Our Story

Suffragette Records is dedicated to celebrating music by women. From our little shop in Battery Point (opening Spring 2022), and our online store, we sell new and pre-loved records, cassettes and associated wares by and supporting women in music.

A woman-owned business, and run by all members of the Carter family, Lauren and Oberon and our three daughters, Audrey, Xanthe and Maisie. We've been living waste-free since 2015 - we even wrote a book about it!

Lauren’s dad was once a pop singer and is a manager of rock bands and solo artists. As such, Lauren grew up surrounded by a who’s who in Australian music, and as a result she acquired a canny knowledge of a lot of 80s music, for better or worse. Oberon was a musician for a little while and grew up on his parents’ records, listening to folk and rock of the 60s to 80s. When we moved out of home, we took our parents' record collections with us and began building a bumper collection of our own. Our daughters have grown up unschooled in a feminist, music-filled home. We have always listened to and loved a wide variety of music, and recognise the influence it can have on society.

The music industry has been, and continues to be, male dominated. As a result, popular music (by men) often projects lyrics steeped in misogyny and objectification of women. To temper this, we want to celebrate great music made primarily by women. The lyrics and music made by women deserve greater recognition. Such music can be filled with power and passion, soul and sensitivity. We reckon young people deserve easier access to great music made by women and we hope to provide an inviting, snob-free space to allow that. You can read more about women in the music industry here.

Why suffragette records?
The suffragettes were an activist group of women who fought for women's right to vote, in the early 20th century. The name, 'suffragette', was intended as a derogatory/belittling name, given by a reporter, but they adopted it and wore it proudly. Under the motto, 'Deeds Not Words', the suffragettes applied direct action tactics to their activism, sometimes resorting to violence, but certainly putting their own lives on the line for the sake of equal voting rights. It took some time, but they were ultimately successful in rousing public support for their cause and forcing governmental change. They were badass.

Inspired by what they represent historically, and by how far we still have to go, we're hoping to infuse a little suffragette spirit into our present world (albeit in a non-violent way). Celebrating music by women and smashing the patriarchy at the same time.

Why Vinyl?
We love the pace of listening to music on vinyl. We love the way vinyl forces you to listen to the whole album, as the artist intended. It requires you to get up and turn the side over, and actively participate in the music in a way digital formats cannot. There are no notifications or updates; no 'snackable content'. Just you and the turntable, and the music the way it was meant to be heard. We love looking at the artwork on the sleeve, poring over the lyrics, and other information that you generally don’t get when streaming online. We love knowing the artist takes a larger cut of the profits from a new vinyl record than streamed music, supporting them to make more music in the future.

We see vinyl records as heirloom items. They warrant careful handling and long-term appreciation. It treated well, they're more durable than other physical listening formats. Buy great records, enjoy them, and intend for them to be appreciated for many decades to come - perhaps passed down through generations. Before we sell them to you, our preloved records have been cleaned and sleeves replaced, if they were a bit tired. We want our preloved records to continue to have a long and cared-for existence, rather than having them fall into degradation and landfill.

We know that ‘collecting’ is one aspect of record buying and selling, however, we are more focused on providing good music in an accessible way. We try to be clear in communicating the condition of the items you buy, and we want you to feel comfortable perusing our store. We do not ‘gatekeep’ coolness, that’s for sure!

We have put a lot of thought into the environmental considerations around the waste and emissions associated with various aspects of the music industry. You can read more about those here.

If you’re after a particular record and would like our help seeking it out, please contact us in store or here.