Apparatus for changing a record, a method of loading a record and a method of changing the side of a record to be played

An apparatus for changing a record comprising

• a record changing fork comprising first and second spaced apart tines arranged in a record plane and extending from a fork base to a fork mouth, each tine comprising a groove extending from the fork mouth at least part way to the fork base, the grooves being arranged to hold a record therebetween in the record plane;
• at least one tine comprising a resiliently deformable record gate, the record gate being adapted to prevent sliding of a record in the grooves past the record gate unless the record is slid with a force exceeding a threshold force;
• at least one shelf adapted to support a record, the width of the shelf being less than the separation between the tines;
• and,
• a control mechanism connected to the record changing fork, the control mechanism being adapted to reciprocally displace the record changing fork along a length axis extending from the fork mouth to the fork base and a height axis normal to the record plane;
• the shelf comprising at least one end stop adapted to prevent sliding of a record off the shelf in a direction parallel to the length axis towards the record changing fork and at least one back stop adapted to prevent sliding of a record off the shelf in a direction parallel to the length axis away from the record changing fork.