Melbourne’s vinyl capital claim examined in new exhibition

The Story

A report cited by the Victorian Music Development Office has labelled Melbourne “the vinyl capital of the world” based on a per-capita statistic of 5.9 record stores per 100,000 residents. The article notes this claim may be skewed by Tokyo’s population density, which yields 2.3 stores per 100,000. A new exhibition, The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, at ACMI as part of the Rising festival, explores vinyl culture and features a listening room curated by Yasmine Sharaf.

Key Facts

• The Victorian Music Development Office report “For the Record” states Melbourne has 5.9 vinyl record stores per 100,000 people.
• The same study reports Tokyo has 2.3 stores per 100,000 residents.
• The article describes the per-capita statistic as “arbitrary in relation to the experience of record shopping” in Tokyo.
• Australians spent $44.5m on vinyl in 2024, a 5.6% increase over the previous year.
• Vinyl accounts for 72.8% of total revenue from physical media in Australia.
• The Listening Room at ACMI holds about 40 people on tiered seating and padded stools.
• The Independent Music Exchange will take place on 7 June 2026 at Northcote Town Hall.
• Tender, a sound and movement studio in Brunswick, holds weekly three-hour, vinyl-only “deep listening” sessions where talking is not permitted.

Conflicting Reports

The article itself questions the validity of Melbourne’s “vinyl capital” claim, noting that the per-capita comparison does not account for Tokyo’s population density or the fact that many Melbourne secondhand stores rely on Japanese imports for their inventories.

Still Unclear

Whether Melbourne’s vinyl culture is truly more substantial than that of Tokyo or other cities, given the limitations of the per-capita metric. The article also does not specify when the Victorian Music Development Office report was published.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Yasmine Sharaf – Rising music curator and Triple R host
• Corey Kikos – musician in duo Sleep D and co-founder of label Butter Sessions
• Michael Kucyk – founder of label Efficient Space, host of The Listening Room on 17 July
• Nik Thorup – DJ and co-owner of Tender studio
• Stephanie Kitingan – yoga teacher, DJ, architect, and co-owner of Tender studio

Sources: The Guardian