Record Store Profile: RPM Records NSW

What is your store called? 

RPM Records Posters Memorabillia

Where are you located? 

Marrickville NSW

Are you a physical store, online or both?

Steve: We are very much a physical store, an old school bricks and mortar record shop. A place where music lovers of all walks of life can come together as a community. Of course we also have an online store, but often this is used by customers who check our extensive catalogue before coming and shopping in person. For those in remote areas obviously the online store is a vital and essential service. However, from our perspective, record stores are far more than items for sale online. They rather offer an experience that can be lived and enjoyed. 

We are very much a physical store, an old school bricks and mortar record shop that has been in the Marrickville area since 2015, open to the public 7 days a week from 11am to 5 or 6pm. Of course, we also have had our own ecommerce website since 2023, but often this is used by customers to check our extensive catalogue before coming and shopping in person. For those in remote areas, obviously the online store is a vital and essential service. Additionally, we are an ARIA chart reporting store since 2025 so customer purchases count towards the ARIA charts for the artists. However, from our perspective, record stores are far more than items for sale. They rather offer an experience that can be lived and enjoyed. 

Do you cater for a specific niche or genre?

We cater for many genres of music and all ages of the family, where three generations can find records they love. We have a large selection of second-hand classic rock and pop, but also punk, indie, country, reggae, soul, jazz and blues. Probably our largest section, is our collection of Australian/New Zealand artists. We also sell more than just vinyl, with CD’s selling very well, as are cassettes, posters, memorabilia and merch. Sealed New releases or vintage rare collectible records can be found here. And if vinyl is not your thing, we are for all music lovers with our large range of CD’s, Cassettes, Posters, Magazines, T-shirts, merchandise and memorabilia and 80’s retro vibe.

Tell us about the people behind the scenes?

Steve and Lizzie are two weird and wonderful music lovers who found their way back to vinyl just over 10 years ago after getting fooled by the industry in the 90s to 2010’s that CDs were the only way to go, that vinyl was out.  Lizzie left any records behind in Canada when she came backpacking to Oz in 1994 and Steve who’s from the UK can't remember who he gave his records to when he replaced them all with new CDs in the 80s. Both were working in corporate sales at the time and in other places and didn't know each other until 2014.  They started the shop in 2015, married in 2017 and now live above the shop since 2023. Talk about fully committed to the vinyl lifestyle! They both work 7 days a week and love meeting so many wonderful people every week in the shop, new and old collectors.  It’s almost like an extension of their home. Taj and Sam also can be found behind the counter and keeping things neat and clean in the shop.

When and why did the store open? 

Steve met Lizzie at one of his gigs with his band The Cleanskins, on a boat in Sydney harbour in May 2013. By late 2014 they went on their first date.  Lizzie asked what his goals were, and he said he'd love to have a record shop/cafe one day, even though he meant a bit further into the future. He had started collecting again 3 or 4 years earlier and had done enough research to know they were on their way back to popularity.  He was right of course, and once they started dating, they found a little pop-up shop in Marrickville, to give it a burl. Just before that Steve was asked by the promoter Kevin Jacobson if we wanted to sell his memorabilia on consignment either popup or online.  That seemed like a good way to start, even though they didn't have a lot of records at that time.  They knew what they didn’t want to be: disorganised, dirty, damaged and a waste of the customers time by taking ages to find stuff.  We pride ourselves in having everything cleaned and in an orderly fashion so anyone can find what they are looking for if we have it.

What do your customers most know you for?

Quality condition, variety and our meticulous organisation. All Killer - No filler is our mantra. Most everything is catalogued and filed by genre alphabetically, which means you can find what you are after without having to spend hours digging around. The history of music all under one roof, you will always find something rare and interesting. We also have 1000’s of $10 bargain records.

We are also well known for having a chat with everyone who comes in.  No one gets ignored once they step through our sliding door.  Record stores are an experience, not just products for sale. We are places where vinyl lovers, of all walks of life, can come together as a community.

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

Not one title but soul and jazz are always popular to young and old shoppers.  80s synth pop is getting more popular. One Australian band selling very well is Sydney band, Sons of the East, new album just out called Sons.

What is the most popular evergreen title? 

Easy, Fleetwood Mac Rumours or Amy Winehouse Back to Black. We still sell plenty of Beatles and Led Zeppelin too.

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

The best thing is of course, having to test records all day, there is a zero-silence policy at RPM says Lizzie, she likes there to always be an album playing in the shop on the turntable.  No playlists from a phone anywhere here.  There are plenty of records that we have not had the chance to listen to, we have so many now but it’s great to keep finding hidden gems once we hear them.  Next best thing is talking to other music addicted people about vinyl, CD’s or anything music, who leave with a smile after finding something they were looking for.  The goal at RPM is to have some fun and maybe meet a few other people from all walks of life who are also into vinyl, either again or new to it. We don’t all love vinyl for the same reasons, but we still admit to loving it.

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

Staying a financially viable business is the hardest part and always ending up with more records and not having room to put them. It's a very labour-intensive process to clean, restore, protect and archive them. We seem to be about a year behind with the crates we have hidden behind the scenes. Competing against online only shops and record fairs who don’t do it full time or have the same overheads and labour costs as we do. They can sell for much lower margins, so it’s hard to compete with them solely on price. Let's just say, I don't personally know very many rich record shop owners, but I do know a lot of really hard-working ones, who have a lot of expertise and passion for the vinyl media and do it to keep the tradition of digging in a shop alive.  So please support your local shop before you buy online next time. Often, they can order it in from the same suppliers, if given the chance first, and hopefully you will enjoy the person-to-person service and sense of community that record shops uniquely have.