Last updated September 7, 2026.
The Record Store Directory exists to send people to independent record shops. We are not in the business of collecting you. This page says plainly what happens when you visit, including the parts we are still working to remove.
What we ask you for
Nothing. You can browse the entire directory without an account, without an email address, and without telling us who you are. If you contact us through a form or sign up for an email list, you are handing us that information on purpose, and we use it only to answer you or to send the thing you asked for.
What happens anyway
The site runs on WordPress hosting provided by Automattic. That means some things touch their servers whether or not we want them to. We would rather name them than pretend they are not there.
- Hosting and delivery. Automattic hosts this site and serves our images and scripts through their content network at i0.wp.com, c0.wp.com and s0.wp.com. Loading a page sends your IP address to them.
- Visitor statistics. Jetpack Stats records page views so we can see which guides are useful. It loads from stats.wp.com.
- Maps. Our map plugin loads a charting library from cdn.amcharts.com.
- Avatars. If you leave a comment, Gravatar may be used to display a picture next to it.
- Comment spam. Akismet checks submitted comments and receives the comment content and the IP that sent it.
- Email. If you join a mailing list, MailPoet stores the address you gave us. You can leave at any time using the link in any message.
We do not run Google Analytics, we do not run advertising pixels, and we do not sell or trade anything about you to anyone.
Cookies
Cookies are used to keep the site working and to count page views. We do not use cookies to build an advertising profile of you. Your browser can block or delete them, and the directory will still work.
What we do not do
We do not run affiliate links. When a guide recommends a cartridge, a cleaning brush or a set of shelves, the link goes to whoever sells it and we earn nothing from your click. Nobody pays for a mention here, and no recommendation on this site has money behind it.
We also do not run display advertising, sponsored posts written to look like guides, or any arrangement where a company can buy its way into a recommendation.
When we talk about records, we point you to a record shop near you in our directory. That is the entire purpose of this site.
Record shops listed here
Listings cover businesses, not people. If you own a shop and something about your entry is wrong, or you would rather not be listed, tell us and we will fix it or remove it.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect anything from them.
Your choices
You can ask us what we hold about you, ask us to delete it, or unsubscribe from any list. Since we ask for almost nothing to begin with, the answer is usually that there is nothing to delete.
Contact
Questions about any of this go to our contact page.
If this page ever falls out of step with what the site actually does, the page is wrong and we want to know.