6 Best Record Store and Music Scene Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 4, 2026

Drama thought provokingfeel good

Record stores and music scenes breed obsessive, ever-shifting subcultures. High Fidelity has a heartbroken record store owner revisiting his worst breakups, 24 Hour Party People chronicles Manchester’s music scene, and CBGB has a club owner unwittingly launching American punk. Empire Records, Velvet Goldmine and Grace of My Heart round out the six.

CBGB (2013) 01

CBGB (2013)

TMDB ★ 5.4

A struggling club owner unwittingly launches the American punk movement from his grimy New York bar.

Directed by Randall Miller · 1h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
24 Hour Party People (2002) 02

24 Hour Party People (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.1

An eccentric Manchester promoter charts the rise and chaotic fall of the city's legendary music scene.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom · 1h 57m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Criterion Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
High Fidelity (2000) 03

High Fidelity (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A heartbroken record shop owner revisits his top five worst breakups to understand his own romantic failures.

Directed by Stephen Frears · 1h 53m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Empire Records (1995) 04

Empire Records (1995)

TMDB ★ 6.5

The eccentric staff of an independent record shop spend one chaotic day fighting to save it from a corporate buyout.

Directed by Allan Moyle · 1h 30m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Velvet Goldmine (1998) 05

Velvet Goldmine (1998)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A journalist investigates the mysterious disappearance of a glam rock icon a decade after his staged death.

Directed by Todd Haynes · 2h 03m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Grace of My Heart (1996) 06

Grace of My Heart (1996)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A talented songwriter navigates the Brill Building music scene of the early 1960s while yearning to sing her own songs.

Directed by Allison Anders · 1h 56m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

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Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.