Revolution Music

What Revolution Music does

Revolution Music Company, doing business as Elmhurst Records, is an independently owned local music retailer operating a single physical storefront at 107 N Addison Ave in Elmhurst, Illinois, alongside an e-commerce website and a Discogs seller profile. Its core offering is curated vinyl records across roughly fifteen genres (rock, pop, hip-hop, R&B, blues, jazz, dance/electronic, country, folk, world, reggae, classical, holiday, punk), with an emphasis on indie-exclusive colored pressings, preorders, and Record Store Day and RSD Black Friday limited releases. The company also sells new electric and acoustic guitars and provides instrument lessons, rentals, repair services, and a buyback program for used vinyl and guitars, broadening wallet share per customer.

The business makes money through a mix of one-time product sales (new vinyl, used vinyl via Discogs, guitar hardware) and recurring or transactional service revenue (weekly guitar lessons, instrument rentals, repair services, buyback transactions). Pricing for records, lessons, rentals, and repairs is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer through the local storefront and the company's own e-commerce site, with supplementary distribution via the global Discogs and RSD MRKT marketplaces, and marketing concentrated on organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) and an email newsletter. The legal entity is Elmhurst Records, domiciled in Illinois, with Scott Burnell identified as Managing Partner; no parent company, outside investors, or public listing are disclosed, and the company is privately held with no funding history in the source data.

Name

Revolution Music

Legal name

Elmhurst Records

Website

https://revolutionmusiccompany.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Revolution Music (Elmhurst Records) is an independently owned local record store and music retailer in Elmhurst, Illinois, selling new and used vinyl records, guitars, and offering lessons, rentals, repair, and buyback services to vinyl collectors and musicians via a storefront, e-commerce site, and Discogs marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music 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 industries

Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF), Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH)

Keywords

• Vinyl record sales
• Guitar sales
• Record store retail
• Guitar lessons repair
• Indie music retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vinyl Record Sales: Physical and online sales of new vinyl records, including indie exclusive releases, preorders, and used/rare vinyl through Discogs marketplace.
2. Guitar Sales: Sales of new guitars through their shop, with both in-store browsing and online catalog available.
3. Guitar Lessons & Rentals: Weekly guitar lessons and instrument rental services for learners and musicians.
4. Guitar Repair: Repair services for guitars and other musical instruments.
5. We Buy Guitars & Vinyl: The store purchases used guitars and vinyl records from customers, then resells them.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Revolution Music (legally Elmhurst Records) operates a local record store and e-commerce shop selling new vinyl records (including indie exclusives, preorders, and colored/limited pressings), used vinyl through the Discogs marketplace, and electric/acoustic guitars. The store also provides in-store services including guitar lessons, instrument rentals, repair services, and a buyback program for used guitars and vinyl records, and participates in Record Store Day events.

Product overview

Revolution Music Company (operating as Elmhurst Records) is a local record store offering a comprehensive music retail experience. The core product is vinyl records across multiple genres, complemented by guitar sales and related services. The product portfolio includes: vinyl record sales (new releases, indie exclusive releases, preorders, and used vinyl via Discogs); guitar retail with dedicated shop page; guitar lessons and rentals; guitar repair services; and a buyback program for guitars and vinyl. The company participates in Record Store Day events and maintains a physical retail presence at 107 N Addison Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vinyl Records Physical vinyl record sales across multiple genres, including new releases, indie exclusive limited-edition pressings, and preorders, offered in-store and online. Targeted at music enthusiasts and vinyl collectors.
• Used Vinyl Pre-owned vinyl records sold to collectors and music enthusiasts through the Discogs seller profile.
• Guitar Sales Sale of electric and acoustic guitars in-store and online, targeted at beginner, intermediate, and professional musicians.
• Guitar Lessons & Rentals Weekly guitar instruction services and instrument rental options provided in-store for beginner to intermediate guitar players.
• Guitar Repair Repair and maintenance services for guitars and other musical instruments, delivered at the Elmhurst retail location.
• We Buy Guitars & Vinyl Store purchases pre-owned guitars and vinyl records from customers, which are then resold through retail channels or the Discogs marketplace.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Waterloo Records: Long-running Austin, TX independent record store selling new vinyl across multiple genres with an event and community focus. Comparable as a locally rooted independent record retailer with similar omnichannel selling.
• Amoeba Music: Iconic independent record store chain operating three California locations, selling new and used vinyl across genres. Directly comparable as a multi-channel independent record retailer anchored in physical-media sales, though materially larger.
• Rough Trade: Iconic UK and US independent record stores with curated vinyl focus and in-store events. Comparable as an independent record retailer using breadth of genre and community events to differentiate from chain competitors.
• Vintage Vinyl: St. Louis-based independent record store with heavy emphasis on used and new vinyl and an active Discogs seller profile. Closely comparable as a Midwest indie record retailer with similar trade-in and Discogs marketplace integration.
• Reckless Records: Chicago-based independent record store chain focused on used and new vinyl with active buyer/trade-in counter. Comparable regional Midwest indie record retailer with similar buyer model and genre breadth.
• Elderly Instruments: Lansing, MI-based independent instrument retailer specializing in guitars and offering repair services. Directly comparable as a small, locally rooted instrument retailer offering sales, lessons, and repair — the same operational template as Revolution Music.
• Permanent Records: Chicago independent record store and small label selling new and used vinyl with an in-store performance venue. Comparable small-format indie record retailer in the same Midwest region with event-driven community positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetwater: Fort Wayne, IN-based leading direct musical instrument and pro audio retailer. Competes with Revolution Music's guitar and accessories sales with much broader selection, free shipping, and deep sales-rep relationships.
• Guitar Center: Largest US musical instrument retail chain with hundreds of locations nationwide. Directly competes with Revolution Music's guitar retail and lessons offering as a broad incumbent with scale-driven pricing power.

Others

• Discogs: Global vinyl marketplace and database where Revolution Music sells used records. Functions as critical sales infrastructure for the buyback program while also serving as a global competing channel that exposes used-vinyl pricing to worldwide collectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/revolutionmusiccompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/Elmhurstrecords
• TikToktiktok.com/@elmhurst.records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Revolution Music