Of course everybody knows that the mom and pop video rental stores are long gone. Then the big chain video rental stores that put them all out of business have also disappeared.

I hadn't really put much thought into the issue of record stores. I haven't stepped foot into one in decades myself. So I just checked and in Canada the entire HMV record store chain of 102 stores is shutting down by April 30th. About 1340 people will lose their jobs. Perhaps a decade ago all of the Sam the Record Man stores in Canada disappeared. There is a great documentary about the demise of the Tower Records chain in the United States, I think they have been gone about 10 years. I am assuming the Virgin Records chain is all but kaput also.

Does that mean that the only way to buy physical media music is at Walmart and you can only get a limited selection of new releases? I am not really thinking about the vinyl niche here.

This issue just sort of crept up on me. I am guessing the independent record store and the chain record stores are all but gone. It kind of freaks me out. But honestly when I bought my first big screen flat-panel TV 13 years ago there was no more room for the stereo console stack and all of the records. They were all boxed up and put in the basement. Meanwhile I had "gone digital" for music in the year 2000. I never even bought CDs, I had about 20 max. I have about 600 records all boxed up. Nowadays, hard drives make the world go round.

Like everyone of a certain age, I have fond memories of browsing through the records in record stores. It was here, and then it was gone.

Elton goes shopping.

[www.cbc.ca]

We have a good choice here (Vancouver) at the independent record stores. Vinyl (used and new) is the preference. Sunrise Records has acquired some of the HMV store leases in Canada.

Plenty of good record stores here in Southern California.
There's a great one near where I live (an hour up the coast from L.A.) that's been in business since 1966.
Cool article on Salzers Records and founder Jim Salzer who used to be a concert promoter for some big name bands back in the day.

Salzers Records

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Here in L.A. we have a two story behemoth called Amoeba Records, with another location in San Francisco. Huge place, offering new and used. What has happened, unfortunately, is that you can't get diddly for your used CDs and DVDs any longer. Amoeba basically put all the smaller stores out of business, and now they themselves are facing a dwindling number of buyers of physical product. I think it stinks, culturally wise. It means that one bit of artistic commercial real estate, your local record store, or book store, is being shut down and replaced by a pet food warehouse or another bank.

What goes around comes around. When they stop making DVD/CD players, in 10 years time there'll be used DVD/CD stores just like there are used vinyl stores now. Hang on to your collections.

I think Amoeba Records also has a location in Berkeley on famed Telegraph Avenue. And I just heard that Dimple Records, a small independent chain with a number of stores in the Sacramento area, is opening a new store in that area.


plexi

Perhaps the displaced record store people [including the corporate chains] can go and work for Amazon. You can get all the records you ever wanted through Amazon -- lots of independent sellers through there, they have all you want.

In my area [Boston USA] there was a record store chain called Newbury Comics that started in 1978. Now, it's very little to do with music, and has de-volved into just a hipster department store, staffed by locally based aspiring musicians. Some of them will call you "man", but when they start calling you "sir" then it's definitely time to move on.

In Cambridge Massachusetts [Cheapo Records], there's still this one magic place, where you can find anything and everything including anything and everything you never expected to find:



I mean, is it records you want, or just record stores?

I too live in the Boston area and the Newbury Comics story is both sad and yet encouraging. While so many chains have closed over the years - Strawberries, Tower, Virgin Mega store - NC has managed to keep the lights on. Which is good. The sad, is that to do so, walking into one now feels more like walking into a toy store. What used to be just a small part of the store - clothes, Pops (whatever the hell those stupid little dolls are), stuffed animals and Lord knows what else - now make up 90% of the space, with music and movies now making up a fraction. The Norwood MA store remains pretty good luckily with a good, large selection of new and used vinyl, CDs and DVDs. I assume Mike Dreese remains the owner of the chain - which I still visit often - but for me it's depressing, as I have always liked nothing better than going into a good music store. Someone mentioned Amoeba in CA - which based on my couple visits to the one in SF, is (IMO) the best music store in the US.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-11 13:11 by DEmerson.

Another thing worth mentioning, I saw on a plane not too long ago the movie All Things Must Pass, the Tower Records story. Worth a watch for those interested in the demise of a once great music chain.

Cherish the mom & pops still in the game willing to offer great product and most of all their expertise..on records....bands.....movies..etc....most big cities still have those kinds of specialty stores but becoming more rare...unfortunate.

Amazon and online outlets putting lots of retail stores out of business.

I live an hour West of Boston and was sad to see the Tower Megastore Store close.

But the good news is Vinyl is making a modest comeback as just about every new album being released is available on vinyl that you can get from Amazon.


