6 Best Record Store and Music Scene Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 4, 2026

Drama thought provokingfeel good

The obsessive, ever-shifting world of record stores, scenes, and subcultures has powered some of cinema’s sharpest music-drenched dramas and comedies. In High Fidelity (2000): A heartbroken record store owner revisits his top five worst breakups to understand his own romantic failures. Worth seeking out is 24 Hour Party People (2002): An eccentric Manchester music promoter chronicles the rise and chaotic fall of the city’s legendary music scene.

CBGB (2013) 01

CBGB (2013)

TMDB ★ 5.4

A struggling club owner unwittingly launches the American punk rock 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 music promoter chronicles 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 store 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 store spends 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 assassination.

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, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.