The San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area have some stellar vinyl record stores for music lovers who champion physical media.
Vinyl record collecting and its popularity have been steadily increasing every year as the Recording Industry Association of America 2024 Year-End report states, “total physical revenues of $2 billion were up 5% versus the prior year.”
Record Store Day, a day celebrating independent record stores with exclusive limited-time releases, special discounts, freebies and some stores even having performances, thousands of music fans flock to these stores to support local businesses.
As Record Store Day 2025 approaches on April 12, The Sundial has gone on the field to highlight local record stores and ask what they are all about and how they prepare for Record Store Day.
Freakbeat Records fostering a classic atmosphere.
By Jesse Illanes
Freakbeat Records has remained a San Fernando Valley staple in record stores since the early 2000s.
The Sherman Oaks store on Ventura Blvd has been thriving, focusing on buying and selling new and used vinyl records and CDs.
Entering the store, you are greeted by the staff, as the sounds of psychedelic rock group “Spirit” play while customers dig through the record shelves.
With expensive and rare Beatles records decorating the wooden walls and new releases like Sabrina Carpenter, Freakbeat is definitely a cozier and more intimate record store experience than others in the Valley.
Bob Say, the owner of Freakbeat Records, says he’s been in the record store business for nearly 50 years.
“I’ve done this my whole life, so [Freakbeat Records] is just like an extension of the record stores I used to work in,” Say said. According to him, the store mainly focuses on used records, as people trading in their old records and CDs for in-store credit is popular.
When discussing Record Store Day, Say sees it as a big event for the store, usually spending around $30,000 in RSD exclusives.
“One year, we had a line of 300 people, but usually now, the way we run it, we open earlier. We get a bunch of people right at the beginning, so the line never gets out of control, and at most, there’s a hundred people out there at any time,” said Say on the turnout of Record Store Day.
With Love, Vinyl: Behind the Scenes at Licorice Pizza for Record Store Day.
By Ari David
With Record Store Day spinning our way next month, I dropped into Licorice Pizza in Studio City to chat with manager Grant Parsons about what makes the annual event and the vinyl itself, so special.
Spoiler alert: It’s more than just the music; it’s a big part.
Parsons considers “Sound of Silver” by LCD Soundsystem or “American Beauty” by the Grateful Dead when asked what one album he’d add to every customer’s collection.
“Both are layered, emotional and sound incredible on vinyl. That depth – you feel it,” Parsons said.
Parsons also gave a peek behind the turntable, explaining how records are made, from lacquer cutting to PVC pellets and wild color mixes like “nebula galaxy swirls.” And yes, they’ve seen it all – from a bootleg Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” vinyl pressing to one-of-one test pressings of Mötley Crüe.
While picture discs and novelty vinyl are trending, Parsons is all about authenticity.
“They’re fun, but sometimes audio quality takes a hit. For us, sound comes first,” Parsons said. “It’s magic,” Parsons said, referring to Record Store Day. “People camp out at 2 a.m. just to get their hands on something special. That kind of passion – that community – is what we’re here for.”
Licorice Pizza stands out for its carefully curated vinyl and for “holding space” where new listeners and longtime collectors can connect, learn and fall in love with records all over again.
In the popular words of the glamorous character, Penny Lane, from the 2000 film, “Almost Famous,” “And if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends.”
Tarzana’s CD Trader is charming and just “nice.”
By Madeleine Christian
Just off the 101 Highway in Tarzana, CD Trader is a charming hole-in-the-wall record store jam-packed with new and used records, posters, DVDs, Blu-rays and cassettes.
Self-proclaimed “CD Overlord” Dave Maples doesn’t care much about the flare of impersonal internet sales and “hipster Hollywood” record stores. CD Trader offers a personal touch, but more than that, they’re just a record store.
“We’ve been around for 30 years doing the same thing and doing it well,” says Maples. “We could make lots of arguments for why stores like ours are important, but our favorite Google review says it best, ‘It’s nice to have a CD store.’”
CD Trader, founded in 1995, relocated to its current Tarzana location from Thousand Oaks in 2005. In stark contrast to the decline of most brick-and-mortar record stores in LA, the store has actually expanded since its conception.
CD Trader has an ever-expanding collection of records from new Top 40s to rare vintage vinyl. They also have an expansive collection of DVD, Blu-ray and 4K films. You can find films dating back to the 40s in black and white or even the complete Star Trek series, which you’ll likely find at CD Trader.
Maples, who has been with CD Trader for 20 years, knows they offer a down-to-earth, authentic record store experience free from the fanfare of other big stores.
The store is preparing for the upcoming Record Store Day with big plans.
“Big sale, hundreds of limited RSD releases, but better than that: thousands of records, CDs and movies at discounted prices.” Maples said.
As for the future of CD Trader, Maples can only hope for one thing: “That CD Trader stays around as long as people want and need us.”
Midnight Hour Records prepares for Record Store Day.
By Giuliana Melgar
“I just like the excitement, and people are really excited when they get to find the one thing that they really are looking for. That’s my favorite part,” said Sergio Amalfitano, owner of Midnight Hour Records. “I definitely just see somebody get excited, like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I have this,’ you know?”
The Midnight Hour Records is a Latinx-owned and operated business that sells vinyl, clothes, pins, DVDs and more at the corner of the San Fernando Mall.
In preparation for Record Store Day, Amalfitano says he has ordered tons of records ranging in all types of genres from artists such as The Cure, Ethel Cain, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Celia Cruz and even Bluey.
Amalfitano says he and his wife try to curate as many records from different genres as possible and bring in records from various places, such as Mexico City.
“In a lot of record stores, I don’t feel like [they] kind of carry that kind of music, so we do focus on Rock en español, cumbia, salsa and reggaeton and whatever we can find in terms like baladas romanticas. Latin music that we grew up with and current,” said Amalfitano.
The Midnight Hour Records hosts community events, live shows and movie nights. Their shows can hold a capacity of almost 500 people.
Visit their Instagram page or website for more information on their events and record store day.
Amoeba Hollywood – a historic store and expansive selection.
By Jesse Illanes
Amoeba Music in Hollywood is the “big kahuna” for record stores in Los Angeles, as they are self-proclaimed the “World’s Largest Independent Record Store.”
Their original Hollywood location opened in 2001, later moving to their spacious location in 2021. Being on Hollywood Blvd, a hotspot for tourists and shoppers, Amoeba always seems to be busy and full of people looking through their mainly new and used vinyl and CDs.
With high-priced vinyl and band/movie posters vividly being plastered all over their walls, Amoeba has been a historic record store and venue, featuring performances by artists such as Paul McCartney, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish.
They sell everything: turntables and speakers to help newcomers get started with record collecting and carry other forms of physical media such as books about music artists, Blu-rays and DVDs, band merch and collectible figurines.
Floor Manager, Rik Sanchez, said that all types of people visit the store, with people who are into music, film and pop culture being the three main features of their customer base.
Discussing music sales, Sanchez said, “The marketplace has changed. CDs were kind of falling away, and LPs (records) kind of came up. We try to carry every format as we can get it, so you’ll find cassettes out there, 78s, reel-to-reels when we can find them, 8-track tapes… we’re catering to people who are deeply into music and film.”
For Record Store Day, Sanchez says the “turnout is always enormous,” which is typical for Amoeba, as they are known to get the most exclusives in the area. “[RSD] was a way to refocus people on an actual store to go to, and succeeded for the most part. We’ll also have a lot of things on sale like turntables are 20%, t-shirts, posters, etc,” said Sanchez.
