Amoeba Music

I love Amoeba-always have. Their selection is great, the prices are reasonable and their staff is always fun and helpful.
Gone is the arrogance of some record stores. Here is a truly eclectic space, with great in store events, and they create an amazing community.
I'm so grateful that Amoeba exists and that I live near one.

I always loved Amoeba, mostly because I'd visit frequently growing up and spend hours browsing the vast selection of CDs, vinyl, and movies. I was sad they had to leave their original location on Sunset Blvd. I've been to the new location a few times now. The new place is not as big, but it's decent. I thought I'd share some things that bothered me about the new location. First, because Amoeba no longer has its own parking, you can park in a nearby parking structure that's free only for the first 75 minutes. In their previous location, their parking was free, and there was no time limit. I appreciated the unlimited free parking because you could browse around for hours without worrying about running out of time for parking. For the new location, I had to set a timer for 75 minutes. I left Amoeba, left the parking, then circled the block, returned to the parking again, and went into the store again for another measly 75 minutes that went by quickly. I think this dampens the exciting experience of browsing freely for hours and not worrying about parking constantly. What's more, you must buy something to qualify for parking validation. It would have been better if Amoeba could find a more accessible parking lot.

The second issue is that since the resurgence of the LP, vinyl has become very expensive, which I'm sure wasn't the case back when vinyl was the norm. As a younger listener, I will pay more for a new vinyl. But used vinyl shouldn't be just as expensive. Here at Amoeba, new and used vinyl are, for the most part, the same price. At least you're paying $25-$40 for a single vinyl. I think they're taking advantage of the vinyl trend because used vinyl is much cheaper in other smaller record stores. Yes, they do have clearance vinyl, but the vinyl on sale includes only lesser-known and obscure titles. They've cleverly marked up the price for used vinyl for titles that are better known, which, to me, is the same as price gouging.

My third issue is with their "sell your vinyl" system. I recently went in to sell about 15 vinyl records, mostly jazz vocals and oldies LPs from the 50s and 60s. The employee at the counter said, "There's no market for these records," and that I couldn't sell them. So my question is, if there's "no market" for the type of LP I wanted to sell, why is the store selling these kinds of records themselves? Why sell them if there's no market for them? So, this double-standard explanation is dubious at best. So their whole "sell your vinyl" system is essentially BS.

I still love going to Amoeba and supporting them, and I would prefer going to a record store rather than buying vinyl cheaper on Amazon. But again, all this might affect the willingness of customers to spend gas driving to Hollywood, park for only 75 minutes, and buy an expensive record.

What Amoeba does well is having a wide selection of titles, including ones from new artists. If you're looking for a used record, go to another record store. And maybe the Record Parlour is not the best option because they're also expensive. The high prices perhaps reflect the fact that these stores are in Hollywood, where all the tourists go. Living in the greater LA area, you'll find better deals at other record stores that are much more affordable and where you can find better titles and quality used records. I'm finding that I'm less inclined to visit Amoeba and would rather purchase records at other record shops that are much more reasonable or on Amazon. Amoeba is just not the customer-friendly record store it used to be. It feels more like a soulless corporation with uptight employees than a place where customers can enjoy the wonderful world of exploring and discovering new music.

First time here, huge selection of a much wider variety of music styles. I've been on a techno Cumbia kick lately and was able to find a few good records I hadn't seen at other record shops I've been to locally in OC.
Staff was friendly and prices are reasonable.
Be warned, there are no public bathrooms here.

The mother load, the goldmine, the Costco of vinyl and all things music. Multiple lands of genres far and wide. There's also an upstairs area of books for those searching for an intriguing read. Several parking garages and lots located nearby. Security at the entrance to check bags in. Service is always awesome great vibes and great selections to build your vinyl collection.

This place is SO COOL! Huuuuuuuge store with a lot of cool items! Have wanted to check this place out for a while. It's a little overwhelming but it's definitely worth it! Vinyl, CDs, Blu-Ray, cassettes. There's probably even 8-tracks but I didn't see any because I wasn't looking. Bought a couple albums with my daughter as well as a Beatles shirt. All the employees were super friendly and helpful. The line to check out was long but moved quickly. I want to come back for one of their events sometime! But I think we will make it a tradition to check this place out every time we are down here!

I've been here twice, it's awesome!!!
They have Vinyls, T Shirts, CD's, Films, Music and Etc. It's so cool, I love how they have their book section organized. The film posters on the wall are a nice touch.

Toller Record Store, gute Auswahl. Für meinen Geschmack etwas zu viele CDs im Angebot. Aber macht schon Sinn sich den Kultladen einmal anzugucken.

This is a very big record shop and has almost any vinyl record you can possibly want. There is also CDs and Books on the 2nd level. The information booth was informative. We found some great finds for cheap with entire album including the inserts that came with the records years ago! That was a nice surprise! Only thing is there is NO public restroom which makes no sense if one is shopping there!

Extremely well organized and large range of music and movie selection! They offer new and used vinyls, cds, movies, books and VHS

There's no music store that could compare to amoeba music. There's selection is endless. You can find just about anything from clothing to accessories to anything you may look for. There's no time period that they do not have. It's just a fun place to go and shop for any genre. The staff is very friendly and is always there happily to help you look for what you are wanting.