Vinyl collectors and music fans are rejoicing because their north star, Amoeba Music, is back. The legendary record store opens its new Hollywood location today, just a half mile from the previous store. That one was on Sunset next to the ArcLight. This one is on Hollywood Boulevard.
Amoeba Music closed its old store a year ago, after two decades there. The move was in the works before COVID-19, but lockdowns made it harder to sustain it.
And now that streaming has completely upended physical CD and DVD sales, how does a store specializing in physical albums adapt? Especially with COVID restrictions that limit how many customers can browse at a time.
KCRW’s Andrea Domanick spoke with Amoeba Music co-owner Jim Henderson about how his business is adapting in the coronavirus era.