Madison’s beloved Strictly Discs continues spinning through a changing era in music and business
The murmurs of conversation, the rustle of records sliding through crates and the occasional pause when someone finds one of their favorites creates this store’s distinct rhythm that has stuck around for nearly four decades.
As listening habits have rapidly shifted to digital, Strictly Discs on Monroe Street holds its place as a hub for Madisonians still chasing music they can hold in their hands. And since a change in ownership just a few years ago, a steady increase in album release events, costume parties and even live performances, like Chicago indie band Friko’s show in late April, have made the store busier than ever.
Vinyl in particular is being discovered for the first time, or rediscovered for the 100th time, across generations of listeners. With Strictly Disc’s events offering a third space for the community, as well as its curated mix of used and new vinyl, the shop is able to preserve tradition while adapting to a changing music culture.
Since 2010, general manager Evan Woodward has stood behind the counter, seeing trends cycle in and out of the music industry. He’s also seen many city residents who are steadfastly loyal to physical records along with others who question how long the vinyl resurgence is going to stick.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Why? Why? Why?’ Or they just think it’s a weird kind of glitchy trend,” Woodward said. “But I think there’s just this general swell of people wanting to go back to having a tangible, individual experience of their music. When you have a record, you can speed it up, slow it down, pick up the needle, move it around — you can’t do any of that through streaming.”
Woodward has experienced this resurgence in his personal life, first collecting records as a kid and now again through his role at Strictly Discs, where he has become just as much a storyteller as the store’s manager. The staff purchase used vinyl and CDs from just about anyone willing to part with them, which means a lot of collections rich in history and sentiment come in through the doors.
“Sometimes you can really see the stories in them; you can tell it was part of some larger picture that we’ll never see,” Woodward said. “I love that stuff, and we celebrate it here.”
Strictly Discs was founded in 1988 by Ron Rindo, who met his wife, Angie, standing behind that same front counter. The store originally focused on CDs until Ron signed over day-to-day operations to Angie and he began a cross-country pilgrimage in search of used vinyl.
“The switch to vinyl was very organic,” Woodward said. “Whether or not he saw vinyl coming back, or just saw something cheap to buy, he got hold of tons of it. And when it started trending again, we were like, ‘Cool, we have a whole warehouse full.’”
While the music industry has remained in flux, the store itself underwent a major shift, changing ownership for the first time three years ago. Strictly Discs was passed down by the founding couple to Rick Stoner, who has been a customer of the store since his student years at UW–Madison. Woodward says the current staff has remained committed to the previous owners’ mission, particularly through their respect and reverence of the media. But with growth comes change too, Woodward said.
“The transition wasn’t shocking, but at the same time, it wasn’t expected,” he explained. “There’s a bit of a 2.0 vibe of the store now; we have a more diverse menu of events, and we’ve really expanded demographically who comes into the store in the last couple years, although being in a college town has always brought a crazy mix of people.”
The store has never been stagnant, as the mix of customers who come in to browse and the ways they find and embrace new artists are continually changing. New ownership made that aura of change more pronounced, but it also reminded Woodward of something he’s always questioning: What’s worth keeping, and what can evolve?
In the basement, customer Andrew Heitman thumbed through a wooden crate labeled “Rock,” full of records nestled together waiting for their stories to be picked up and carried on. The basement used to be home to CDs as well, but they’ve been condensed into a section on the top floor.
It seems that, at least for now, vinyl prevails.
“I think vinyl is the only way to listen to music, quite honestly,” Heitman said. “It forces you to listen to an album in full. And the warmth that comes with vinyl, you don’t get that on Apple Music or Spotify – you can hear the character of the record.”
That continuous, uncompressed sound of music on wax is still a feature that digital just can’t replicate, and may be what brought Strictly Discs’ original owner in search of it. Heitman hasn’t dug through these crates in nearly 10 years, but he said the store feels the same as it always has – other than being filled with more music than ever.
“It does look like they’ve got a lot more since I’ve been down in the cave here,” he said, laughing.
If the Strictly Discs basement is a cave, the gig posters, artist portraits and signed albums that line the walls are the stone paintings, illustrating a spunky history and loyal community. But it certainly isn’t stuck in the past; in fact, it seems the store will continue to welcome change as long as discs keep spinning and records keep turning.
