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zZounds is an American online retailer of musical instruments, listed as an authorized dealer by musical equipment brands including Fender , Gibson , Taylor Guitars , Paul Reed Smith (PRS Guitars) , PreSonus , Electro-Voice , JBL Professional , Ibanez , Vox Amplifiers , Line 6 , ADAM Audio , EarthQuaker Devices , Fishman , Godin , Yamaha , and others. zZounds is notable for offering "Play as you Pay" zero-interest installment plans to musicians for financing the purchase of musical instruments and audio equipment, and is also known for Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales promotions.

Guitarist Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters mentioned frequently zZounds on his podcast Walking The Floor (2013-2022), and collaborated with zZounds on a giveaway of his signature model Fender guitar.

Awards
Newsweek magazine ranked zZounds #1 in customer service among online retailers of musical equipment in their annual "America's Best Customer Service" report in 2023 and in 2024, with rankings based on the results of independent surveys conducted by Newsweek and market research firm Statista. In Newsweek's "America's Best Customer Service 2023" report, zZounds received the highest score of all 45 retailers ranked in the "Online Retailers: Sports and Leisure" category, with a score of 9.53 out of 10.00. .

zZounds has consistently received positive customer reviews via the Bizrate Surveys platform, where zZounds has been recognized with the Bizrate Insights Platinum Circle of Excellence Award, "a distinction earned by retailers who go above and beyond to provide exceptional online services and experiences," for 17 years running. The 2023 Circle of Excellence winners were announced in March 2024.

zZounds was listed as one of the "8 Best Places to Buy Guitars Online" on gear review website GuitarAdvise.com.

History
zZounds was originally founded in 1996 as a local brick-and-mortar music store on Chicago's Old Town neighborhood known as zZounds Music Discovery Center. According to the company's founder, entrepreneur Ray Campbell, a music instrument retailer that only did business online was unheard of in the mid-1990s, and a physical storefront was a requirement for music gear makers to take the retailer seriously. The zZounds.com website was launched a few months after the store's opening, and in the midst of the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, it was soon outselling the brick-and-mortar store. .

zZounds continued to expand with the help of an investment from Microsoft executive Paul Allen's Vulcan, Inc venture capital firm. In late 1999, the company merged with Harmony Central, a website for musicians. In late 2000, after the dot-com bubble burst, zZounds was sold to New Jersey-based Pinebrook Holdings. At the same time, zZounds Music Discovery Center was closed, making zZounds an online-only retailer.

zZounds Music, LLC is now based in Oakland, New Jersey with offices in Chicago, Illinois, and warehouses located throughout the United States. In addition to the zZounds.com official website, zZounds runs a storefront through the Reverb.com online marketplace.