ENTITY · BUSINESS

Randy's Record Mart

Well supported

Record shop at 17 North Parade, Kingston, associated with Vincent and Patricia Chin and the commercial roots of VP/17 North Parade catalogue history.

Share a memory Correct this record Add a source lead

At a glance

Type: business
Confidence: Well supported
Era: Open era →

Technology, recording & industry

Connections

Watch & listen

Open source ↗

VP Records — 17 North Parade history

WEB · rights discovery only · official history

Official VP source for Randy's/17 North Parade lineage.

Source link ↗

Open source ↗

ReggaeRecord — Randy's / 17 North Parade profile

WEB · rights discovery only · profile source

Dub Store/ReggaeRecord source for Randy's/17 North Parade history.

Source link ↗

Welcome to 17 North Parade

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · archive source

17 North Parade / Randy's channel feature; discovery-only embed.

Source link ↗

Clive Chin — The Lost Archives of 17 North Parade, Pt 1: From Kingston to Queens

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · interview

Clive Chin archival interview on Randy's / 17 North Parade; discovery-only embed.

Source link ↗

Open source ↗

Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes (2019 documentary)

WEB · rights discovery only · documentary

IMDb record for the BBC documentary on Randy's / Studio 17.

Source link ↗

In stories

Story · Well supportedCounter to catalogue: how record shops became record labels

In Jamaica and the diaspora, the retail counter was the A&R department.

Story · Well supportedRecord shops as reggae infrastructure

Randy's, Rockers, Aquarius, Record Globe and later overseas retailers show how shops acted as A&R rooms, archives, distributors and community hubs.

Debate & reception

How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →

commentary

Record shops are historical evidence

Shops, sleeves, price stickers, catalogues and retail memories can document music circulation as strongly as conventional biographies when sources are preserved.

Stance: retail ephemera vs formal archive

debate

Who breaks a record — the shop counter or the radio?

Two documented views on where a Jamaican hit is really made, stated neutrally: one holds that counter sales and shop-front selectors were the true tastemakers who told producers and radio what mattered; the other credits radio DJs and station playlists as the gatekeepers that turned a local seller into a national hit. No verdict. Sources: Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture; David Katz, Solid Foundation; Jamaica Gleaner archive.

Stance: shop-counter sales as the true tastemaker vs radio playlists as the gatekeeper