Record Store Profile: Rocking Horse Records QLD

What is your store called?

Rocking Horse Records

Where are you located?

Brisbane City Mall, QLD and online here.

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?          

We're celebrating 50 years of trading. There's way too many people to mention. Behind the counter and in the office we have a couple of wise old codgers as well as some bright new upstarts. 

When and why did the store open?

We opened in 1975. The owner opened Rocking Horse as an import store due to local companies dragging the chain on new releases. The locals were getting restless!

What do your customers most know you for?

A huge selection of titles covering all genres. A variety of stock sourced from all over the world, both new and 2nd hand.

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

Ethel Cain - The Preachers Daughter

What is the most popular evergreen title?

Jeff Buckley - Grace

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

We're fortunate enough to be part of a long tradition of trading in the physical media aspect of music. It's a great privilege to be able to keep up to date on all the latest new releases as well as learning about old and obscure gems. It's not a position we take lightly... tho' it is fun!

The ongoing resurgence in vinyl (& cd's!) has luckily afforded us a whole new clientele. Meeting new and old friends that share similar interests and raving about a favourite record together... it's a very nice thing to be a part of. It's also great to see such a diverse range of music fans loving records!

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

Probably the biggest obstacle for us is competing with direct-to-consumer business models. These models allow for companies to bypass wholesalers and retail stores completely. Unfortunately for us many popular artists are a part of this model and it's tough when valued customers are eager to get a new record and we aren't able to source it for them. But we are very thankful to have a loyal customer base that continue to look to us first to supply them with all their fresh LP's, CD's, T-shirts and more. For the most part, it's a still a pleasure doing business.