29 nostalgic photos chart rise and fall of the record shop, including end of an era, as new golden age beckons

They show an era before streaming and digital downloads, when music-lovers queued to listen to the latest releases in the listening booths.

This retro photo gallery features record shops around the UK from the 1950s to the early noughties, showing changing tastes and technology.

It captures an age when records, then cassettes, and finally CDs, were the dominant format, and you still had to head to your local record store to buy the newest singles and albums.

The stars of their day, including Wet Wet Wet, Runrig, Bros, Kylie and Elton John, are seen meeting fans and signing records, while the Beatles are shown celebrating their record deal with Brian Epstein at the music mogul’s Liverpool shop.

The DJs Alan Freeman and Noel Edmonds are shown in the shops they ran at the height of their fame.

And some of the much-loved record shops we’ve loved and lost over the years are pictured too, including Our Price, The Other Record Shop, and Tower Records.

It’s not just record shops pictured, but also the popular high street chains that were once known for their record departments, like Woolworths, John Menzies and Boots.

While the number of shops selling records in the UK has decreased dramatically since we started listening online, a new golden era is blossoming for independent record stores.

There were 461 indie record shops in the UK, as of 2024 - a 10-year high - with their success bolstered by the recent vinyl renaissance.

What’s your favourite record shop past or present, and what do you think was the best year for music?

If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might like this look back at department stores we loved in the 60s and 70s.