My Saturday afternoons in high school had a soundtrack, and it wasn’t the one on my Walkman. It was the girl pricing albums at The Musicsmith, spinning whatever she’d just pulled from behind the counter. I usually came in to browse, maybe looking for a new album or 45 to buy, like the new Morrissey on cassette or Tracy Chapman's Fast Car on vinyl. I usually left with a few tapes, plus the name of the band playing on the speakers scribbled on the back of my receipt. This also happened at Rockbottom Records in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Every time I walked in, Kevin always had great music playing in his shop. And almost always, I’d say, “Who’s this?”
Strangely enough, I found that experience again, but this time it’s on an app.
Whatnot is a live shopping app. Sellers go on camera, hold up the album they’re selling, talk about it, and run quick auctions while viewers bid in real time. A chat scrolls down the side of the screen. Somebody’s asking about the pressing or the vinyl's condition. Somebody else brags about the copy they already own or shares a story about the time they saw the band live... The clock ticks down, and the record goes to whoever wanted it most. Sometimes no one, and the album gets run again a few minutes later. Sometimes for a lower price. And the whole time, music plays in the background — a soundtrack for your live whatnot show. You might ask the host, “What’s this you're playing?”
If you’re not familiar with whatnot, it’s like eBay and TikTok had a baby without all the annoying ads. It’s a great platform for selling music, books, artwork, and more—like watches, clothes, cosmetics, and even… candy? It does take some getting used to because you’re live “on air” the whole time, hosting visitors and hoping they bid on one of your precious items.
It launched in 2019 selling Funko Pops (no judgment), then grew into trading cards, sneakers, comics, and eventually vinyl. The founders built it on a simple idea: buying stuff is more fun when a real person on the other end tells you why it’s worth owning and has a conversation with you.
That’s why whatnot is so much more than just selling albums. From the shows I’ve watched and the time I've spent bidding, commenting, and answering questions in the chat, it’s a whole community, or as the lively and charismatic host from Spin Me Round Records in Easton, Pennsylvania, says, “it’s a whole thang.” 🎤
Here’s my honest take. Discogs is a tremendous record database, and I use it almost every day for Nocturnal Music. But Discogs is a catalog. It’s a filing cabinet with prices. Whatnot is the counter. It’s the clerk at Bullmoose Music, Amoeba, Newbury Comics, or Spin Me Round Records flipping through the bin and saying, “You like The Feelies? Then you need this.” A search bar simply cannot do that…
It isn’t perfect. Auctions get loud, some sellers lean too hard on hype, and condition grading is only as good as the honesty of the person holding the record. That’s why it’s important to ask questions in the chat. Good sellers love answering them. I like to be transparent, and I know many other sellers do, too. For example, Amy, who sells on whatnot as eskee_knows_vinyl, has a great following and she’s consistent, has a great presence online, and she definitely knows vinyl, but she also knows how to sell, how to communicate, provide info on each record she’s selling, and Amy knows how to be successful. She actually inspired me to start selling on the platform.
So I’m jumping in. Maybe I’m late to the party, but I’m not only buying vinyl, but I’ve also started selling vinyl and some CDs. I’ve got deep stock in jazz and indie, and my first show was on Sunday night. It went tremendously well.
Thank you to all who watched, conversed, and bought my records. It made for a longer-than-usual packing party, too!
The format is new, but the ritual is forty years old. Someone who loves records slides one across the counter and says, “Trust me on this one.” Then you slide the Bid Now button across your phone and hope your bid wins.
I hope you’ll join me this Sunday night at 7 pm EST for my next show on whatnot. You don’t have to buy anything, but I’d love to see what you think.
Follow along here: Nocturnal Music on Whatnot