Spin Records

My wife and I were on a bike ride from Solana Beach to Carlsbad and back last Sunday morning so it seemed like a good idea to pop in here for a break and see if they had anything we were interested in. They have a lot of neat stuff in here… box sets, collector vinyl albums and a shitload of cds. The prices are a little high but hey you can have the fun of finding something and take it straight home. I found a Deep Purple best of that was on my list so it worked out well. We may not be in the area for years but if we are. we’ll drop by.

The quintessential used music shop.
I’ve been coming here for 11 years, and always find something worth taking home.
Their LP selection has become extensive (thank you hipsters), but I still find myself sifting through the CDs.
Yesterday I found a Velvet Underground & a Rolling Stones deluxe set, both in mint condition.

Every time I’m in the village, this is a must to stop at! A huge selection of records, cd’s and even tapes for my old players, it has a wonderful selection! The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the selection is great. I also get inspired by what they are playing when I’m in there, and always suggest new music I didn’t know about!

BEST RECORD STORE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY! They always have amazing finds and the team that works there are super friendly :-) This is definitely my favorite record store

I agree with other reviewers that posted about the place being a bit pricey.
What I did dig was the sheer volume of product… DVD’s, VHS tapes, vinyl, cd’s, shirts, incense, stickers, buttons, patches… LOTS of cool products.
It’s not part of some mega chain… it’s a standalone building with plenty of parking, packed to the gills with interesting stuff to peruse. If you are a vinyl hound, it is worth the time to check it out.
I picked up three old skool 1″ pinback buttons (Kittie, Transplants and Cannibal Corpse) a SciDi patch, an Adicts patch, two shop stickers and a pack of those incense matches that are just quirky and fun.
The staff was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.
Would go back, and thought it was worth the trip over from where I was at in Escondido.

Good, Old Fashioned, take your time to browse through records and CDs store! It’s fun to take an hour to browse through and get some fantastic finds. The staff is Very Educated and can point you towards anything that they have that works for you! Great little Gem!

Lots of great jazz and rock records and the employees are super helpful! Left with 6 great records.

i don’t write a lot of retail reviews but SPIN RECORDS deserves the mention.
if the pop offerings at WALMART don’t float your boat, SPIN RECORDS is a good place to check out. and, if they do float your boat, step out of your comfort zone and take a walk on the wild side and stretch your musical horizons.
picked up BILLY BRAGG and WILCO (MERMAID AVENUE) and some VELVET UNDERGROUND CD’s for CHRISTMAS gifts.
wall-​to-​wall, floor-​to-​ceiling, what a local treasure. this is what retail should be.

Large selection of vinyl that is well organized. I could spend quite a long time in here going through everything. Parking is not an issue because they have their own private lot. It’s near a really cute area, where there are bars, coffee shops, and places to eat.
One thing I look for when in record stores is a metal section. However, this place, there is no separate section of metal vinyl, it’s just lumped in with all the rock/​pop. I got some good finds from here though, but it’s just on the more expensive side compared to other vinyl store I’ve been to. I just happened to be in the area visiting a friend, and it was a nice way just to relax with my coffee and browse vinyl. They keep the actual records in the back, so it’s good insurance that what you buy is good quality!

Great Selection — always a good place to come and browse CDs. Vinyl is always a little hard to look through — more records than space provided for them, but the browsing is worth it because I find gems here — especially when I’m not looking! Good prices and lots of classic stuff with cool memorabilia

I can’t lie, spins selection dwarfs Lou’s cd selection. especially with the early punk music and it’s located right in the village but the prices in my opinion are through the roof. Regardless, when your looking for something hard to find spin usually has it

Looking through thousands and thousands of jewel case spines can be a bit fatiguing, yet it is intuitive as you look for key words — bands, labels or titles — with ease of sight. Having to browse through jewel cases set with spines not facing you is more of an active endeavor, but still not too problematic since you learn how to flick through cases with fluidity; the clacking of those cases coming together as you browse past them a rewarding stimuli in and of itself.
Not employing either system, Spin Records has the jewel cases in giants shelves behind the counter with only the booklets or some other visual representation of the covers filed on the store floor like some sort of giant index card system. Box sets and other irregular cases are on a second tier of shelves, all of them empty until you pay, and vinyl is off to the side.
Now, for the store, this case-​less system makes absolute sense (maximizes the little space the store has with less clutter and there is a lower likelihood of items getting stolen) but for the customer it can be overwhelming and quite difficult to browse without having to go through every single card-​stock thin item (it sometimes feels like trying to flip through a moist dictionary since some of the items stick together).
Store set-​up aside, the selection at Spin Records is pretty good. There is a great selection of both major and indie label releases from pretty much any genre and across decades (any record store that has separate Goth/​Industrial and Folk sections probably and hopefully knows what they are doing). The box set selection was one of the best I have seen this side of Amoeba, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how many singles I found. Additionally for those interested, they had a fairly large collection of assorted bootlegs.
Pricing is decent, with some albums as low as $ 2.99 (maybe lower, I didn’t check the clearance prices) but most albums starting around $ 5.99 used and $ 13 new. Box sets and deluxe reissues are pricey: upwards of $ 25 for 2 disc sets and boxes with 4 discs or more at $ 40-​plus.
Overall, Spin Records is pretty awesome, and although I have a bit of an issue with their store set-​up, I found their selection expansive enough to warrant a recommendation. I understand that space is at a premium, and therefore it makes sense to try out their different system, but unless one goes to the store with a few hours to spare (which, on any planned trip there I could give — I ended up visiting Spin Records the day we ran the Junior Carlsbad 5K and did not stay long as I had to travel to Bakersfield), the index card system can be frustrating.
Purchased:
Magic Happens by The Family Cat (Used, $ 2.99)
The Slow-​Motion World of Snowpony (Used, $ 9.99)
Stars are Our Home by Black Hearted Brother (New, $ 12)

