Record & Tape Traders

I wanted to give an updated review. Throughout 2015 RTT has upped their game a bit by acquiring some better record collections.
THE GOOD…
— vinyl new arrivals has been improving
— store is clean
— every once in awhile they email a good coupon on their mailing list that’ll save ya some $$$
— prices on used records are usually fair
–pretty good hours
THE BAD…
— new vinyl still very pricey
— never participate in any Record Store Day
— still ask every time about their 10% discount
— although some of the staff has gotten better, there’s one guy who comes across pompous and lacks every bit of customer service
Overall, RTT is worth a look. It’s hit or miss sometimes, but I usually walk out with records every time.

After reading the majority of these mostly way-​less-​than-​favorable reviews, I figured someone needed to come to the rescue and vouch for the credibility and worthiness of this place. A longtime Towson institution among the area’s ever-​changing commercial landscape, this is the local music store that could – stand the test of time. And there’s a very good reason for that. Even though it started out as a local chain with what seemed like a store in every section of the Greater Baltimore area and beyond, the owners obviously had to do what they needed to do to stay competitive and viable over the years. Now affiliated with the local mall chain, FYE, this mainstay of the Dulaney Valley Shopping Center has kept the R&TT name, and their integrity, intact.
And they continue to do so by offering a great collection of both new and used CDs, DVDs, vinyl as well as music, movie, TV and pop culture items. Their prices are competitively reasonable, and their budget items and ongoing sales (BOGO-​Free, half-​off, for a dollar, etc.) are every reason to build a nice little music and movie collection for both the casual shopper and ardent fan alike. If it’s loyalty you’re looking for, they still have a Club Card which, for $ 15, will give you 10% off each item you purchase over the course of a year. This more than pays for itself depending on how often you shop there. What I can’t understand is how some reviewers on here don’t understand quite how the rewards concept works and expect to get these additional special discounts all for for free. This is a specialty retail store that is still trying to remain economically viable on its own (thus, the reason they kept their original name over the franchise license), not some big bargain discount supermarket. If it’s that sense of entitlement that warrants automatic price reductions at a flash of a free card, there are plenty of places in the area where you can load up on discounted groceries as a proud, card carrying member. I will gladly pay a little extra to support my little hometown record shop, which sweetens the deal for me with a nice percentage off pretty much everything in their inventory – not just select items.
They have expanded, remodeled, and rearranged their layout quite a bit over the years, and that is what serves to keep things interesting, fresh and new. And new, indie and local releases nicely commingle with an abundant collection of new and used catalog selections of every conceivable genre, artist and compilation type one could think of. And if you can’t find what you are looking for, there is a very visible, knowledgeable and more-​than-​helpful staff available to try to accommodate your needs. These are true music fans with smiles, polite and professional attitudes and favorable recommendations. Not overly-​pushy but not too laid back either. From the genuinely welcoming «Hello» when you enter, you truly get that inviting sense of being able to browse the expansive bins for hours on end, but without feeling at all lost or alone in unfamiliar territory.
As a music lover, it’s great to have that sense of selection, of freedom and of choice. As a proud Marylander for over 35 years, I’m happy for the choice made around that time – 1977 to be exact – by the owners of the very first Record and Tape Traders to create a quickly expanding chain of stores that would cater to music lovers statewide. I’m even more happy that they chose to keep their most popular location in my own backyard. And I will continue to proudly patronize it for as long as they choose to stick around – which I hope is a for a very long time.

Once you navigate to this little hideaway, you may spend a long time browsing the bargain bins for a gem. I found four, and it was buy one, get one free day. Pretty good when the albums are a dollar! The other used vinyl is low to medium priced with an excellent selection. The music playing over their system was enjoyable enough and not at a volume to disturb me. No problem parking once you locate the store, friendly courteous staff. I will return on my next trip to the area.

This used to be the place to go growing up in the area over 20 years ago. Over the ravage of time, it has not aged gracefully. They used to have great, clean, easy to find selections. Now it’s all changed. Bargain bins that have prices way different their normal bins. Useless items that have nothing to do with music. And that loud strange indie music they always seems to be playing over their loud speaker system.
Only have been there twice in the last years. It’s sad going there, as not many customers are in there…

Yeah this store still sucks just wanted to throw that out there.

Good Store The Manager Greg is very professional and cares about his customers
And loves Music they have a good selection of cds Lps not that Much 180 grams lps they have a good selection of reissue Lps. It still retains the indie feel to it and you can find some great lps hidden in there bins!

