Texas RSD FAQ
How many record stores are in Texas?
Texas has 199 active record stores spread across 75 distinct towns – the second-largest state directory on the site after California. San Antonio surprisingly leads the state at 27 shops (more than Austin or Houston), followed by Austin (16), Houston (14), Dallas (12), El Paso (10), and Fort Worth (7). The El Paso shops sit on the I-10 corridor at the New Mexico line, the eastern Texas shops in Texarkana and Tyler pull into Arkansas and Louisiana respectively, and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex feeds the Oklahoma corridor.
Tell me about Waterloo Records.
Waterloo Records on North Lamar Boulevard in Austin has been operating since 1982 and is the iconic Texas indie record store. In spring 2025 it relocated to a new larger Lamar Boulevard space (the former Louis Shanks Furniture / Whole Foods office) – 50 percent bigger than the prior location, with a cafe, podcast studio, and gold record room on premises. New owners as of 2025 are Caren Kelleher (CEO of Gold Rush Vinyl, the Austin pressing plant) and Trey Watson (CEO of Armadillo Records). Waterloo remains the natural first stop for any Texas record-store circuit and the anchor of Austin’s South-by-Southwest indie culture.
What are the best record stores in Austin?
Austin holds 16 shops with deep music-history weight. Waterloo Records (see above) anchors the city. Antone’s Record Shop shares its name with the legendary Antone’s blues club and carries the Austin blues tradition through vinyl. End of an Ear handles the deep indie used trade. Breakaway Records, BLK Vinyl, Living in Stereo, Sunshine Vinyl, and Love Wheel Records round out the indie cluster. For audiophile shopping, Whetstone Audio runs by appointment with curated vintage vinyl alongside hi-fi gear.
What are the best record stores in San Antonio?
San Antonio surprisingly has the most record stores of any Texas city at 27 shops. CD Exchange operates five San Antonio locations (Colonnade, SW Military, Walzem, plus two Movie Exchange branches at Bandera and Bitters & 281), making it the city’s local indie chain. Friends of Sound runs two locations in Beacon Hill and Southtown. Del Bravo Record Shop covers the Tejano, conjunto, and Texas-Mexican music tradition. Crescent Moon Music & Collectibles, Southtown Vinyl, Music Connection Record Store, Real Retro, and Nine Lives Books round out the city’s indie circuit.
What are the best record stores in Houston and what about the Houston hip-hop legacy?
Houston is the home of Texas hip-hop – Rap-A-Lot Records, the Screwed Up Click, and DJ Screw’s chopped-and-screwed catalog all came out of Houston. Screwed Up Records & Tapes on Cullen Boulevard is DJ Screw’s own legacy shop, the destination for Houston rap collectors. Cactus Music on Shepherd Drive is the city’s longest-running indie. Sound Exchange in Montrose, Sig’s Lagoon downtown, and Vinal Edge Records handle the broader indie trade. Gneiss Sounds and Sound Revolution round out the city, and Soundwaves – Crosstimbers is the last remaining Soundwaves chain location as the chain’s Montrose flagship closes in April 2026.
What are the best record stores in Dallas and Fort Worth?
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex holds 19 shops between Dallas (12) and Fort Worth (7). In Dallas, Good Records on Greenville Avenue is the city’s longest-running indie anchor. Josey Records in Farmers Branch runs one of the largest single-store inventories in Texas. Spinster Records, Black Cat Records ‘N’ Comics, and Dolly Python round out the Dallas cluster. The Dallas-headquartered Half Price Books chain’s Dallas Northwest Hwy flagship anchors the city’s chain presence (with four more HPB locations across the state). In Fort Worth, Record Town, Doc’s Records & Vintage, Panther City Vinyl, Chief Records, and Saint Marie Records handle the western half of the Metroplex.
What are the best record stores in El Paso and the rest of Texas?
El Paso’s ten shops anchor far West Texas. All That Music & Video is the longstanding El Paso indie, with VLFL and the FYE Cielo Vista Mall rounding out the city’s biggest names. Out in Panhandle and West Texas, smaller-town shops include longstanding Texas indies across Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, and Wichita Falls. In East Texas, Tyler holds four shops and Texarkana sits on the Arkansas border. On the Gulf Coast, Corpus Christi carries three shops, and McAllen down in the Rio Grande Valley adds three more for the South Texas border crowd.
Does Texas participate in Record Store Day?
Yes, and Texas’s iconic indie shops anchor major Record Store Day turnout every April. Waterloo Records in Austin pulls the state’s biggest RSD crowd at its newly expanded Lamar Boulevard space. Antone’s Record Shop, End of an Ear, and Breakaway Records round out the Austin RSD circuit. In Houston, Cactus Music and Sound Exchange anchor RSD weekend. Good Records in Dallas and Josey Records in Farmers Branch lead the DFW RSD turnout. Check the official Record Store Day store locator each spring for the current Texas participant list.