The Current Year Records and Tapes

The Current Year Records and Tapes in Parma is a Cleveland-area shop built around physical media in the broadest sense: vinyl, cassettes, books, magazines, reel-to-reel, 8-tracks, movies, blank tapes, and other dead-media discoveries. The store sits south of Cleveland proper, close enough to draw regulars from across town while keeping its own Parma identity.

The shop is run by a two-person team with one vinyl collector and one tapehead, and that split shapes the store's personality. Alongside records and tapes, The Current Year leans into vaporwave, synthwave, mallsoft, city pop, future funk, and other formats and sounds that connect collectors, musicians, and people making their own recordings.

Interview

Parma is right in Cleveland's orbit but has its own identity. How does that balance play out in the store?

We're in the suburbs but we're close enough to Cleveland proper to be a quote "Cleveland record store." The way that Greater Cleveland maps out, really any store in Cuyahoga County can be considered a "Cleveland store," but there's also East Side stores and West Side stores, depending on how far in either direction you are. We're just about in the middle, south of town, so we're pretty much accessible to everyone. So we have regulars from all over town, which is neat.

Tapes are in the name, which I love. How do cassettes and records support each other in the shop?

They're both essential! We're a two-person operation. One of us is a vinyl collector, one of us is a tapehead. But the overarching raison d'etre of the store is "physical media." We're really a dead-media store when it comes down to it, and we're more about that than anything else. We're into every last form of physical media we can find, from books and magazines to reel-to-reel, 8-tracks, movies, and even Zip drives! We have cassettes of every sort. We're musicians and recorders ourselves, so we have a selection of new, blank tapes because we cater to tapers and people who make their own recordings. If we had more room (we're working on it!) we'd branch out into other forms of electronic media like old home computers. In our warehouse, we have a lot of vintage computers that we'd like to display.

What do Parma and Cleveland-area customers ask for most, and is the mix wider than the punk/metal reputation of the region?

It's funny you ask this, because Parma did indeed have a lot of punks and metalheads ... back in the 1980s. If you go back further, in the 1950s and early 60s, the majority of people here wanted polka and ethnic European music. While we do carry all that, and we still have customers whose main focus is that type of 1900's music, it's not our main focus at all, nor is it what's requested most. What we sell the most of in all formats is vaporwave - be it pure vapor, hard vapor, synthwave, mallsoft, late-night lofi, future funk, barber beats, slushwave, signalwave, mood music, VHS pop, muzak, lounge, Italo-disco, and city pop. This is the music we're excited about the most - it's the kind of music that we make and that our friends make, and we're glad to be able to share it with people in the Cleveland area.

Which format or genre have younger customers genuinely brought back to life?

Japanese jazz-funk fusion, hands down! This short of a teenager being turned on to it in our store got over 60,000 views: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f_pFAlym2Bg

Are there Cleveland-area artists or labels more people should dig into?

There's so much going on in Cleveland right now across all media, and we try to highlight that. We've created a label and production studio, TCY International, and we're working hard to bring out some very new, very different work, including some of our own! It's a huge project with a lot behind it, but that's our number one plan for the coming year!

We love to support local artists that excite us. We had a stack of exclusive, signed copies of Sugardeer's debut 7" a few months ago, and it was also made in Cleveland by our friends at Gotta Groove Records, whose work we absolutely love. It was a beautiful looking and sounding record, and we sold out of it in no time. We also carry the books of Cleveland-born John L. Sheppard, whose novel Small Town Punk is an underground cult classic. We have a lot of friends in Hollywood and for years now they've all been telling us the same exact thing, how it's so expensive to film in LA and so many of them are jealous of what we have in Cleveland. Local production companies like Anhedonia Pictures are making big films, shot mostly right here in town, often with established cast and crew from the West Coast. In fact their newest film, the upcoming Fractured, has a scene shot in the store!

With multiple physical formats, how do you decide what deserves shelf space?

Honestly, this is our number one struggle. We've grown very steadily and right now our store is filled to capacity, and our warehouse is also filled. Looking at our future plans, which are all big and exciting, we're thinking about how we're going to do it. We'll figure it out. One thing is certain, we're not slowing down!

If someone wants to sell records or tapes, what should they know before reaching out, and what condition issues matter most?

If someone has a crate of records or a box of tapes, they can just come in anytime we're open if they want to sell it or trade it in. Sellers should know that we buy a lot more than just music! We're into anything vintage, from decor and collectibles to photography equipment and synths and guitars. If someone has an estate or storage locker or a very large or specialized collection, reach out to us first so that we can make arrangements.

With everything, condition is always the most important. With records, one thing people might not realize is that it's perfectly fine to have old price tags on them. We know that they're worth much more than what the old tags say. Taking them off can even lower the value if you damage the sleeve, and in some cases leaving them on can raise it. Trust me, if you have an old first issue copy of the Beatles Yesterday and Today that still has a $2.49 price tag on it because it's never been opened, we will want to see it with that tag! Yes, it's worth more than $2.49, thousands more, and we know that!

First visit: what should someone check before anything else?

Our hours! Our web site is open 24/7 for shopping, but we have limited staff so our brick and mortar store has limited hours. We're generally open three days a week, but we're also open by appointment. So please check online to make sure that we're actually open before you come out.

FAQ

Where is The Current Year Records and Tapes located?

The Current Year Records and Tapes is located in Parma, Ohio, south of Cleveland and within reach of record collectors across Greater Cleveland.

What formats does the shop focus on?

The shop focuses on physical media, including vinyl records, cassettes, blank tapes, books, magazines, movies, reel-to-reel, 8-tracks, and other vintage media.

What genres stand out at The Current Year?

The shop has a strong interest in vaporwave, synthwave, mallsoft, future funk, city pop, Japanese jazz-funk fusion, and other music connected to physical-media and tape culture.

Does The Current Year buy records or tapes?

Yes. Sellers can bring smaller crates during open hours, while estates, storage lockers, very large collections, or specialized collections should be discussed with the shop first.

What should visitors check before going?

Visitors should check current hours before heading over, because the website is open 24/7 but the brick-and-mortar store has limited weekly hours and may also open by appointment.

Last updated: 2026-07-09