I used to hit up the Record & Tape Traders in Westminster all the time. Growing up in Carroll County, it was probably the most legit record store we had (the other closest option being f.y.e. in the mall). It wasn’t perfect, but they had a pretty good used DVD section and I could usually count on them to stock new music releases that interested me at the time.
Eventually the chain was bought out, the location in Owings Mills near where I was going to school shut down, and shortly after that the Westminster location also closed its doors. The only stores left were in Towson and Glen Burnie, which weren’t convenient for me so I never really checked them out.
Years later, I’m surprised that the Towson location is still open. I could take a guess and say that it’s because the Towson community still values actual record stores over mall shops, but I’m not sure if this actually true. R&TT doesn’t seem to be racking up many positive reviews here, and anyway I’m not even sure about the ownership. It’s probably some media conglomerate that has no real connection to the area.
These days I stop in to R&TT if I can’t find what I’m looking for at Sound Garden or Celebrated Summer, and I’m usually disappointed. The prices are so confusing – $ 16 or $ 17 for a new CD (with maybe 12 tracks)? I don’t get it. Occasionally I’ll find something for a price way lower than it should be, which is one of the reasons I still go. The last time I was there I found Bruce Springsteen’s double-​disc «The Promise» used for $ 7, which justified the trip. And I remember finding a new, sealed copy of Elvis Presley’s «His Hand in Mine» for $ 3 or $ 4, which was a screaming deal and probably a stocking mistake.
Anyway, this spot has gone the way of many other record stores: fewer records, more useless novelty shit and unpredictable prices. You’re more likely to find a set of Beatles bobbleheads than an actual Beatles LP. I hate to leave a negative review for a business I used to support, but R&TT has really gone down the tubes.

Prices are outrageous. I mean, why would you go and spend 16.99 on a CD here when you can go on
and get it for at least 5 dollars cheaper?

Sigh, how times have changed. I remember Record & Tape Traders was the bomb when I was a teenager growing up; I used to make special trips out to Towson years ago to come here, before the mall was rebuilt and revamped.
These days, however? I wouldn’t even bother firing up the car.
The prices here are absolutely outrageous, even for the used items. I’m sorry, but no one is going to pay 14.99 for a USED DVD, man — not when you can get the same item, brand new and unopened, at Best Buy down the street for 10 bucks. Granted, they’ve got an okay selection and that’s never changed, but the prices are simply way too high, especially for what they are.
Staff used to be at least knowledgeable about the product, but these days I think they’re just putting in time. They’re pretty rude when you DO ask them a question. I mean, I’m sorry to interrupt your Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga or whatever the hell you’re fooling with, but I’m a customer and I expect some modicum of service. That insolent glare that you’re giving me and my husband isn’t going to make us want to return here, that’s for sure.
R&TT has had a lot of store locations close down over the years, including Charles Village and Westminster — Towson is now the only one left, and it’s no longer independent, which could explain why it’s about on the level as walking into Sam Goody during its final years (i.e., pathetic).
To make matters worse, R&TT is now affiliated with
for online orders, which was responsible for a breach of my credit card long ago and far away when they WEREN’T associated together. That would be a definite no, indeed.
I’m an audiophile, a music lover, someone that will easily drop a thou on media if allowed. However, when I do drop that thou, it’s not going to be here.
R.I.P. to another independent, Baltimore-​based record store. Sad, sad day indeed.

Record and Tape Traders makes me sad.
I used to shop here all the time before they got bought out by FYE. Granted that was almost ten years ago, but it’s a shame to see such a great place go down the tubes.
I’m not going to go on about how they used to be less expensive or how they used to have tons of used merch for cheap or how the staff used to be great or how their selection was awesome or how it was a great store. Okay, I just did. But I won’t again. Probably.
The biggest problem with this place is how overpriced it is. Don’t tell me that music on physical media is in decline so they have to charge more. I shop at record stores all the the time that don’t charge what RTT charges for records. I’ll pay $ 25 – 35 for something special that comes with a big book full of art, multiple discs or something like that. But to charge $ 28 for a record just because it’s on «180 gram vynil»? Get real.
Their selection is pretty scattershot. Their selection and variety of CDs is still decent but their vynil selection is all over the place. They’ll have seven or eight copies of some random Hatebreed album, but not a single album by a band you actually care about.
The staff here isn’t very knowledgeable either.
I love music. It takes effort to make me walk into a record store and not buy anything.

Great vibe! Went in on a whim looking for some used vinyl and ended up hitting the motherload. Pretty good selection of used rock/​metal records at very reasonable prices. The staff was extremely helpful and actually looked like they were having a good time behind the counter. I will certainly be back!

First off, for those who use Record & Tape Traders as the prime reason why record stores are closing, you’re obviously not going to decent stores in the first place. Good stores like Soundgarden will always be in business, so don’t heap this place’s shortcomings on shops that actually do it right.
Soundgarden has a great selection and prices its inventory reasonably. RTT on the other hand has a mediocre selection that is consistently overpriced. Add to that the poor service. I was there today to trade some things in while I was in the area, and besides the fact that the amount they offered me was insulting, my time in line was doubled because the guy at the register kept talking with someone else behind the counter.
Speaking as someone who has good taste in music and doesn’t expect to pay an arm and a leg because of shops like Soundgarden, there’s really no reason to go back to this place.

