> ./blog / sounds-found-fifteen-record-shops
Meet soundsfound: one search for independent record shops
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I buy a lot of records, but finding a particular one can be much harder than it should be. You open one shop after another, search for the same album over and over again, and end up with a row of tabs to compare. If you’re looking for a limited pressing, a signed copy or a particular reissue, the hunt gets harder still.
That’s why I built soundsfound: one place to search for vinyl, CDs and cassettes across independent record shops.
Search by artist or album and soundsfound brings together the copies those shops have available. You can compare editions and prices, then buy directly from the retailer. Less time searching shop by shop. More time finding records worth playing.
One search, multiple independent shops
At launch, soundsfound searches 15 retailers, including Assai, Banquet, Bear Tree, Blood Records, Sister Ray, Spillers and Stranger Than Paradise.
You don’t have to wait for every shop before you can start looking. Results appear as the shops respond, so you can begin browsing straight away and watch more copies arrive in the search.
Compare the copies that are actually available
Finding the album is only part of the job. The same release might be available as a standard LP, coloured vinyl, a signed edition, a CD or a cassette, with a different price at every shop.
soundsfound organises results by artist, release and retailer, and shows the details that matter when you’re deciding which copy to buy:
- Format, including vinyl, CD and cassette
- Edition or pressing information
- Signed copies where available
- Current price and availability
- A direct link to buy from the shop
soundsfound doesn’t sell records itself. Every purchase takes place on the independent shop’s own website, so the relationship stays between the buyer and the retailer.
Find the right release quickly
You can narrow a search by format, signed editions and maximum price. If a broad search matches several artists, soundsfound helps you choose the right one before showing the releases available to buy.
Search suggestions also help with partial artist and album names, so you don’t need to remember the exact title before you begin.
Explore an artist’s catalogue
Sometimes you know the exact record you’re looking for. Sometimes you only know that you want to see what’s available by an artist you love.
Artist pages bring their available albums together, with starting prices and the number of listings currently in stock. You can search within a larger catalogue, move between releases and follow related artists if you feel like digging a little further.
Featured catalogues offer another way in when you aren’t looking for anything in particular. The aim is to make soundsfound useful for a destination purchase without losing the joy of discovering something unexpected along the way.
Keeping independent shops at the centre
Independent record shops already have the stock, the knowledge and the relationship with their customers. soundsfound simply makes their catalogues easier to search together.
Every result links back to the retailer to complete the purchase. There is no marketplace checkout and no attempt to hide which shop a record comes from. The shop remains front and centre throughout.
Fifteen retailers is a good start, but there are many more worth including. If your favourite independent shop is missing, you can request it through the site and choose to be notified when it is added.
Find your next record
soundsfound is live. Search for the record you’ve been trying to find and discover which independent shop has it waiting.