37°46′08″N122°27′10″W / 37.76892°N 122.45265°W /37.76892; -122.45265
 The former Amoeba Music building on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1990; 35 years ago (1990) Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Headquarters | U.S. |
Number of locations | 3 |
Area served | California, United States (San Francisco Bay Area andLos Angeles) |
| Products | Records, compact discs,home video,posters, books,collectibles, accessories |
| Website | www |
Amoeba Music is an Americanindependent musicstore chain with locations inBerkeley,San Francisco, andHollywood, Los Angeles, California. It stocks media, primarily music, but alsofilms andtelevision programs viaDVD andVHS. Its music selection includesrock,pop,blues,soul,funk,rap, andjazz. It is popular as a tourist destination for fans of physical media or music in general. It was founded in 1990 inBerkeley,California, and remains in operation, having survivedthe decline of CD sales in the 2000s.[1] Amoeba stores generally focus onvinyl andcompact discs.
Amoeba Music was founded by former employees of nearbyRasputin Records and opened onTelegraph Avenue in Berkeley in 1990. The original founding members were Marc Weinstein, Dave Prinz, and Mike Boyder.[2][3] The iconic Amoeba logo was designed by comic book artist Shepherd Hendrix.[2] Primarily operating on resellingused goods, Amoeba has survived the decline of CD sales since the early 2000s with its trade-in program and the advent of thevinyl revival.[1]
A second location, in San Francisco, opened on November 15, 1997, in theHaight-Ashbury neighborhood nearGolden Gate Park. It is located in the former 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2) Park Bowlbowling alley.[1] It regularly stocks upwards of 100,000CDs,vinyl records, andaudio cassettes, both new andused.[citation needed]
A third location, inLos Angeles, opened on November 17, 2001, onSunset Boulevard atCahuenga 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 largestindependent music stores in the world.[citation needed] According toLos Angeles Times writerMichael Hiltzik, the location "instantly became a Hollywood landmark."[4]
Amoeba'sworld music department was headed by Robert Leaver,[5] co-founder of theRound World Music record shop and label in San Francisco. He also worked as a buyer of international records for Amoeba's Berkeley location.[6]The stores also trade-in movies, though secondarily to their music business. Each location has a smaller collection of movies onDVD,VHS,Laserdisc, andBlu-ray. In addition, each store maintains a selection of music-related posters and artwork for purchase, as well as Amoeba-branded merchandise. The Sunset Boulevard store had an entire second floor dedicated to DVD and Blu-ray at its original location. In addition, Amoeba Music frequently held free shows during store hours with locally- and nationally-known artists from a wide variety of genres.
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.[7][8][9] On April 27, 2020, Amoeba announced that due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Sunset Boulevard location was closed permanently ahead of schedule. Along with the statewidestay-at-home order issued by California governorGavin Newsom in theCOVID-19 pandemic, many non-essential stores were told to close to prevent spread ofCOVID-19. Amoeba subsequently started a fundraising campaign onGoFundMe to pay the bills, as most of their income is derived from in-store purchases.[10]
Amoeba found a new location for its Los Angeles store onHollywood Boulevard at Argyle Avenue. It is located inside of a newly constructed apartment complex, the El Centro. The store's vast collections of music CDs, LPs, DVDs, andbooks were temporarily in storage during construction at the new site during 2020 and 2021.[11] The new location opened on April 1, 2021.[12]
The new Amoeba Music store is located near the popularPantages Theatre in theHollywood and Vine area. Continuing the tradition of free live shows for customers at the store, the new Amoeba Music frequently holds free shows during store hours with locally- and nationally-known artists from a wide variety of genres. The bandRed Hot Chili Peppers gave a free live performance at the store for Amoeba Music customers after receiving a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame near the entrance to Amoeba Music store on March 31, 2022.George Clinton,Woody Harrelson, andBob Forrest unveiled the star at the ceremony.[13][14][15]
Amoeba'sYouTube channel was created on January 27, 2006, and is home to interviews, recordings of live performances at Amoeba locations, and theaward-winning seriesWhat's In My Bag? with various "featuring artists and tastemakers sharing what they found shopping at Amoeba."[16]
The Hollywood store was included as a playable venue in the 2008 music gameGuitar Hero World Tour.[1]Paul McCartney recorded his EPAmoeba's Secret (which was also released asAmoeba Gig in its entirety in 2019) at an unannounced live performance at the Hollywood location on June 27, 2007.