This place has always had an attitude in my opinion. They also don’t have great prices and can’t compare to SoundGarden or even C-​Depot. I dropped in there yesterday for two things: a CD Jewel-​box which holds 2 discs and an CD. Was told they no longer carry the individual jewels boxes and they didn’t have the CD I was looking for. They told me they could order the CD for me and call me when it comes in. I told them I could do that myself, have it sent to my house and not have to come back to the store. Makes perfect sense to me, right? Then that person literally shouted to me «HAVE A NICE DAY!» We all know that’s their way of having the last word and basically saying «F* YOU.» I replied «Right back atchya!» I will never go to this shit hole again!

I have been a loyal customer for years. I now understand why these places are closing. A few weeks ago, I was shopping in the store and struck up a conversation with the clerk about the new Bruce Springsteen album. Being a good employee, he told me for a deposit of $ 5.00 I could reserve a copy and they would call me when it was available. Figuring I would buy it there anyway, I put a deposit down. Yesterday, they called and told me it was in, and to come get it. Strange, because the release date in ³⁄₆. Since they told me to come get it, I went to be store tonight. When I got to the store, I get a «sorry, we screwed up, it is here, but I can’t give it to you». Now, I understand the rules, but they told me to come in and get it, and given the cost of gas today, I was really unhappy. They could have said something like sorry we will take $ 1 off, or some other token offering to say that they valued me as a customer, and recognize that they screwed up. Nope, nothing. Next time, I will order it from I-​tunes.

Its true. They used to be pleasing (can’t really say the best or good) until recently. They suck completely now at customer service and prices. At least they have a heavy metal section now which I really wanted to be there 12 years ago, though they’d always tell me to go to the Reiesterstown store instead since it had a well established metal section rather then bother them about special ordering rare or out of print metal CD’s…jerks…whatev.
Last time I was on the phone with them to see if they had a few CD’s I wanted in oder to determine if it would even be worth my time to stop in they said they’d only look up the first three for for me and the rest I’d be on my own for (WTF?). Called up Soundgarden in Fells and they courteously looked up all 6 requests for me.
Come to think of it, this location always had a little bit of an attitude, somewhat snobby, «we’re better then you and have way cooler tastes and know what’s hip more than you», «why are you bothering us?».
All I can say is there is ample reason why your average brick and mortar CD store has gone out of business over the years and R&TT is a just another example of such.
Try Soundgarden out instead if you really want the whole record/​music store experience.
But really, in the digital age, how much time do stores like these actually have left? Average reader who sees this post probably has dl’ed every CD they ever wanted in time it took to read this.
In the case of market evolution, the time of your music stores has come. And its probably just around the corner for these guys.

If you’re a customer, they’ll treat you like a criminal. The policy to leave you’re bag at the counter pretty much has them treating me like a thief. Trading in items, I was told I could not leave the store for an hour or they wouldn’t take my business.

somewhere around 2.5 stars…
Selection has waned a bit since I used to aunt the place. Pretty standard in terms of selection. Very few if any rare gems, at price or not. Tiny vinyl section, not good for those wax collectors. If they devoted more towards Cds and less toward t-​shirts, wallets, and stuff teens like, you’d have a more complete record store. They have the space to…

This place used to be really awesome, before they got bought out. They have a decent selection of random stuff and records. As far as actual CD’s, I’m under the impression that if all you carry for The Beatles is «The best of», you are a shitty music store.
If you want a real music store, Sound Garden in Fells Point is still the best.

some gems in the boxes on the floor (purchased some Lionel the last time i was there).
good selection of used CDs, but the new ones are way too expensive.

I understand buying and selling of used goods when it comes to a retail environment. I know that they need to make a profit. In fact, I buy and sell used product for a living and you can bet your sweet behind I hear people complaining about cash/​credit prices all day long. But this place… this place is ridiculous. I was offered $ 10 in cash ($ 12 in credit) for no less than 12 CDs, a good portion of which they claimed were scratched or dirty and had to be sent back to the warehouse; I would only get a quarter or fity cents for them. Here’s the kicker: they were neither scratched or dirty. In terms of a selection, they have a okay selection of CDs and DVDs if you’re looking for that killer Led Zeppelin disc you can’t find anywhere else, want the new My Chemical Romance CD, or if you’re in the mood to by irrelevant products like «whacky» bobble heads, Bob Marley tapestries and such, then this is the place for you. If you want good prices and great music, look elsewhere.