Louisiana RSD FAQ
How many record stores are in Louisiana?
Louisiana has 65 active record stores spread across 26 distinct towns, with the densest concentration in New Orleans (12 shops), followed by Baton Rouge and Lafayette (7 each), Shreveport (5), and Covington (4). The state’s record-retail scene spans NOLA’s Frenchmen Street cultural corridor down through Cajun country and out to the I-20 cities of north Louisiana. If you’re crossing state lines, neighboring Texas picks up at Texarkana, Mississippi shares the Gulf Coast border (Cool Vinyl Records, the Louisiana-based mini-chain, has its only out-of-state location in D’Iberville), and Arkansas lies just north of Shreveport.
What is Louisiana's oldest record store?
Peaches Records in New Orleans has been spinning since 1975, making it the state’s oldest record store at 50 years and one of the most storied shops in the entire South. Founded by Shirani Rea on S Carrollton Avenue uptown, Peaches relocated in 2016 to its current 10,000 square foot space at 4318 Magazine Street, a converted Woolworth’s that still features the building’s original 1940s lunch counter. Peaches was crucial to the growth of the New Orleans hip-hop scene in the 1990s and remains a deep-stocked institution for new vinyl, used LPs, and rare regional pressings.
Where can I find the best New Orleans and Louisiana music in the state?
Louisiana Music Factory at 421 Frenchmen Street is the dedicated specialist for New Orleans and Louisiana music, with deep sections covering jazz, blues, R&B, zydeco, and Cajun music. Set right in the Frenchmen Street live-music corridor, the shop hosts regular in-store performances and serves as a cultural hub for visiting musicians and music tourists. If your goal is to take a slice of authentic Louisiana sound home, this is the first stop.
What other record stores are in New Orleans?
Beyond Peaches and Louisiana Music Factory, New Orleans hosts ten additional record shops worth visiting. Domino Sound Record Shack on Bayou Road is a longstanding NOLA indie with deep used inventory, Euclid Records New Orleans at 3301 Chartres Street is the Big Easy outpost of the St. Louis indie shop, and NOLA Mix Records on Magazine Street covers electronic and dance vinyl. Rounding out the city are The Mushroom, Sisters in Christ, Nuthin But Fire Records, Silver Lotus Records, Man Ray Records (inside Blue Cypress Books), and Hey! Cafe for the cafe-plus-vinyl combo.
How are Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes covered?
Baton Rouge, the state capital, anchors south-central Louisiana with seven shops including Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Pop Shop Records, plus two locations of the homegrown Cool Vinyl Records chain (Pink Elephant on Government Street and the Marketplace at Circa 1857). Cool Vinyl Records launched in 2014 and now operates seven Gulf South locations: six across Louisiana from Baton Rouge through Covington, Denham Springs, Hammond, Mandeville, and Metairie, plus one in D’Iberville Mississippi. 22 Sound serves Mandeville and Mardi Gras Records covers Metairie.
What about Cajun country and Lafayette?
Cajun country anchors around Lafayette (7 shops) and Ville Platte. Floyd’s Record Shop in Ville Platte is the legendary Cajun music institution, a destination for traditional Cajun and zydeco vinyl that draws collectors from across the Gulf Coast. In Lafayette, Lagniappe Records leads the indie scene, joined by Acadian Pawn Shop‘s two sister locations on Moss Street and Guilbeau Road, plus the state’s only FYE outlet at 5715 Johnston Street. New Iberia, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Rayne, and Abbeville round out Acadiana with one or two shops each.
Do Louisiana record stores participate in Record Store Day?
Yes, Louisiana’s flagship indie shops are full Record Store Day participants, with Peaches Records, Louisiana Music Factory, Domino Sound Record Shack, Euclid Records New Orleans, and NOLA Mix Records all hosting RSD events in New Orleans. Outside the city, expect RSD activity at Baton Rouge Music Exchange, Pop Shop Records, Lagniappe Records in Lafayette, and Floyd’s Record Shop in Ville Platte. The official RSD Saturday falls in mid-April each year, with most participating stores opening early and lines forming well before sunrise.
Where can I find rare and collectible vinyl in Louisiana?
For deep used and collectible stock, Peaches Records (50 years of accumulated inventory in 10,000 square feet) and Domino Sound Record Shack lead the New Orleans market, while Louisiana Music Factory carries rare regional NOLA jazz, blues, and zydeco pressings hard to find elsewhere. Outside the city, Rick’s Records and The Little Shop of Music in Shreveport cover the I-20 corridor, while Floyd’s Record Shop holds Cajun rarities and regional 45s that exist nowhere else. Lake Charles’ AlbumAddict and the 2nd & Charles outlets in Bossier City, Covington, and Houma add chain-store breadth.