Manchester (www.visitmanchester.com/Parts2.aspx?ExperienceId=2&PartId=39)
Vinyl Exchange (www.vinylexchange.co.uk)
A treasure trove of a shop over two floors – CDs upstairs, vinyl down - for dance music lovers and indie heads alike with a huge collection of second-hand rarities and hard-to-come-by promos as well as mainstream releases at OK prices. There's merchandise as well in case you need a Tamla Motown T-shirt.

London (www.visitlondon.com/attractions/shopping/gay-and-lesbian-shopping)
Dress Circle (www.dresscircle.com)
A theatrical institution in its own right, Dress Circle has been peddling soundtracks to films and shows to gay men since time immemorial. And it's not just CDs: this gem of a shop also has signings with West End stars, souvenirs from the shows and general memorabilia.

Scotland (www.cometoscotland.com/)
Fopp (www.foppreturns.com)
People get pretty excited about Fopp – especially this big one in Edinburgh – as you never know quite what you're going to find. Brilliant albums that have eluded your collection for just £3, music books, books in general, DVDs all seemingly randomly selected and at prices that are hard to believe.

Wales (www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=47766605107)
Spillers Records (www.spillersrecords.co.uk)
Not so much a record shop as a music institution, Spillers has been going since the late 19th century (!) and still has a lively community thing going on. Everything you can imagine from Lily Allen to underground punk on vinyl can be found here as can special appearances from musicians and the like. It's a labour of love.