Tailgate Music

Tailgate Music is a booth at Calhoun Pickers in Anniston, built around vintage albums, specialty items, and a customer base that includes both regulars and travelers. In this interview, the owners discuss their path from retro antiques to music, collection buying, and what keeps the bins changing.

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Interview with Tailgate Music

Tailgate Music — where does the name come from, and what's the shop about?

We started selling restored vintage furniture, retro antiques, and albums 10 years ago as a booth inside Calhoun Pickers. The original name was Tailgate Productions, but as we moved to just selling music items, it was initially changed to “Tailgate Tunes” , then “Tailgate Music” to avoid copyright issues (“Tailgate Music” is now a trademarked name). We remain at Calhoun Pickers; our booth is found just to the left upon entering. We have looked into acquiring our own location. However, we have continued to make a profit at Calhoun Pickers, and we enjoy success with repeat customers who have come to know us there. We offer reasonable and competitive pricing on our product, as a result of not having a large overhead. We also list specialty items for sale on Discogs, which can be purchased and shipped all over the United States and Canada.

Anniston sits between Birmingham and Atlanta with its own community. What role does the shop play locally, and who's walking in?

We have several locals who are repeat customers; however, our area has also become a frequent stop for travelers, especially when people are here for events. Anniston hosts several biking, running, and sporting events which result in visitors from all over. Nearby, Oxford hosts many musical acts year-round at the Oxford Performing Arts Center. When I travel, as a music lover and buyer, I always search for the local record shops in the area. Someone recently stopped in after attending their child’s college Cross Country meet and said they would be back. Proceeds from our booth are given back to our local community through donations to sporting events and local musicians.

What do the bins look like — the formats and genres you're strongest on?

We have several genres from classic rock, classic country, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, Jazz, Classical, and more. We also carry some new sealed albums but focus on vintage albums that have been tested and are ready for purchase. We clean albums that have a retail value of over $3 with a HumminGuru Ultrasonic cleaner, and give them a protective sleeve. We also have $2 or less items in a bargain bin and even a free bin.

When someone brings a collection in to sell, what's the first thing that tells you it's worth a close look?

The first thing we want to know is the condition of the product and packaging. The genre is also very important. Individuals don’t always understand what they have and what it is worth at wholesale, and we want to help give them a reasonable deal. It is important to do research using a well-known source like Discogs; some different sites including other online marketplaces may inflate or even deflate the real value of an album.

Do you buy whole collections or a few at a time, and does that change how you handle it?

We do both – we like to buy full collections, after consulting with a private buyer, but we also sometimes buy just a few albums at a time, often from local estate sales. We normally don’t pay over a certain amount depending on the value of the item.

What do sellers most often overvalue — the record they're certain is a payday that isn't?

Herb Albert’s Whipped Cream & Other Delights.

Alabama summers are hot and humid, and a lot of collections come out of a garage. What condition problems do you see most?

Water damage to covers, mold, cigarette smoke smell, and warpage! We advise anyone who has a vinyl collection to store them in climate-controlled areas and do not stack them upon each other in a way that causes undue compression/warpage.

What's the wildest thing a seller has walked in with, not knowing what they had?

We acquired several albums from an estate sale that had a unique South Korean issue of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with an alternate cover. We sold this album on Discogs.

Who's a regular whose taste has quietly shaped what ends up in the bins?

We have a regular who started buying classic rock from us, but he has since encouraged us to expand our jazz selection. Being based out of Alabama, we also have a loyal base of customers who are interested in classic country. Even if some albums may not be to our personal tastes, we look at what people are buying and aim to include product that aligns with our customers’ tastes.

Last updated: 2026-09-29

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