Kosmic Sound was founded in 1969 by the original owner John Goldsmith, who stayed at the helm until quite recently. 

Like many independent music store owners, Kosmic wasn’t just a business to John, it was a way of life. In fact, he never even intended to start a business. 

After being dragged along to see Bob Dylan by his girlfriend when he was 16, he was more enthralled with the speakers that were being used than the show itself. 

As John explains, “I didn’t decide one day I was going to start a business. It developed out of need. People knew I had some passion and expertise around sound equipment so they would come to me and ask, so I was reacting to a need.”

And that’s how the story starts. 

Before long, John had a business that provided the sound for the Rolling Stones when they played the Perth Cricket Ground in 1973. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

Over the years, Kosmic Sound went on to become a truly legendary musical instrument retail store. Not just in Perth where it all began, or even nationally, but internationally. A while back it was literally voted one of the world’s best music stores. Not bad for a humble little store that started in Perth - one of the most remote capital cities on the planet.

In 2020, things got weird. For all sorts of reasons business got tough. And there was a little thing called ‘coronavirus’ you may have heard of. 

John was actually forced to shut Kosmic Sound down. Lots of people were sad. Especially all the local musos who had such great memories of the place and relied on it to get the stuff they needed. Or just come in for a chat and a look around. Kosmic’s closing was described in the media as “a massive bummer” and clearly this could not be allowed to happen. So within weeks of it closing, new owners took the reigns to get it back up and running and return it to its former glory.

Opening a business in the middle of a global pandemic may not go down as the greatest timing ever, but this is music, not business. And we all know that drummer, so timing issues aren’t exactly anything new, right?

Needless to say, Kosmic Sound has had a long and colourful history. We’ve helped countless musos, from beginners to pros, do what they do. And where we are now is just the latest chapter in the Kosmic Sound story. 

When this craziness is all over, we’ll start another new chapter. We’ll probably see new twists and turns, but as always, it will be all about the music. The story itself might be a bit weird at times, but if there’s one thing you can be sure of, it’ll have a hell of a soundtrack.