Music Store Live

What Music Store Live does

Music Store Live (legal entity MusicStoreLive Inc.) is a privately held, online-only retailer of musical instruments and professional audio equipment headquartered in National City, California. The company operates the e-commerce platform musicstorelive.com, selling guitars (electric, acoustic, strings, accessories, amplifiers), bass guitars, effects pedals, drums (acoustic, electronic, and hybrid configurations), live and studio gear (recording, DJ, cables, headphones), and keyboards/synthesizers. Pricing is structured as individual one-time transactions on physical goods, with no subscription or recurring revenue component; product price points range from under $15 for accessories to nearly $10,000 for premium electronic drum kits.

The company serves individual musicians ranging from beginners to professional performers across the United States, with the primary segment being solo hobbyist and professional buyers purchasing for personal practice, performance, or studio use. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the company website, supplemented by nationwide phone ordering ((866) 256-5725) and a physical mailing/operations address at 300 W 28th St Ste 102, National City, CA. Customer acquisition relies on organic channels — email newsletter, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube), and SEO-optimized category and brand landing pages.

The company's value proposition rests on expert product guidance, full pre-sale instrument inspection and professional setup, a 30-day return policy, free shipping on qualifying orders, and easy financing for higher-value purchases. It carries an extensive multi-brand portfolio spanning entry-level to professional-grade gear. The firm operates with a very small team (1-10 employees) and shows no disclosed venture, private equity, or institutional ownership, making it a bootstrapped, lean retailer competing against substantially larger incumbents such as Sweetwater and Guitar Center.

Name

Music Store Live

Legal name

MusicStoreLive Inc.

Website

https://musicstorelive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Music Store Live (MusicStoreLive Inc.) is a privately held, online-only retailer of musical instruments and professional audio equipment based in National City, California, selling guitars, basses, effects, drums, pro audio, and keyboards via its e-commerce site to individual musicians across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instruments E-commerce

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914), Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Retailers (4591)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pro Audio & Recording Equipment Retail (MI-adjacent) (CRALAEAC), DJ Equipment & Electronic Music Gear Retail (CRALAEAD)

Keywords

• Musical instruments retail
• Pro audio equipment
• Guitar sales online
• Electronic drums
• Music gear e-commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

National City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Music Store Live generates revenue through direct product sales of musical instruments and audio equipment. The store operates as an e-commerce platform selling guitars, bass guitars, drums, effects, keyboards, pro audio equipment, DJ gear, and accessories. All sales are one-time transactions for physical goods with no stated subscription component.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Music Store Live operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform that sells musical instruments and professional audio equipment, including electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitars, effects pedals, acoustic and electronic drum kits, keyboards/synthesizers, DJ gear, recording and live-sound equipment, headphones, and accessories. The retailer adds value through pre-sale professional setup and inspection, a 30-day return policy, free shipping on qualifying orders, and financing options for higher-priced purchases.

