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Independent record and music shops in San Diego

There are 17 independent record and music shops in San Diego County on the Hot Tip map, counted on : 7 in Central San Diego, 1 in Coastal San Diego, 2 in North County coastal, 5 in North County inland, 1 in East County and 1 in South Bay. 6 have hours on record.

Counted from the live Hot Tip map. Listings start from OpenStreetMap and are corrected by hand.

How this list is made. Every shop tagged in OpenStreetMap as selling recorded music, plus shops with no tag on file and records or vinyl in the name. Mappers use the same tag for some shops that sell sheet music and instruments, so a few of those are here too. Chains are left off by their corporate parent. Within an area, places named in print or on Reddit come first, then places with hours on record, then the rest by name.

Central San Diego 7

Normal Heights2

Clairemont Mesa1

  • Music Central

    Record and music shop

Convoy and Kearny Mesa1

  • New Melody Music

    Record and music shop

Hillcrest1

South Park1

Tierrasanta1

  • San Diego Music

    Record and music shop

Coastal San Diego 1

Ocean Beach1

North County coastal 2

Carlsbad Village1

Encinitas1

North County inland 5

Escondido2

Carmel Mountain Ranch1

Rancho Peñasquitos1

  • Bertrand's Music

    Record and music shop

    9906 Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92129

Vista1

East County 1

La Mesa1

South Bay 1

Chula Vista1

What the map can tell you

How many independent record and music shops are there in San Diego?

Hot Tip lists 17 in San Diego County, counted on 5 October 2026: 7 in Central San Diego, 1 in Coastal San Diego, 2 in North County coastal, 5 in North County inland, 1 in East County and 1 in South Bay. The areas with the most are Normal Heights (2), Escondido (2), Clairemont Mesa (1), Convoy and Kearny Mesa (1) and Hillcrest (1). Chains are not counted.

Hours come from OpenStreetMap or from the business's own website. The rule for a chain is its owner. Anything with a national or regional corporate parent is out. A San Diego group with a few locations of its own stays. Seen a chain on this list, or a place that has closed, or one that is missing? Write to hello@hottip.club. If the place is yours, claiming it is free.

More independents, county-wide

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