinged sometimes on social media & a very strong advocate for psychedelics, their uptake, healing power & helping folks with the 'ascension' ... lol.. (but if you ask them they'd prolly say "he's alright, i guess").

What is the most popular title you stock at the moment? 

Just sold a bunch of Amon Tobin's earliest album under the alias "Cujo" and "Adventures in foam" - classic 90's tackle and one for the proper heads.

What is the most popular evergreen title?

Probably Sade's Diamond Life, that shit flies as soon as it hits the counter. Also detroit stuff is a big seller here (house/techno). But yeah also maybe Rumours… maybe floyd…

What is the best thing about running a record store in 2025?

Without sounding cliched its the community aspect, building community generally but around analogue sound & experiences, having some amazing in-store events including almost monthly dub, deep, tech & minimal nights from 10pm to 4-5am. Seeing people get so much joy from music, seeing the next generation of DJs playing records coming up, and watching the white supremacist patriarchy try to scam everyone into being sheeple while we sit and sip and smoke and play records all day.

What is the hardest thing about running a record store in 2025?

"it's the money .................". It costs a fuckin’ fortune to run a decent size record store. there are no grants or philanthropy that seem to recognise record stores for their truly invaluable roles in cities for binding community, providing bedrock foundation for artists by promoting independent music, & a sense of place & time for visitors from around the globe - instead they sink their funding into sports, visual arts & their friend's pockets (do i sound bitter?!... haha) .. but yeah, it's a tough gig. If it was easy tho, erryone be doin it!