Long Island’s All Music Inc. marked a new chapter Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new storefront on South Oyster Bay Road, celebrating more than four decades as a hub for musicians and music lovers.
The Sept. 13 event, attended by Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joe Saladino, members of the Plainview Chamber of Commerce and dozens of local supporters, showcased the store’s expanded space, live performances and giveaways. For owner Guy Brogna, the move from a basement location to a street-level storefront represents both visibility and validation.
“We’ve been open as a music store for 42 years and people in the neighborhood would still come in and say, ‘Wow, I never knew you were here,’” Brogna said. “Now we finally have a window, a sign and sunlight. It makes a huge difference.”
All Music was founded in 1984, emerging from Straub Music, which had been a fixture in the same Plainview shopping center since the 1970s. Brogna, a lifelong local musician and former internationally touring bassist with Ludichrist and Scatterbrain, has been connected to the shop since childhood.
“I’ve been coming to this store since I was a little kid, probably eight years old,” he said. “Back then, record stores were inside music stores and there were pinball machines, too. Even before I played an instrument, I was here all the time.”
As a teenager, Brogna became friendly with founder Irwin Natman, eventually striking a barter deal to have his touring equipment serviced in exchange for album shout-outs. After years on the road, Brogna returned to Long Island, went into business and eventually accepted Natman’s offer to take a role at the store. He became a full owner in 2012 and has overseen All Music’s growth into one of New York’s premier music shops.
Over the decades, All Music has sold top-tier brands such as Fender and Martin, repaired guitars for legends like Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Angelo Batio and provided lessons to hundreds of students. The store also rents more than 1,500 instruments to local schools and families.
But the grand re-opening signifies something new. The expanded space features a full stage with 18-foot ceilings, enabling Brogna to host concerts, clinics, and community events.
“I put a full stage in here because I wanted this to be more than just a store,” Brogna said. “We weren’t even open five days before a local radio station [103.1 The Wolf] called me about hosting an invite-only showcase. It sounded amazing in here and I knew right then we were onto something special.”
The stage was christened with a small country showcase earlier this month and again during Saturday’s ribbon-cutting, when students and friends performed before a crowd of about 100.
“I was nervous about how it would sound, but once we tried it, I was thrilled,” Brogna said. “Now we’re planning all kinds of events — student recitals, artist clinics, intimate shows. This stage is going to be busy.”
The new space also underscores the community’s multi-generational ties to All Music. Brogna said he often sees former students returning with children of their own.
“It’s funny to have my old high school friends bringing in their kids to rent instruments from me,” he said. “I’ve taught students who are now in college or touring the world. One of my kids even ended up in the Broadway musical ‘School of Rock.’ It shows how much music can take root in people’s lives.”
Beyond its retail operations, All Music has forged partnerships with radio stations WBAB and 94.3 The Shark, nonprofits like Long Island Cares and ROCKcanRoll and national artists such as Devon Allman and Disturbed’s John Moyer. Brogna’s other ventures — including booking through G&R Events and his new production company, Sound Island — further tie the store into the region’s live music ecosystem.
Yet even with that wide reach, Brogna said the new storefront strengthens the store’s local presence.
“Plainview, Jericho and Syosset have such strong school music programs and a real passion for the arts,” he said. “Now that we’re out front where people can see us, I think this community connection is only going to grow.”
For Brogna, the mission has always been about more than transactions.
“Music is not what I do, it’s who I am,” he said. “This store has been part of my life since I was a kid and now it’s my way of giving back to the next generation of Long Island musicians.”
