Hi! Paul and Sam here. We are big music fans and between us we've mixed, recorded, written, and enjoyed music in all its mediums. We've made mix tapes to play on long car rides, we've put CD's on repeat and told mum to leave us alone, we've danced, moshed, and crowd-surfed our way through countless gigs and festivals (and even been involved with booking musicians for events). Given all that; we don’t preach that Vinyl is the only way to listen to music. But... Vinyl Records are undeniably cool works of art and they allow us that little extra bit of connection to the music and artists that mean so much to us. To us the most important thing is the connection people create with their music. That's why we love Vinyl. You can’t hug an mp3.Bendigo Vinyl. Your Local Community Record Store.
When we first decided to make Bendigo Vinyl happen we wanted it to be “your local community record store.” Bendigo Vinyl was born over a pint (or maybe it was a jug) of Pale Ale at one of Sam’s favourite Bendigo establishments. As well as loving our music, we love sharing it, talking about it, and getting new recommendations. As an audio engineer (Sam) and events professional (Paul) we already worked in bringing people together, and things that sound good. A record store that was more than just a record store just made sense.
Since our very humble beginnings (at the showground markets with Vinyl crammed into Sam's Yaris) we have grown to know so many great people, many of whom are creating music themselves. Unable to help ourselves we are now adding some "home studio" essentials to our curated crates of vinyl along with hosting in store performances, and whatever else we can do to support and promote music. Stay tuned for more
Our Values
Community First
What matters most is the community and the connection you have to your music. So, at Bendigo Vinyl, if your favourite artist is Opeth or Oliva Rodrigo, Led Zeppelin or Lorde we’re here for you. We care just as much about your 10 grand hi-fi system as we do about your brand-new, $200 AT-LP60X. We thoroughly appreciate high fidelity sound and the joy of building a system that is just right, but, you won’t find any analog audiophile snobs or Vinyl gatekeepers here. Our main priority is to have a safe, welcoming, inclusive space for any one who loves any kind of music. It’s all about you, your music, and a great community that celebrates music together.
Support Local
Starting in Bendigo was important to us. Everything we wanted Bendigo Vinyl to be, we saw in Bendigo; A commitment to the arts and creativity, growth and diversity, honesty, strong community identity and values. We wanted to start and base ourselves in a community that we would feel proud about supporting.
We make sure to play whatever small part we can in supporting emerging artists and local artists. We source as much as we can from local Victorian and Australian creators and suppliers, and we are committed to increasing the environmental sustainability of our business.
Meet the creators
Paul
As someone that likes his tech simple, clutter free, and intuitive, I think digital files and streaming services are an incredible innovation. As a music lover I love having almost any musical recording I could want in my pocket. But... (you saw this coming didn’t you) there is nothing quite like getting home, looking at my growing collection of physical records, pulling a carefully selected choice out of its sleeve, placing it on to my turntable, powering it up, and dropping the needle. My record collection is not just for me, it's for entertaining, a talking point for guests and, don't pretend this isn't a factor, it's makes my place look cool.
Sam
I love my music. I love it online, I love it live in concert, on tv/film - I love it pretty much anywhere. When I really want to hear and feel the music though, I put on a vinyl. There’s nothing that connects you quite as much as, like Paul said, slipping the disc out of the sleeve, putting it on the platter and dropping the needle. You can see the moves the artist made in the sound waves etched between the grooves. With vinyl there is no barrier to enjoying my favourite tunes, no buffering rates, no weird video clips, no tall sweaty guy to block your view at the bar. Just the music.