Product overview

Music Store Live is an online musical instrument and professional audio equipment e-commerce retailer. The company operates a single e-commerce platform selling an extensive range of musical products across several main categories: Guitars (electric, acoustic, strings, accessories, and amps), Bass Guitars, Effects Pedals, Drums (acoustic, electronic, and hybrid), Live & Studio Gear (recording, live sound, DJ equipment, cables, headphones), and Keyboards & Synthesizers. The platform also features a Deals section for discounted and open-box items. The company emphasizes expert guidance, 30-day returns, full setups and inspections, free shipping on hundreds of products, and easy financing options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guitars Electric and acoustic guitars including solidbody, hollow and semi-hollow, extended range, and left-handed variants, plus guitar strings, accessories (bags, cases, pickups, picks, stands, parts), and guitar amplifiers (heads, cabinets, combo amps, acoustic amps) for individual musicians.
• Bass Guitars Bass guitars in 4-string, 5-string, and 6+ string configurations, acoustic bass, and left-handed variants, including bass guitar strings, bass amplifiers (heads, cabinets, combo amps), and parts and accessories.
• Effects Pedals Guitar effects pedals including gain effects (overdrive, distortion, fuzz), dynamic effects (volume, compressors, noise gates), time effects (delay, reverb, loopers), filter effects (EQ, wah, envelope), preamps and modelers, pitch effects, utility pedals, synthesizer effects, multi-effects units, and modulation effects.
• Drums Acoustic drums (kits, shell packs, snare drums, pedals, hardware), cymbals, electronic drums (kits, modules, pads, triggers, hardware), hand drums (bongos, cajons, congas, tambourines), and drum accessories (sticks, bags, cases, thrones, microphones).
• Electronic Drum Kits Complete electronic drum kit systems including Roland V-Drums series (TD-02KV, TD-17KV2, TD-17KVX2, VAD504), Yamaha DTX6K5-M, DDrum E-Flex, and Alesis Strata series kits.
• Acoustic-Electronic Hybrid Drum Kits Hybrid drum kits combining acoustic drum shells with electronic drum technology, including DW Drum Workshop DWe series acoustic-electronic kits with Roland V-Cymbals.
• Drum Modules and Triggers Drum sound modules and electronic drum triggers including Roland V-Drums modules (TD-02, TD-17, TD-27, VAD series, V71), Alesis Strata touch screen modules, Yamaha DTX-PRO modules, and Eurorack drum modules.
• Live & Studio Gear Professional audio equipment including studio and recording gear (MIDI controllers, audio interfaces, microphones, monitors, mixers, signal processing, acoustic treatment, recorders), live sound (mixers, monitoring, power amplifiers, portable PA systems), DJ gear (controllers, interfaces, mixers, turntables), cables, and headphones.
• Keyboards & Synthesizers Keyboards and MIDI instruments including synthesizers (keyboard, desktop, Eurorack, portable), digital pianos and keyboard controllers, and band and orchestral instruments (brass, woodwind, orchestral instruments and accessories).
• DW Drum Workshop Performance Series 5-Piece Drum Set Kit Handcrafted maple shell drum kit with HVX shell construction, STM tom mounts, graduated counter hoops, and matching maple bass drum hoops, including 8x10 and 9x12 mounted toms, 14x16 floor tom, 18x22 bass drum, and 6.5x14 matching snare.
• TAMA Imperialstar IE52C 5-Piece Drum Set Kit Complete poplar drum kit featuring 22x16 bass drum, 10x7 and 12x8 tom toms, 16x15 floor tom, 14x5 snare, MTH50 double tom holder, hi-hat stand, single drum pedal, snare stand, boom cymbal stand, straight cymbal stand, throne, and Meinl HCS cymbals.
• Gretsch Drums USA Custom 4-Piece Drum Kit USA Custom series 4-piece kit featuring 6-ply Gretsch-formula maple/gum shells with 30-degree bearing edges, Silver Sealer interior finish, die cast hoops, available in Silver Duco Gloss Lacquer with Chrome hardware.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sam Ash: Long-established US musical instrument multichannel retailer combining physical stores with online sales of guitars, drums, pro audio, and accessories; comparable breadth of catalog and similar buyer segments to Music Store Live.
• Musician's Friend: Long-standing US online musical instrument and pro audio superstore (a Guitar Center sister brand) with broad catalog and competitive pricing across guitars, drums, keys, live sound, and DJ gear; comparable online MI mass-market positioning.
• Guitar Center: Largest US specialty musical instrument retailer with both a national chain of physical showrooms and a large e-commerce operation; sells guitars, drums, pro audio, DJ, and keys across price tiers, and presents the dominant incumbent against which Music Store Live competes online.
• B&H Photo Video: Large US electronics and pro audio retailer with a meaningful musical instrument and recording gear sub-category; competes with Music Store Live for pro audio, microphones, and home recording buyers rather than core instruments.

Direct peers

• Reverb.com: Leading online marketplace for new and used musical instruments and gear, with category depth in guitars, effects, synths, drums, and pro audio; targets the same individual musician buyer as Music Store Live with an online-first model that emphasizes selection and seller tools.
• Sweetwater: Largest US online musical instrument and pro audio retailer, operating as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site with phone-based expert sales engineers, free shipping, free returns, and deep inventory across guitars, drums, keys, and pro audio. Most direct comparison to Music Store Live given overlapping catalog and service-led online model.
• American Musical Supply: Online-focused US musical instrument retailer covering guitars, drums, live/PA, DJ, and recording gear; competes head-to-head with Music Store Live on pro audio and instrument SKUs and on free-shipping/financing value props.
• Kraft Music: US online retailer specializing in keyboards, digital pianos, recording, and pro audio with strong vendor relationships and service-led sales; comparable in size and e-commerce-only model to Music Store Live with overlapping keys and pro audio focus.
• ProAudioStar: Online US retailer focused on DJ gear, controllers, synths, and pro audio equipment; competes directly with Music Store Live's DJ and live/studio categories and shares the online-only, expert-supported sales model.
• Chicago Music Exchange: Online and showroom-based US guitar and vintage instrument retailer, particularly strong in electric/acoustic guitars, amps, and boutique brands; comparable specialist retailer competing on curation and expert service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/musicstorelive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/musicstorelive1
• Facebookfacebook.com/MusicStoreLive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Music Store Live