ROLLING STONE FEATURE ON CO-FOUNDER MARC WEINSTEIN:
How to Succeed in Business by Avoiding a ‘Real Job’ – The Marc Weinstein Story
By Carly Hildebrand
Walking through an Amoeba record store feels like a blast from the past, and looking at Amoeba Music co-founder Marc Weinstein makes you think you may have really time traveled – his mop of long curly hair and polyester button down give out some serious 70s vibes. But the strange thing is Amoeba Records isn’t a relic of the past; it's a brick-and-mortar music shop that actually expanding in the digital age. Amoeba Nashville, the first of Weinstein’s shops that’s outside of California, will open on Record Store Day of 2016.
As Weinstein strolls through the packed aisle of 70s rock music at Amoeba’s Berkeley location, he reminisces about his start in the record shop business as a high school student in 1975. His father got him a job at Record Theater in Buffalo, New York, which at the time was the largest record store in the world. “It wasn’t a matter of weeks of working there that I realized how much I felt akin to everyone working there,” said Weinstein. “The culture was so exciting and stimulating for me that it literally is the only thing I’ve ever done my entire life. I was never interested in getting what most people considered a ‘real job.’”
For Weinstein, music wasn’t just a hobby or an after-school job; it was a religion. “Concerts were my personal church when I was growing up,” explains Weinstein. “I worshiped my collection of vinyl records. I still do.”
Weinstein would eventually move to California but continue to work in the business, including a stint at Rasputin Records, the largest independent record store chain. After nearly 15 years, he started to get antsy in the late 1980s. He had a strong vision and started dreaming of opening his own shop.
But Weinstein was never into the nitty-gritty dealings of the business world. “I’ve always been more of a creative person,” jokes Weinstein. “I’ve got a BFA in music and painting, I’m clearly not the ideal guy to negotiate a building lease with.”
In 1989, Weinstein met Dave Prinz, a business-savvy owner of a chain of video stores, and once they got together, the idea of Amoeba Music began to take form. “I really admired Marc’s passion and he clearly had his finger on the pulse of the music scene,” said Prinz. “We immediately started working combining his vision with my knowhow.”
The first Amoeba shop in Berkeley, California opened in 1990 on Telegraph Avenue, a street that already boasted five record stores at time, including Rasputin. Weinstein wasn’t intimidated; he knew the community well and knew he could start something special. “People thought we [Weinstein & Prinz] were insane, but we built that first shop in Berkeley to be the ideal record store,” said Weinstein, “one that had all the space, resources and spirit you’d want.”
Twenty-five years later, Amoeba now holds the title of “Worlds Largest Independent Record Store” and has locations in San Francisco, Hollywood and soon-to-be Nashville in addition to the original Berkeley shop. The expansion is really a testament for how Amoeba has successfully managed the tumultuous shifts in the music industry.
“Yes, most things have gone digital now, that’s obvious,” Weinstein acknowledges. “But vinyl sales have been skyrocketing for the past few years, our Hollywood location sells around 1,000 vinyl records a day."
Weinstein is just as optimistic about the Nashville market due to its already healthy independent record store presence. Other well known stores such as Grimey’s and Jack White’s Third Man Records thrive in the ‘Music City.’
“The independent record store community is one full of immense support and admiration,” said Jack White when asked about Amoeba crossing over into southern territory. “Vinyl might still be a niche market but its only growing – it’s clear a large number of young people are discovering what it means to own records by the artists they believe in.”
Weinstein certainly identifies with those young people hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be a teen in love with music even though he is now pushing 60 years old.
He looks around his original store and points up at the innumerous posters reaching from wall-to-wall. “Amoeba’s walls are really a nod to every young music fan out there who wallpapers their room with posters of their favorite musicians,” says Weinstein nostalgically. “I’m really just one of those music-obsessed kids that managed to make their passion into a career,”
As Weinstein strolls through the packed aisle of 70s rock music at Amoeba’s Berkeley location, he reminisces about his start in the record shop business as a high school student in 1975. His father got him a job at Record Theater in Buffalo, New York, which at the time was the largest record store in the world. “It wasn’t a matter of weeks of working there that I realized how much I felt akin to everyone working there,” said Weinstein. “The culture was so exciting and stimulating for me that it literally is the only thing I’ve ever done my entire life. I was never interested in getting what most people considered a ‘real job.’”
For Weinstein, music wasn’t just a hobby or an after-school job; it was a religion. “Concerts were my personal church when I was growing up,” explains Weinstein. “I worshiped my collection of vinyl records. I still do.”
Weinstein would eventually move to California but continue to work in the business, including a stint at Rasputin Records, the largest independent record store chain. After nearly 15 years, he started to get antsy in the late 1980s. He had a strong vision and started dreaming of opening his own shop.
But Weinstein was never into the nitty-gritty dealings of the business world. “I’ve always been more of a creative person,” jokes Weinstein. “I’ve got a BFA in music and painting, I’m clearly not the ideal guy to negotiate a building lease with.”
In 1989, Weinstein met Dave Prinz, a business-savvy owner of a chain of video stores, and once they got together, the idea of Amoeba Music began to take form. “I really admired Marc’s passion and he clearly had his finger on the pulse of the music scene,” said Prinz. “We immediately started working combining his vision with my knowhow.”
The first Amoeba shop in Berkeley, California opened in 1990 on Telegraph Avenue, a street that already boasted five record stores at time, including Rasputin. Weinstein wasn’t intimidated; he knew the community well and knew he could start something special. “People thought we [Weinstein & Prinz] were insane, but we built that first shop in Berkeley to be the ideal record store,” said Weinstein, “one that had all the space, resources and spirit you’d want.”
Twenty-five years later, Amoeba now holds the title of “Worlds Largest Independent Record Store” and has locations in San Francisco, Hollywood and soon-to-be Nashville in addition to the original Berkeley shop. The expansion is really a testament for how Amoeba has successfully managed the tumultuous shifts in the music industry.
“Yes, most things have gone digital now, that’s obvious,” Weinstein acknowledges. “But vinyl sales have been skyrocketing for the past few years, our Hollywood location sells around 1,000 vinyl records a day."
Weinstein is just as optimistic about the Nashville market due to its already healthy independent record store presence. Other well known stores such as Grimey’s and Jack White’s Third Man Records thrive in the ‘Music City.’
“The independent record store community is one full of immense support and admiration,” said Jack White when asked about Amoeba crossing over into southern territory. “Vinyl might still be a niche market but its only growing – it’s clear a large number of young people are discovering what it means to own records by the artists they believe in.”
Weinstein certainly identifies with those young people hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be a teen in love with music even though he is now pushing 60 years old.
He looks around his original store and points up at the innumerous posters reaching from wall-to-wall. “Amoeba’s walls are really a nod to every young music fan out there who wallpapers their room with posters of their favorite musicians,” says Weinstein nostalgically. “I’m really just one of those music-obsessed kids that managed to make their passion into a career,”