The Phonographic Records of Paris

The history of the phonographic record dates back to the late 19th century. As early as 1894 Parisians were able to visit their local record store and pick-up the latest tunes rocking the city.

Disquaires de Paris is celebrating the long history of Parisian record shops with an interactive map showing the location of all Paris' music stores and purveyors of phonographic cylinders since the 19th century. Disquaires de Paris were able to trawl through the Archives de Paris, historical trade directories and the archives of the Tribunal de Commerce de Paris to discover the opening and closing date of Paris' historical music and record stores.

You can navigate this history using the map timeline. Adjust the dates on the timeline and you can view the music and record stores open in Paris during any period since 1894. Click on a store shown on the map and you can view the selected store's opening and closing dates. You can also view a huge selection of historical images taken from record discs as you browse the map.