Fingerprints Music
Fingerprints Music is a privately held independent record store founded in 1992 in Long Beach, California, selling vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and merchandise through a single retail storefront and online channels, serving music collectors and general consumers with exclusive releases and in-store artist events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersLong Beach, California, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Fingerprints Music does
Fingerprints Music is a privately held independent record store founded in 1992 and headquartered in Long Beach, California. It operates a single physical retail storefront at 3811 Atlantic Avenue, which it relocated to in 2025 from its previous 420 East 4th Street location, and an online store at shop.fingerprintsmusic.com powered by the Broadtime e-commerce platform with 256-bit SSL encryption and PayPal payment processing. The company sells vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and music merchandise, and distributes inventory through third-party marketplaces including Discogs and eBay.
The business monetizes physical media through unit-based pricing across standard and premium editions, with high-margin upside from limited and exclusive indie store variants (e.g., the Ghost IMPERA labyrinth box set at $349.99, The Mars Volta 18LP box set, Jay Buchanan Changes 7-inch Fingerprints Exclusive). It generates secondary revenue and community engagement through in-store experiences including artist listening parties, live performances and signings, midnight release events for major album drops, and annual Record Store Day participation with a randomized reservation system. The store also operates a sell-to-us service enabling customers to sell used physical media.
Fingerprints Music serves primarily individual music collectors and enthusiasts seeking exclusive vinyl variants, alongside general consumers purchasing mainstream physical releases. Artists and labels are a secondary stakeholder group, engaging the store as a promotional partner for exclusive releases and fan events. The company has 9 employees, no disclosed institutional investors, no M&A activity, and no parent company; the website is maintained by Chemistry Productions as an external service provider. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed.
Fingerprints Music firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fingerprints Music
- Legal name
- Fingerprints Music
- Website
- https://fingerprintsmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fingerprints Music is a privately held independent record store founded in 1992 in Long Beach, California, selling vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and merchandise through a single retail storefront and online channels, serving music collectors and general consumers with exclusive releases and in-store artist events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Fingerprints Music is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach, California
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fingerprints Music business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Physical Record Sales: In-store retail sales of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and merchandise
- Online Store Sales: E-commerce sales through shop.fingerprintsmusic.com, Discogs, and eBay platforms
- Pre-order and Exclusive Releases: Pre-orders for albums and exclusive indie store releases
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard vinyl releases |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard format releases |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Fingerprints Music product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fingerprints Music operates an independent retail record store selling new and pre-owned vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and music merchandise through a physical Long Beach storefront and an online store (shop.fingerprintsmusic.com), supplemented by presence on Discogs and eBay. The store differentiates through exclusive indie and limited-edition releases, North America exclusive distribution of select box sets, and an event calendar featuring artist listening parties, in-store performances, signings, Record Store Day activities, and midnight album release events.
Product overview
Fingerprints Music is a single-location independent record store in Long Beach, CA, operating both a physical retail storefront and an online e-commerce store (shop.fingerprintsmusic.com). The company sells new and pre-owned music across physical formats (vinyl records, CDs, cassettes) and merchandise, with inventory also distributed through Discogs and eBay marketplace channels. The store's product offering is anchored by its online and physical retail operations, supplemented by in-store experiences including listening parties, live performances and artist signings, Record Store Day events with exclusive releases and randomized shopping appointments, and midnight release events for major albums. The store also offers an autographed-items collection and a sell-to-us service for customers offloading physical music media.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fingerprints Music Online Store
Quantifiable outcome
- Only North America retailer for select limited editions (Ghost IMPERA labyrinth)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Fingerprints Music
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fingerprints Music technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Fingerprints Music partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PayPalcorePayment processing partner for online transactions. Customers can pay using PayPal through the checkout process.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Fingerprints Music competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Twist & Shout Records: Independent record store in Denver, CO with a long history of in-store performances, listening parties, and exclusive releases. Closely matches Fingerprints' model of programming-heavy indie retail.
- Bull Moose Music: Independent record store chain based in Maine with multi-channel retail (physical, online) focused on physical music media. Directly comparable as an indie music retailer with both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce operations.
- Rough Trade: Independent record store with locations in NYC and London, known for exclusive indie variants, in-store events, and listening parties. Comparable business model combining physical retail, exclusive releases, and artist event programming.
- Newbury Comics: New England-based independent music and pop culture retailer selling vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and merchandise across multiple stores. Comparable in product mix (physical recorded music + merch) and in-store event programming.
- Waterloo Records: Long-running independent record store in Austin, TX with a similar mix of vinyl retail, exclusive pressings, and in-store artist events. Closely matches Fingerprints' model of combining single-location physical retail with a strong event calendar.
- Amoeba Music: Iconic independent record store chain on the West Coast with a strong event programming calendar and broad vinyl/CD/cassette catalog. Directly comparable as a destination indie retailer for music collectors in California.
- Vintage Vinyl: Independent record store in St. Louis specializing in new and used vinyl with a strong event calendar. Comparable as a single-market indie retailer emphasizing vinyl and artist events.
- Easy Street Records: Independent record store in Seattle, WA known for Record Store Day participation and artist events. Comparable as a community-anchored indie music retailer with strong event programming.
- Criminal Records: Independent record store in Atlanta, GA known for in-store events, exclusive releases, and Record Store Day participation. Comparable in combining destination indie retail with active artist event programming.
Emerging players
- Permanent Records: Smaller-scale independent record store and label in Chicago focused on vinyl and indie exclusives. Comparable in spirit (vinyl-forward indie retailer with exclusive programming) but smaller in scale, illustrating the long tail of indie record retail.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fingerprints Music social profiles
Digital presenceFingerprints Music financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fingerprints Music leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Fingerprints Music funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fingerprints Music 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 Fingerprints Music
What does Fingerprints Music do?
Fingerprints Music operates an independent retail record store selling new and pre-owned vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and music merchandise through a physical Long Beach storefront and an online store (shop.fingerprintsmusic.com), supplemented by presence on Discogs and eBay. The store differentiates through exclusive indie and limited-edition releases, North America exclusive distribution of select box sets, and an event calendar featuring artist listening parties, in-store performances, signings, Record Store Day activities, and midnight album release events.
Is Fingerprints Music a public or private company?
Fingerprints Music is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fingerprints Music founded?
Fingerprints Music was founded in 1992. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fingerprints Music based?
Fingerprints Music is headquartered in Long Beach, California, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fingerprints Music make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Physical Record Sales are the primary driver. The others are online Store Sales and pre-order and Exclusive Releases.
Who are Fingerprints Music's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Twist & Shout Records, Bull Moose Music, Rough Trade, Newbury Comics, Waterloo Records, Amoeba Music, Vintage Vinyl, Easy Street Records and Criminal Records. Permanent Records is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fingerprints Music have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fingerprints Music.