Burque is crazy about vinyl in 2025, and the underground record trading community is growing. According to organizers 40 vendor tables are sold out this year at the Rio Grande Record Show at the Sheraton Midtown Albuquerque (2600 Louisiana Blvd. NE). The event was started by Manuel Chavez in 2022 with about five tables at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, But with some slick advertising by Mark Janssen on social media, word spread quickly and the show blew up. The event offers seasoned collectors a chance to get their hands on rare finds for their personal collections, but it also gives record dealers an opportunity to find good deals to resell at their own shops.
The convention is organized by Dave Sedlak, who works part-time at Nob Hill Music and who helps with quality control and record washing. This has given him a deep understanding of what sells and what doesn’t. He has over 10,000 records in his personal collection and says part of the subculture involves knowing which records to buy and which records to pass on. He says that, generally, black vinyl is better quality than colored records — but you should check the condition of the wax before you commit to the sale.
“Just because it says Led Zeppelin on the cover don’t mean the record’s gonna play, my friends,” Sedlack warns.
Sedlak also sells at the EXPO New Mexico flea market and knows exactly which types of people are buying and selling records in Albuquerque. He has noticed a shift in demographics in recent years and a significant increase in female participation in the scene. He says, 10 years ago, attendees at the convention would have been predominantly older men. But since the shows are advertised on Facebook and other social media sites these days, different crowds are attracted to the party.
“I would say maybe it turned out to be 45% women after that,” Sedlak says. “And so it was kind of a different, cool thing to not have grumpy old men buying records and seeing it evolve that way. The age range of people that buy records is quite vast. At the flea market I have people from [ages] 15 to 70 that buy my records.”
Sedlak knows what’s hot, and he says lately there is definitely a market for reggae. In fact, he says it’s hard to find reggae records at all. However, there are people in town who know how to find those rare gems, and they will be on the hunt at the Sheraton this year .
Dave Corran is a DJ focusing primarily on reggae, Afro beats and Caribbean-influenced music. He also owns the Vinyl Consumption record store and will be tabling at the show. He has been buying, selling and trading every kind of record imaginable for decades and has advice for first-time convention goers.
“It’s gonna be a good place for people that are just looking for a deal on an Elton John record that’s clean and you might pay the record store eight or 12 bucks for it. You might be able to find it there for three,” Corran says. “And then there’s going to be other vendors selling different genre rarities like that insane Nigerian psych record for 250 or 300 dollars.”
Like Sedlak, Corran notices different types of people have developed an interest in record collecting in recent years, especially parents bringing their kids to his shop. Young people want collectable, tangible media these days, especially colored vinyl, and record companies are releasing new music on vinyl more often than not. Sometimes bands release music exclusively on collectable wax.
“Kids are looking at the music their parents listen to that maybe they got turned on to, or they’re coming in to get a Taylor Swift record, or Olivia Rodrigo, or Bruno Mars, or Kendrick Lamar — modern music that they’re hearing on the radio and they’re excited to get on vinyl.” Corran says.
Corran says you should come early to the record show and bring cash, because you might be able to get a better deal that way. He says you shouldn’t feel bad about haggling with vendors and offering to buy in bulk for a better price. But buyer beware, the crowd’s gonna be full of people who know the ins and outs of the convention circuit. You might not even see him at his table at the beginning of the show, because he will be on the hunt himself.
“The early bird gets the worm,” Corran says. “So, if you’re looking for that really specific, cool thing, people that come early will be grabbing that really good priced stuff.”
You never know who’s gonna show up to an event like the Rio Grande Record Show. Sedlak has been in the game for a long time and has sold wax to some pretty cool collectors, including Lawrence Fishburn from The Matrix and Martin Freeman, who played young Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. You can learn a lot about a person through their taste in music, and the conventions bring some surprising characters out of the woodwork.
“Tom Hanks came in and spent like 300 bucks on do wop records,” Sedlak says. “Robert Downey Jr. bought a plethora of stuff — even soundtracks. His friend who was his bodyguard since they were 12 years old was with him, and someone had stolen that man’s whole Led Zeppelin collection from his house. He bought everything Led Zeppelin we had.”
Rio Grande Record Show
March 2, 10:30 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Albuquerque
2600 Lousiana Blvd. NE
Free