History[edit]

Insound was founded in 1998 by Christian Anthony, Matt Wishnow and Ari Sass.^[2][3] Wishnow and Sass had worked together at Elektra.^[3] The site took six months to build and first launched on March 1, 1999.^[4] The company gradually gained notoriety through its reviews, online zines and promotion of then-small bands such as Death Cab for Cutie.^[4] Insound also gained visibility through hosting events at CMJ and South by Southwest (SXSW).


Insound became profitable in 2003.^[3] In 2008, more than half of the company's sales come from selling vinyl records, which have made a resurgence in the past decade.^[5]


In January 2008, the retailer was acquired by Alternative Distribution Alliance, an independent distributor owned by the Warner Music Group.^[6]


On March 19, 2015 ADA disbanded Insound but in October of the same year, the online music retailer was revived by the Warner Music Group and was selling a broad-range of music related products at a discounted price.^[7] By April 2020, Insound redirected to the Warner Music Group Official Store.