The Record Exchange
The Record Exchange is a privately held independent music store founded in 1977 in Boise, Idaho, selling musical instruments online to hobbyist musicians and local customers with a 1-10 employee footprint.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersBoise, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Record Exchange does
The Record Exchange is a small, privately held music retailer headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1977, the company operates as an independent music store offering online musical instruments through its website at therecordexchange.com. With an employee count of 1-10, it is a micro/small business operating in the brick-and-mortar and online musical instrument retail segment, likely serving hobbyist musicians, local Boise-area customers, and a national long-tail of online instrument buyers.
The company's business model appears to be traditional musical instrument retail with an online sales channel supplementing (or potentially replacing) its physical storefront. No management team, ownership details, funding history, partnership agreements, product catalog, or pricing structure were available in the source data — the company website returned only a loading/verification page with no substantive content. This data gap limits any deeper assessment of unit economics, supplier relationships, or channel mix.
Given its 47+ year operational history, The Record Exchange has demonstrated longevity in a sector that has faced significant disruption from national chains (Guitar Center), major online instrument retailers (Sweetwater, Reverb.com, Amazon), and the broader decline of physical music retail. The company's competitive position, current revenue trajectory, and strategic direction cannot be reliably assessed from the available data, and any investment thesis would require primary diligence to fill these information gaps.
The Record Exchange firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Record Exchange
- Website
- https://therecordexchange.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Record Exchange is a privately held independent music store founded in 1977 in Boise, Idaho, selling musical instruments online to hobbyist musicians and local customers with a 1-10 employee footprint.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Record Exchange industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Musical Instruments Retail
- NAICS
- Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)
- SIC
- Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online-Only Musical Instrument & Sheet Music Retail (CRALAEAI)
Keywords
Where The Record Exchange is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boise
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Record Exchange business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
The Record Exchange product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Record Exchange is a music retail store that sells musical instruments and related music products, including both in-store and online channels. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the store serves individual music consumers and enthusiasts looking to purchase instruments and music merchandise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Musical Instruments
Companies that use The Record Exchange
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
The Record Exchange technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Record Exchange partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
The Record Exchange competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Amoeba Music: Iconic independent record store chain on the U.S. West Coast combining physical retail with online sales of new and used music; closely comparable in mission, product mix, and customer base to The Record Exchange.
- Rough Trade: Independent record store operator with multiple locations (NYC, London) plus an online storefront; comparable in being a curated music retailer serving collectors and enthusiasts.
- Waterloo Records: Long-running independent record store in Austin, TX with online sales of records and adjacent merchandise; very similar independent-retail format and customer profile.
- Bull Moose Music: Independent regional music retailer in the Northeast combining physical stores with an online catalog offering CDs, vinyl, and music-related merchandise; comparable multi-channel indie footprint.
- Vintage Vinyl: Independent record store in St. Louis with a strong online presence and broad vinyl catalog; similar business model mixing physical retail with e-commerce.
- R5 Records: Independent record store in Chico, CA with physical and online channels for new and used vinyl; comparable independent local-retail format.
Broad incumbents
- Sweetwater: Largest U.S. online retailer of musical instruments and pro audio gear, combining massive catalog with sales-engineer-led customer service; overlaps with the company's online instrument channel but at vastly greater scale.
- Guitar Center: National big-box musical instrument retailer with hundreds of stores and a large online catalog; directly comparable in instruments category and competing on selection and price rather than curation.
Emerging players
- Reverb: Online marketplace specializing in new, used, and vintage musical instruments; competes for the same online instrument buyer and represents the kind of scaled digital competitor that pressures boutique instrument sellers.
Others
- Discogs: Global marketplace and database for physical recorded music (vinyl, CDs, cassettes); adjacent ecosystem that both competes with and channels demand to independent record retailers like The Record Exchange.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
The Record Exchange social profiles
Digital presenceThe Record Exchange financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Record Exchange leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Record Exchange funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Record Exchange M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Record Exchange
What does The Record Exchange do?
The Record Exchange is a music retail store that sells musical instruments and related music products, including both in-store and online channels. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the store serves individual music consumers and enthusiasts looking to purchase instruments and music merchandise.
When was The Record Exchange founded?
The Record Exchange was founded in 1977. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Record Exchange based?
The Record Exchange is headquartered in Boise, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Record Exchange's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Amoeba Music, Rough Trade, Waterloo Records, Bull Moose Music, Vintage Vinyl and R5 Records. Broad incumbents are Sweetwater and Guitar Center. Reverb is listed as an emerging player. Discogs is listed as an others.
Does The Record Exchange have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Record Exchange.
What industry is The Record Exchange in?
The Record Exchange's product category is Musical Instruments Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAEAA, Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra), with a secondary code of CRALAEAI, Online-Only Musical Instrument & Sheet Music Retail. Its NAICS code is 459140 and its SIC code is 5735.