About Glitter Records

Hi, I’m Riley — owner and curator of Glitter Records.

In 2022, I left music journalism to open an independent record store and online shop in Brisbane. Four years later, Glitter Records has grown into one of Australia’s largest collections of vinyl records and CDs, with more than 60,000 titles available. Alongside the shop, we also help run a regular community record market in California Lane. 

Glitter Records is a team effort. In the shopfront, I’m joined by Minsun, Luke, and Randall. Maddy, a good friend of mine, supports our communications.

You’re warmly invited to visit our Fortitude Valley store and explore a handpicked selection of what we offer. I also buy collections — so if you’re thinking of selling, feel free to get in touch.

What People Are Saying About Glitter Records

“Glitter Records in Brisbane is f***in SICK. Just got a ton of records I can’t get in the US, lots of Japanese and Hong Kong stuff from the Sixties up to the Eighties. Go say hi to Riley! Dude’s running his own shop and is super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!” — Marcus Parks, Last Podcast on the Left / No Dogs in Space

“Order arrived wonderfully packaged. It’s great to find people who genuinely care about the small details. The smiley face sticker on the outside of the box was a nice touch. Communication was great.” — Rowie235, Discogs buyer

“From curious collector to conscientious curator, Riley has built Glitter Records into a living archive of music and pop-culture history.” — Scenestr Magazine

“Awesome shop. Very cozy, vintage feel in the best way. Definitely the most bang for your buck in terms of their range of any record store I’ve visited around Brisy. Staff are so lovely as well—very happy to help out with purchase or exchange requests. Will definitely be going back more than once.” — Callum Scorer, Google Review

 "A place to find like-minded music lovers." - The Music Magazine 

“CDs arrived in good time, beautifully packed and (I think) in better condition than originally graded! When you’re in Brisbane next, head over to the physical store in Fortitude Valley and pick up some treasures!” — Alphonse-417, Discogs buyer 

Riley Fitzgerald (born 1988) is a Brisbane‑based cultural archivist, writer, editor, researcher, publisher and owner of Glitter Records, one of Australia’s largest independently curated music archives.

Between 2012 and 2021, he worked as a freelance music journalist during a period of major transition in Australian music media, contributing to publications including Music Feeds, Happy Magazine, Stoney Roads, Howl & Echoes, and Collapse Board. His writing explored underground music scenes, mental health in the industry, and long‑form interviews. This work combined reportage with historical awareness and included conversations with artists such as The Jesus & Mary Chain and members of The Go‑Betweens. During this period, he also documented the early‑2010s resurgence of vinyl and physical media from the perspective of independent retailers and musicians.

Fitzgerald studied at The University of Queensland and The University of Melbourne, developing a strong understanding of the theoretical, historical, and scholarly contexts of both classical and popular music. A brief period working in entertainment law in 2012 added practical experience with copyright, contracts, and the legal frameworks governing music production, ownership, and distribution—knowledge that would later inform his editorial and curatorial practice.

In 2020, he founded and edited Cosmic, a psychedelic music and art fanzine grounded in research and long‑form cultural writing. This project evolved into The Glitter & Gold in 2021, a digital pop‑culture publication where he continues to serve as Managing Editor and Creative Director.

In 2022, Fitzgerald founded Glitter Records, an independent music shop and archival retail operation located in California Lane, Fortitude Valley. Conceived as an alternative to trend‑driven record retail, Glitter Records is distinguished by its contrarian curation and focus on rare, overlooked and historical recordings. The business now maintains a catalogue of more than 60,000 physical recordings across vinyl, CD, cassette, and shellac, making it one of the largest independently curated collections of its kind in Australia.

Glitter Records works as a shop, a large‑scale archive, and a place where hard‑to‑find music keeps circulating. Under Fitzgerald’s direction, it has taken in and catalogued several major collections, including a 150,000‑item private CD archive and a collection acquired from the Record Exchange when its city store closed in 2024. The focus is on preserving rare recordings and keeping culturally vulnerable music available instead of letting it disappear.

Beyond retail, Fitzgerald’s work intersects with Brisbane’s broader cultural infrastructure. He has collaborated with the Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Stash World, 4000 Records, and The Lanes Precinct, and maintains ongoing engagement with 4ZZZ, Brisbane’s long‑running community radio station. He also writes Diary of a Record Store Owner, a reflective series of essays exploring the philosophical, historical, and community dimensions of his work.

Riley also leads Glitter Records’ involvement with a range of cultural, conservation, and archival organisations. As of 2026, this includes support for Koala Action Inc., the State Library of Queensland’s President’s Council, the Australasian branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM‑ANZ), and the Australasian Sound Recordings Association (ASRA). 

Fitzgerald’s public profile also extends into broadcast and print media. He has appeared on 612 ABC Brisbane Mornings with Steve Austin to discuss the resurgence of vinyl, record‑collecting culture, and rare Brisbane punk recordings, and has been profiled in Scenestr and The Music magazine.

Across journalism, publishing, and archival work, Fitzgerald’s practice reflects a deliberate shift from documenting music culture to actively sustaining it. Through Glitter Records and his editorial projects, he works to preserve, circulate, and re‑contextualise recorded music, treating independent retail as a form of public access to cultural memory. His focus is on long‑term stewardship: keeping rare, at‑risk, and historically significant recordings available, and ensuring that Brisbane’s musical heritage remains discoverable for future generations.