History
Planet’s been around since 1983. Read about the history of the Kenmore store and more.
What We Do
We love music and we make the most of our space to offer as much quality merchandise to our customers as possible. You can find a ton of quality material in our well-organized bins. CDs and LPs form the bulk of our inventory, but we also carry DVDs and 45s, plus smaller sections of books, blu-rays and sometimes even cassettes and laserdiscs. (We don’t usually carry VHS tapes.)
We carry all types of music. Our vinyl comes from various sources, usually local. We process collections every day and refill the store a few times a week. The New Arrivals section moves quickly, so many customers visit several times a week to make sure they don’t miss something they’ve been hunting down. There are also bargain areas for the discriminating but cheap customer.
As for CDs, we might be the last store in the region to have a truly broad CD department with substantial and deep jazz and classical collections. Of course the coverage extends to popular music, rock, and R+B. Fans of blues, bluegrass, folk, New Orleans music, country and other American traditions will always leave with something special . Other specializations (lounge, electronica, experimental music, soundtracks, a diverse international section, etc) are kept well-stocked.
Despite being a primarily used shop, some of our CDs are new (sealed) items. We also maintain a (mostly separate) inventory online, using eBay, Discogs and Amazon to reach mail-order customers around the world. Some of our local customers bid on auctions as well, so in-store pick-ups for online sales are welcome.
Collectors also stop in to stock up on music library accessories like polybags to protect covers, paper inner sleeves, jewel cases and LP mailers.
Record Shopping in Cambridge and Boston
Cambridge is a great place to go record hunting: Planet Records, Armageddon, Blue Bag, Cheapo's and Stereo Jack's are all only a few blocks apart. Regional clothing / tchotchke chain Newbury Comics is here, too, and they still sell some records in their "trends" section (side eye). Stereo Jacks is still alive but has moved to Somerville. Blue Bag Records is just past Porter Square. Across the river in Boston Nuggets, Orpheus are all still carrying the torch for music sales. They’re all great shops worth visiting. At our store, we provide a free Record Store Guide detailing locations, descriptions and contact info for these locations and others — an excellent resource for muso tourists passing through town.