Tyranny of distance has traditionally kept many big-name bands from including Sydney on their world tours. As a result, perhaps, there is fierce loyalty here to home-grown music. In addition to specialist Australian music shops, you'll find a smattering of places catering for jazz and folk aficionados, as well as the usual megastores.

Fish Records , 33 Oxford St, Darlinghurst. Bus #378, #380, #382. Mon-Sat 9am-11.30pm, Sun 10am-9.30pm. Excellent music store catering to eclectic tastes - indie, drum and bass, acid jazz, top 40, soundtracks and some classical. Also at Bondi Junction, Broadway Shopping Centre and Newtown.

HMV , Mid-City Centre, Pitt St Mall. Martin Place or Town Hall CityRail. Mon-Fri 9am-6pm (Thurs until 8pm), Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm. The most conspicuous of the city-centre music shops, this megastore stocks just about everything, including extensive classical and world music sections.

Sounds Australian , Shop 33, 10-26 Playfair St, off Argyle St, The Rocks. Circular Quay CityRail/ferry. Daily 10am-5.30pm. Specialist Australian music store, that covers genres from classical through jazz and folk to traditional Aboriginal music and experimental sounds. With its relaxed, listen-before-you-buy policy and knowledgeable staff, this is a great place to get a taste for antipodean music.

Waterfront Records , 89 York St. Town Hall CityRail. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm (Thurs until 9pm), Sun 10am-4pm. The place to track down your favourite grunge bands on hard-to-find independent labels. This is also where you can plug into the live music scene, with heaps of flyers as well as in-store ticket sales for the best gigs.