Academy Records Annex

One of my highlights on a recent trip to NYC.
First, the space is huge. So many records, so little time. I stuck with the used section as I’m primarily interested in original pressings of older albums. Even with that rule in place, I must have burnt 45 minutes to an hour in here and not even made it to the Rock & Pop. I had a look for some specific artists but with a wife in tow and two growling bellies we called it a day, only $ 30 – 40 poorer but 11 records, 1 cassette and 2 8-​tracks richer! Incredible value. I will be back very soon.

One of the best record stores in Brooklyn! Huge selection, several turntables to test out used records you are considering purchasing, helpful staff, and a clearly marked signs that tell you which sections you are looking through. The first time I visited the store, I scored 5 used records for under $ 25 — what a steal! The next time I came by, I bought 7 records, some old and several new, for ~$ 90. Great deals, great selections, friendly staff. I dont even mind how far away it is because there’s always a great find in the store!

The selection here is decent, but the prices are outta control.
When you go into a store, have a handful of records that you have a general sense of the average cost of. Allow that to be the indicator of a good record store.
For me, It’s Springsteen’s «Born in the USA». If you can get it for under $ 5, that’s a store that understands there were millions upon millions of these albums printed, and yeah, you should probably have a throw-​away copy in your collection, just because.
It’s not a collectors item, it’s not even hard to find. Any store could have 10 copies at any given time. At Academy it was $ 20+. Wild and the Innocent — $ 20+. I think «High Hopes» was $ 35.
Guys, really? No.

We were in Greenpoint for 2 days on tour and I was there BOTH days! Spent money both days! Found new stuff both days! The selection is massive no matter what genre you listen to. With ‘New Arrivals’ put out daily there’s always something new to find! Got a question about whether a new release has a lyric sheet, or is on colored vinyl? Ask and they’ll probably open one just to find out! (They did for me and I bought the record!)
I can’t wait to visit the east coast again! This place will be on my list!

I love music and collecting records and have been a record junkie for some long stretches in my life… I want to love Academy, but alas I only like it. why? Because their ‘new arrivals’ section is just too much of a hassle for me. This goes the same for the Academy in the East Village.
Their ‘new arrivals’ is is about 10 long bins. I’d say that’s very close to 20 crates. And although it may have some good records, it is by far filled with really common filler records. But even if it was full of heavy hitters, it would still be too time consuming. It’s a hassle… A drag… Having a ‘new arrivals’ section this big defeats the purpose of a ‘new arrivals’ bin which is — to allow regular customers to peep the new music — so they don’t have to look through the whole store. When you go through Academy’s giant ‘new arrivals’ section, it’s just too darn time consuming… I have heard this complaint from other longtime music/​record fans. That is in fact how I first became aware of the issue. It had been bugging me but I hadn’t really realized how much. I think smarter record stores have smaller new arrivals, and just stock the filler. People are capable of finding records in sections. That’s why they exist. I love browsing through records, but I don’t want to have to go through 15 – 20 crates of them, to see what cool new records a favorite record store has brought in over the last weeks. By the time you’re done, you’re mentally beat.
You do not need to have the Godspell soundtrack in New Arrivals (just my opinion). If someone wants The Godspell soundtrack (that’s cool I’m sure it’s very good), they can just head over to the Soundtrack section and find it. It’s easy.
That said :) Academy surly aInt bad, it’s just not hitting its full potential!

my favorite vinyl store. sure, some used selections are pricey. but i end up finding some great records (im an 80s fan) for great price. great variety and they always have something ‘OMG, i need to get this!’ worthy.

My go-​to spot in NYC for rock. As I explained in my review of the East 12^th Street store, props to Academy for actually putting collectible items up for sale in-​store and not on eBay. Second-​hand jazz section is rough at this location though.

this place has amazing selection and honestly the friendliest record staff out of all the shops in brooklyn.

BINGO… X marks the spot… This is the place to be… Nobody beats academy… With prices so low, they’re practically giving it all away… etc etc.
What else can be said?
Academy is the hydrogen bomb!
New arrivals are deep, reissue game in EVERY conceivable genre on lock,
loads of nifty wall pieces at VERY reasonable well-​below-​eBay prices, very friendly & helpful staff, a cool cat cruising the store or sleeping on the front counter, and a great place to flip your used gear.
This is really my only gripe-​they used to give me more cash for my records and I have shied away from using this as my main repository of un-​wanted wax and have found greener pastures to facilitate this but I sure do not hold that against them.
Furthermore after talking to other record dudes it’s not just me that they have been getting tighter with.
Anyway that is a pretty inconsequential point, as far as buying wax Academy is the way all record stores should be run: With class… taste and style-​Thanks guys!

This shop has a really solid selection of used titles. The «just in» bin was one of the biggest I’ve seen in a while and I found a few good records while thumbing through. I have a feeling you can dig some really good stuff at this store if you hit it on the right day. The wall had a few cool collectible titles, but most of them were around 20% higher than they should have been. This is one of the stronger stores in Brooklyn that I will go back to next time I’m in town.

