The download dies: Juno pulls the plug on its MP3 store after 20 years

Juno Download, the digital store that soundtracked two decades of bedroom DJs and crate-diggers, went dark overnight on 1 June with no warning — though the Juno Records vinyl shop survives.

Juno Download is gone. On 1 June 2026 the long-running digital store for electronic and dance music ceased trading with immediate effect, no advance notice, new purchases killed on the spot. The homepage now carries only a short farewell: 'It's been our privilege to share some of the most incredible music from the most amazing artists, but we're sorry to say, that the time has come to say goodbye.' Its Instagram and Facebook were deleted the same day.

To be clear about what died: this is the DOWNLOAD store only. The Juno Records vinyl and DJ-kit shop at juno.co.uk is untouched and still trading — the two split back in 2013 when the download arm was sold to a US company, which is why one can fold while the other carries on.

COO Lucas Garcia put it plainly: with streaming now the default and labels going direct-to-fan via Bandcamp and socials, 'the role of the music webstore is becoming less significant.' Some on Reddit had clocked recent price rises and read the writing on the wall. No word on staff or redundancies.

Launched in 2006, Juno Download spent twenty years as part shop, part archive, part research tool — a working map of the underground for house, techno, drum & bass and UK garage heads. DJs and diggers reacted with genuine shock. Existing customers can still log in to re-download what they bought, and the farewell points the orphaned towards Beatport and Traxsource. A real loss, and another reminder that owning your music beats renting it.