Amoeba Music

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Coordinates: 37°46′08″N 122°27′10″W / 37.76892°N 122.45265°W / 37.76892; -122.45265

Amoeba Music
TypePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1990; 31 years ago (1990)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Headquarters
U.S.
Number of locations
3
Area served
California
ProductsRecords, compact discs, home video, posters, books, collectibles, accessories
Websitehttps://www.amoeba.com

Amoeba Music is an American independent music store chain with locations in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1990 in Berkeley, California and remains in operation, having survived the decline of CD sales in the 2000s.[1]

History[]

Amoeba Music was founded by former employees of nearby Rasputin Records, and opened on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley in 1990. Cofounders include but are not limited to Marc Weinstein, Dave Prinz, Yvonne Prinz, and Kent Randolph.[2]

Inside of Amoeba Music in San Francisco in 2011

A second location in San Francisco opened on November 15, 1997 in the Haight-Ashbury district, near Golden Gate Park. It was located in the former 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2) Park Bowl bowling alley.[1] It regularly stocks upwards of 100,000 CDs, vinyl records, and audio cassettes, both new and used.[citation needed]

The Los Angeles location opened on November 17, 2001 on Sunset Boulevard (at Cahuenga Boulevard) in Hollywood. At the time of its opening, the store planned to stock as many as 250,000 titles, which would have placed it among the largest independent music stores in the world.[citation needed] According to Los Angeles Times writer Michael Hiltzik, the location "instantly became a Hollywood landmark."[3]

In 2015, Amoeba sold the Sunset Boulevard property to a holding company but continued to lease the space. In 2018, it was announced that the owners would demolish the site and replace it with a contemporary glass-and-steel tower with residential units and commercial space, and Amoeba would be moving.[4][5][6] On April 27, 2020, Amoeba announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunset Boulevard location would be closing permanently ahead of schedule, but would be relocating to a new location on Hollywood Boulevard.[7] The new location opened on April 1, 2021.[8]

Amoeba's world music department was headed by Robert Leaver,[9] co-founder of the Round World Music record shop and label in San Francisco. He also worked as a buyer of international records for Amoeba's Berkeley location.[10]

The stores also trade in movies, though secondarily to their music business. Each location has a smaller collection of movies on DVD, VHS, Laserdisc and Blu-ray. In addition, each store maintains a selection of music-related posters and artwork for purchase, as well as Amoeba-branded merchandise. The Hollywood location had an entire second floor dedicated to DVD and Blu-ray at its original location. In addition, Amoeba Music frequently holds free shows during store hours with locally and nationally known artists from a wide variety of genres.

Primarily operating on re-selling used goods, Amoeba has survived the decline of CD sales since the early 2000s with its trade-in program and the advent of the vinyl revival.[1] Along with the statewide stay-at-home order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom in the COVID-19 pandemic, many non-essential stores were told to close to prevent spread of COVID-19. Amoeba subsequently started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to pay the bills as most of their income is derived from in-store purchases.[11]

YouTube channel[]

Amoeba's YouTube channel was created on January 27, 2006 and is home to interviews, recordings of live performances at Amoeba locations, and the Webby Award-winning series “What’s In My Bag?” with various “featuring artists and tastemakers sharing what they found shopping at Amoeba.”[12]

Popular culture[]

The Hollywood store was included as a playable venue in the 2008 music game Guitar Hero World Tour.[1] Paul McCartney recorded his EP Amoeba's Secret at an unannounced live performance at the Hollywood location on 27 June 2007.

Gallery[]

  • Berkeley store

  • San Francisco store

  • San Francisco store, inside

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kukura, Joe (2017-11-17). "Amoeba Music Records 20 Years On Haight Street". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  2. ^ "Celebrate Amoeba's 20th Anniversary! Part 2 - Interview with Co-Owner Marc Weinstein". Amoeblog. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  3. ^ "Golden State: Golden State Column: Amoeba Music Looks Ahead". Los Angeles Times. 2005-12-19. Archived from the original on December 19, 2005. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  4. ^ "Amoeba Music To Relocate After Demolition, Plans To Acquire Dispensary License". 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  5. ^ Trakin, Roy (2018-06-15). "Amoeba Music Set to Relocate Its Los Angeles Store, Plans to Seek Dispensary Permit (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  6. ^ "28-Story Tower Would Replace Hollywood's Amoeba Music". Urbanize LA. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  7. ^ https://www.amoeba.com/our-stores/store-news/3778/amoeba-hollywood-is-moving-3778/
  8. ^ Willman, Chris (2021-04-01). "Amoeba Music: A Look Inside the Sprawling New Hollywood Store". Variety. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  9. ^ Good CD, Shame About the Cover. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Round World at a Crosswoads. SFGate. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  11. ^ Bartlett, Amanda (2020-04-21). "Facing an uncertain future, Amoeba Music launches GoFundMe campaign: 'We are in trouble'". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  12. ^ "Amoeba Music - What's In My Bag". www.amoeba.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.

External links[]

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