Great music selection, accessories as well as nice, friendly people here at Spin Records.
Having moved to North County fairly recently, one of the first things I need to know is where the nearest record store is.
Thay have a huge inventory of DVD music concerts/​documentaries, new/​used vinyl records and CDs. I can tell a place is good if they have t-​shirts of The Sisters of Mercy. Ok, I am a fan but it is hard to find a loval place that has one for sale around here.
Come in on a normal day or better yet on Record Store Day to really have a good time shopping for music.

This place is a music lovers heaven! If they don’t have it they will find it and get it! Great selection and rad staff!

I love this music store. I would move in if I could. I make a point to stop by when in the area and leave with some great finds. It’s a small store and cram packed with tons of music (cd’s + vinyl) so have some patience and time! There’s a pretty good selection of music… lots of different genres. Nice enough staff. They will order stuff for you if they don’t have it in stock.

I really like Spin Records in Carlsbad. I love the area it is situated in! Slightly more expensive than the record stores I visit most, but so close to PCH in a very touristy area, I really would suspect as much. Not TOO expensive, at all.
I did buy a few albums from Spin, and a bright pink t-​shirt, because it just rocks.
I would prefer a better organization of used vinyl, but the store has soooo much more than vinyl. Also — super friendly service is a plus.
I found a cardboard cut out of Barry Manilow tucked in the corner — so I had to pull him out and pose with him. (Looks Like We Made it!!!) Oh my gosh I wore his music out in the 70’s. And that is why vinyl is so freaking awesome — I can time travel with a drop of a needle. I prefer vinyl to ALL other forms of music.
Half of the fun… or is it ¾’s??? Is just looking at the awesome album covers of days gone by. I just love it. This is a hobby of mine, browsing vinyl stores, and playing the records DAILY at my home.
Thanks, Spin Records… for being here.

A record store pet peeve of mine– LPs are crammed together, it’s impossible to go thru them. Spin Records is a struggle. When I could pull out an album, the cheapest one I could find was $ 20.
«Where’s all your used vinyl?» I ask.
«Underneath.» And as if reading the «I’m not sitting on your floor to go thru these crammed records» expression on my face, the clerk volunteered– «I’ll help you look for anything.»
No thanks. Not returning. Booooo.

this is an update from my last review. Ya know the REALLY GOOD ONE. Well the service went from bad to worse. The people that work there are abrupt, rude, and unfriendly.
I used to spend hundreds of dollars in there, but IF YOUR READING THIS JUST KNOW YOU LOST A BIG CUSTOMER.
They rip me off on trade in, and now when I go in there, they demand that I take off my backpack. I’M 15! DO I LOOK LIKE A FRICKKEN THIEF?! And then a homeless guy walks in with a backpack and they don’t say crap to him.
Apparently these nasty, rude hipsters think that because I’m young they can look over me and not treat me like a customer. They look over me, don’t say thank you… Have I mentioned that I used to spend ALL MY MONEY HERE?! I thought it was a good place, good cause, I took EVERYONE HERE!
AND IF YOUR READING THIS KEN AND NASTY CREW JUST KNOW THAT BEST BUY IS NOW MAKING A BUTTTTLLLLLLLOOOOOOAAAAAD MORE MONEY EVERY PAYCHECK I GET!

Great record shop in a nice, convenient location. I visited Spin Records two months ago while in Carlsbad, in addition to checking out the beach, Submarina and It’s a Grind. I only ended up buying one thing at the record store. I purchased a copy of Giant Robot magazine. I still haven’t read the entire magazine. It’s a great magazine but I have a bunch of other magazines piled up to read: Bloomberg Business Week, Marie Claire, Fortune, Details and some titles I can’t remember. The store sells other magazines such as Rolling Stone. I recall that distinctly due to the cover subject and photo of the impressive Lady Gaga.
Credit cards are accepted here, even for such a small purchase as a magazine. Hey, what can I say? I forgot to visit the ATM before heading to Carlsbad. I would revisit this store the next time I’m in the area.

This store rocks, literally. They always have cool music playing and the staff is super friendly & helpful. Sometimes I’ll just ask them to throw on something obscure that the staff likes and I’ll end up buying it. They have a good selection of used cd’s too.
The best part is the owner lets me bring in my dogs while I shop, which is so helpful as when I’m in Carlsbad I always have the dogs (can’t be leaving ‘em in the hotel now can I? They like music too!) How cool is that?
Nice people. Cool music. An Independent record store just like the old days. I love it!
It’s also good to note that if they don’t have what you want, they’ll gladly order it. Go support this place & keep this independent record store alive!