12 Tónar


12 Tónar is a record shop in Reykjavík, Iceland, and also a record label for Icelandic artists. It is located on Skólavörðustígur 15, in downtown Reykjavík.
Founded in 1998 in Reykjavík, 12 Tónar has been well received by music lovers from the start. The store quickly became a meeting point for musicians such as Björk, Sigur Rós, múm, and the core of classical composers and performers.
12 Tónar is also an independent record label with nearly 80 releases in its catalogue. Many of the best musicians in Iceland have released their albums on the label, for example artists and bands such as Mugison, Trabant and Singapore Sling, Apparat Organ Quartet, Pétur Ben, Eivør Pálsdóttir, Ragnheiður Gröndal, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Skúli Sverrisson, Ólöf Arnalds, Pink Street Boys, Samaris and Jakobínarína, to name a few.
In May 2006 12 Tónar opened a record store in Copenhagen, Denmark selling music from their own catalogue of artists as well as other Icelandic music. The store was situated on Fiolstraede 26. The store followed the good example from Iceland, with its friendly atmosphere and freshly brewed espresso for the customers while the music was spinning. It became a tradition with live in-store concerts taking place on Friday afternoons. On 26 January 2008 the Copenhagen store celebrated its closing with a live performance by the Danish band Tremolo Beer Gut.
Immediately succeeding the closing of the 12 Tónar record store in Copenhagen a brand new web-shop was introduced, allowing continued access to their family of artists.
On 21 June 2013 Gramophone magazine wrote about 12 Tónar, with the title "The best record store in the world?"

List of releases