Vinyl, CDs, and Community: The Story of Starbound Records
Starbound Records: The Soundtrack of West Valley”
In the early 1980s, when the music industry was shifting from vinyl to cassette tapes and compact discs were just arriving on the scene, a local radio DJ decided to bring something new to West Valley City. On April 8, 1982, KRSP’s Matt Limburg opened the doors of a small record shop inside a local shopping center. He named it Starbound Records.
The shop was modest in size, but not in ambition. Limburg recruited an experienced team: Cindy Petrovich, who had managed Musicland at Valley Fair Mall; Bob Stewart, founder of Raspberry Records with a gift for uncovering rare classical releases; Bill Yoder, the in-house expert responsible for pricing nearly a quarter-million rare albums and singles; and Jill Limburg, who always knew the right recommendations for parents stumped over what to buy their teenagers.
From the beginning, Starbound stood out. Unlike chain music stores, it carried everything: vinyl LPs, 45s, 78s, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, music VHS and DVDs, and countless collectibles. Customers knew they could bring in their used music for cash or store credit — and they might leave with a stack of treasures for as little as 99 cents each.
By the 1990s, the little record shop had grown into a 10,000-square-foot powerhouse, and in time, Starbound Records even purchased and operated the entire shopping center it had once rented space in. For locals, it became a gathering place, a music library, and a treasure hunt all rolled into one.
In 2001, Starbound made headlines again with a memorable holiday promotion: thousands of free promotional CDs, or a tape/album if you didn’t yet own a CD player. The store also began promoting its website, StarboundRecords.com, years before online music shopping became mainstream. Loyal customers remember the excitement of the holidays at Starbound — bins full of discounted albums, music lovers trading finds, and staff who knew music inside and out.
For nearly two decades, Starbound Records was more than a store — it was a soundtrack for West Valley City. Whether you came in for a rare jazz pressing, the latest rock release, or just to browse and talk music, Starbound left its mark on the community’s memory.
voice and personality became part of the soundtrack of Utah life.
