MadCity Music

MadCity Music is a long-running Madison shop with buying by appointment, house calls for large collections, and a practical view of condition and common records. The interview keeps the focus on how a college-town store handles records, CDs, cassettes, 45s, and seller expectations.

Interview with MadCity Music

What's the story behind MadCity in Madison, and what would a regular tell a newcomer you're known for?

MadCity Music has been a local institution for over 40 years. It's a great place to pick up classics or new favorites!

You run buying by appointment rather than off-the-street — why does that make for a better deal on both sides of the counter?

Having an appointment helps ensure that a buyer is available when the items come into the store. Not every employee is qualified to buy records, and certain days like Saturday tend to have a lot of people selling. Therefore we ask for an appointment so we don't get bogged down with multiple buys happening at the same time.

Madison's a lively college town — who comes through MadCity, and how's the local record scene?

People of all ages come through MadCity! We are thankful for our diverse clientele!

What's the most valuable or surprising record that's come through the door?

We've had the Beatles "Butcher Covers" come through twice this year. We've had original Bathory LPs come through. Original Nick Drake LPs. Stuff that you would never expect to find in Madison, WI! There are a lot of treasures out there!

You'll make house calls for collections of 300 or more — what does buying a haul that size at someone's home involve?

It involves checking title and condition. When buying a large collection it's important to assess the overall condition. Usually we can do that by looking at a few hundred records and determining how the owner took care of most of their LPs. The title's are very important. Some band's classic records fetch high prices while their less popular titles don't. It's all about experience, knowing the resale market and knowing what our clientele are looking for.

Price comes down to artist, title and condition, and an LP has to have its original jacket — what condition problems most affect your offer, and should sellers clean anything first?

The vinyl condition and jacket condition are key factors. Both play a role with the vinyl itself holding more value than the jacket. Sellers should definitely clean records beforehand. It helps the buyer get an accurate representation of their items and allows us to pay more since we aren't going to have to be cleaning them up after purchasing them.

You're one of the shops that still actively buys 45s alongside LPs, CDs and cassettes — is there real demand there, and who's bringing the singles in?

There is definitely a demand for all of those things. All sorts of people collect singles although we do tend to see 45s coming in from 55-80 year olds.

What do people most often get wrong about what their records are worth?

The biggest "problem" we typically see is someone bringing in a record that's actually quite a bit more common than eBay would lead you to believe. A good example is the White Album by the Beatles. On eBay you can see people attempting to get 100-300 dollars for it when in reality most copies are 25-50 dollars on the floor.

FAQ

Does MadCity Music require appointments for selling records?

Yes. Buying is by appointment so a qualified buyer is available and multiple buys do not stack up at the same time.

Does MadCity Music buy 45s?

Yes. MadCity buys 45s along with LPs, CDs, and cassettes, and says there is real demand for singles.

Last updated: 2026-08-14

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