Always good tunes playing on the radio. Staff picks are top notch. Always happy with the selection and price.

Absolutely LOVE shopping at Academy Records! Always a great selection of new and used vinyl. The staff is extremely knowledgable and friendly. I also think that their new Greenpoint location is a step up from their old Williamsburg spot. It never feels crowded, even when it actually is crowded (like on Record Store Day, for example). And there is always something interesting spinning on their turntable!
This is my go to spot to shop for vinyl!

It’s downright scary to think about how much money I’ve dropped at this location since moving to NYC. What else can I say that hasn’t already been said? I love this store so much, shopping here has practically become part of my weekly routine.
By a long shot the best selection of new vinyl (followed by rough trade), and there’s enough turnover to troll the same bins week after week and still find new albums. Good selection of used vinyl as well; consistent enough that the new arrivals bin is really just that.
I’ve never had a prolonged interaction with the folks who work here, but checkout is always easy and friendly. On occasion, I’ve received a small discount for spending… ahem… a larger than average amount in one visit.
Without a doubt my favorite spot for vinyl in New York.

Came in here briefly Halloween eve., had been meaning to get to the new
location in Greenpoint for ages, didn’t for various reasons. I was very sad to
hear that the store cat, the adorable tabby cat Tigger, had passed on since the store
had moved from Williamsburg, etc. That was a bit of a Halloween bummer.
In any case, I found a few key CDs I needed including the old The Creatures
Singles collection (Siouxsie and Budgie), Patti Smith Easter (new! and cheap),
even issue #2 of a metal fanzine Edge of a Knife, from a few years back I guess, that even featured a piece on a friend of mine Perry Grayson’s band Falcon, which
was a pretty wild coincidence – I think the zine is based in NYC from
what I gathered online. Plenty of fab. vinyl about but I’m not using my turntable much of late, so went mainly for the CDs and ‘zines and things, had a nice chat with the clerk/​manager, and then explored more of Greenpoint in the dark. I love Academy Manhattan, and I think the Annex is at least as good, if not better. No complaints here. The prices on vinyl seem to be mixed, some collectibles pretty high,
the wall stuff, but that’s the way good and rare vinyl is going these days.
Especially I am forced to visit places like Greenpoint and Wmburg from
a place on L.I. that has no soul or culture to it whatsoever, and no record
stores. What it has is: nothing to offer anyone with a brain. Glad at least
we still have places like this in Brooklyn and the ride isn’t too bad.
A little scary on Halloween but otherwise, it’s fine. The only downside
with Greenpoint and Williamsburg is, you seem to need to be a millionaire
now to live either place, otherwise I’d move right back to Brooklyn.
I did live in downtown for a few years in the late 1990s and we didn’t
have stuff like this over there. BAM was about the only culture,
and a couple of shops in Park Slope, maybe. Oh, and one small record
shop on Montague St. And maybe one comics store then. Dat was it.

4 stars for the sole reason that they have a little section labeled with the actual word «drum n bass». Real interesting selection and reasonableish prices.
Their inability to keep up their listening station keeps the 5^th star away. Bring your own headphones because theirs rarely work.

I love both Academy locations, but this one is maybe the superior of the two in terms of my own personal tastes. Alt/​Punk/​Metal.
I rarely leave empty handed, and their own label stuff is always solid too.
No trip to NYC is complete without a visit to one or both Academies!

This is the largest used record store in New York that I know of. The prices are decent and its a nice, open space thats pleasant to be inside. The staff are also uncommonly friendly considering they are record know it alls. You can find cheap listening copies and rare, uncommon treasures.
This is almost definitely the best record store in New York. There are many good stores in the neighborhood tht are also worth checking out (Permanent Records, Captured Tracks, Record Grouch) but this one is prob where you want to go first.

A breath of fresh air for someone searching for vinyl! I’m so happy a friend of mine brought me here! As any record shop goes to find something you want you do have to dig through the lot. But all in all there is a wide variety of music to choose from here. I will definitely be coming back here soon :)

This is pretty big record store that you can browse for an hour or two. They have tons of records to dig through and 2 listening stations to try them.
Most of their inventory are neatly organized, everything is separated into its own genre. They also have a few CDs and even some equipment too. They also have new records too, and of course there is a new arrival section which is the first place I dig through.
Overall a good store but I do have one complaint. It feels like a lot of their records are not in the best shape. A lot of times when I find a record I like it’s got some marks on them, I don’t mind checking it out on their turntables but I don’t want to go and check 10 records or so just to check one track.

I really enjoyed visiting this store. I know most people enjoy browsing through old records and great deals but I enjoy finding the new ones even more. This store has a great variety of new rock records, well organized and has a friendly and attentive staff.
I can’t wait to bring the boyfriend here, whose much better at finding some good vinyls.

I’ll never come back to this store again. The guy behind the counter ignored me several times when I pretend to pay.
They refused to give me a recipt!
Finally they used records are really really leftovers… It will be hard for you find good stuff here.