Amoeba Music
Company type
1990
Berkeley, California, U.S.
3
California, United States (San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles)
Records, compact discs, home video, posters, books, collectibles, accessories
Amoeba Music is an American independent music store chain with locations in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It stocks media, primarily music, but also films and television programs via DVD and VHS. Its music selection includes rock, pop, blues, soul, funk, rap, and jazz. It is popular as a tourist destination for fans of physical media or music in general. It was founded in 1990 in Berkeley, California, and remains in operation, having survived the decline of CD sales in the 2000s.[1] Amoeba stores generally focus on vinyl and compact discs.
History[edit]
Original Berkeley store (1990)[edit]
Amoeba Music was founded by former employees of nearby Rasputin Records and opened on Telegraph 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 reselling 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]
YouTube channel[edit]
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."[16]
Popular culture[edit]
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 (which was also released as Amoeba Gig in its entirety in 2019) at an unannounced live performance at the Hollywood location on June 27, 2007.
Berkeley store
San Francisco store
San Francisco store, inside