Also small local used vinyl record stores are making a comeback around the Boston area that sell good quality used vinyl at reasonable prices.

I also have had great luck buying quality vintage vinyl on eBay and Discogs.

Recently read that in the U.K. vinyl outsold digital downloads one week so there is still hope for us vinyl lovers.

The only drawback with buying online is that u can't see the product -- actually examine the records for scratches, see how worn the cover is, etc.

Hastings closed all of their roughly 125 stores this last fall and now there is no place in Billings (Montana) to browse a large stock of new and used recordings. There are, however, a couple of mom and pop stores but they don't have that much stock. But at least they are still around.


plexi

Quote
MileHigh
Of course everybody knows that the mom and pop video rental stores are long gone. Then the big chain video rental stores that put them all out of business have also disappeared.

I hadn't really put much thought into the issue of record stores. I haven't stepped foot into one in decades myself. So I just checked and in Canada the entire HMV record store chain of 102 stores is shutting down by April 30th. About 1340 people will lose their jobs. Perhaps a decade ago all of the Sam the Record Man stores in Canada disappeared. There is a great documentary about the demise of the Tower Records chain in the United States, I think they have been gone about 10 years. I am assuming the Virgin Records chain is all but kaput also.

Does that mean that the only way to buy physical media music is at Walmart and you can only get a limited selection of new releases? I am not really thinking about the vinyl niche here.

This issue just sort of crept up on me. I am guessing the independent record store and the chain record stores are all but gone. It kind of freaks me out. But honestly when I bought my first big screen flat-panel TV 13 years ago there was no more room for the stereo console stack and all of the records. They were all boxed up and put in the basement. Meanwhile I had "gone digital" for music in the year 2000. I never even bought CDs, I had about 20 max. I have about 600 records all boxed up. Nowadays, hard drives make the world go round.

Like everyone of a certain age, I have fond memories of browsing through the records in record stores. It was here, and then it was gone.

Did you hear Sunrise is taking over the store selling cds/vinyl/cassettes/clothing. I know of one huge store that sells used cds/lps/dvds...its just wall to wall stuff..in Canada.

Third Man Records not only opened a new store in Detroit, but they just opened their own pressing plant in the same facility so they can press their own (and other people's) records. So I think it depends where you are. A ton of good independent record stores in Nashville, for example.

I also about an hour west of Boston and must say good riddance to Newbury Comics. They closed Leominster, Fanuel Hall location has no music. Can't blame them but they no longer care about selling music.

A blessing is Bull Moose opened a new store in Keene NH!!! Hopefully they hang around for the next several years. I will be there Friday to pick up the new Spoon CD and check out their amazing music inventory!! Yes they have expanded to carry "toy" items but plenty of tunes. I always receive a Newbury a Comics gift card for Xmas, but I had to tell her, "ahem it's Bull Moose now sweetie".

Let's face it, as Georgelicks stated digital sales will be over 50% of music sales soon. Although I buy digital, for me it's primarily compact discs when I purchase an entire album. The artwork is still awesome on album releases BTW, another lost form in jeapardy.

there still are two or three good record shops left down here
but sadly they are turning into second-hand vinyl shops ... One shop
in particular making frequent trips to Japan to bring back loads of vinyl
but the $$$prices are high ... And really how many more copies of Beggars Banquet do I really need ... It's like the record industry has died and we's all living in the past ....

PS: I flicked thru the latest copy of US Rolling Stone mag the other day and in the music section at the rear there was only four albums reviewed .... It's dead babeeee ...it's dead



ROCKMAN

THE AGE -- 11 March 2017



ROCKMAN

And really how many more copies of Beggars Banquet do I really need...

...as many as you can get, without it being too many aka MORE!

Quote
HankM
And really how many more copies of Beggars Banquet do I really need...

...as many as you can get, without it being too many aka MORE!

Too much is never enough. Take as an example the guy who has 800 copies of the first Velvet Underground album or the guy who has 1,256 copies of the Beatles' White Album.

Quote
Cristiano Radtke

Quote
HankM
And really how many more copies of Beggars Banquet do I really need...

...as many as you can get, without it being too many aka MORE!

Too much is never enough. Take as an example the guy who has 800 copies of the first Velvet Underground album or the guy who has 1,256 copies of the Beatles' White Album.

Cool art display!





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-12 12:46 by HankM.

For those of you in the Boston area who may know where to visit this shop and for those who might happen to be in the area by chance, I'm telling you -- Cheapo Records in Cambridge, in Central Square juts 3 stops on the Red Line from Park Street.

The same proprietor has owned it for more than 45 years, and when I was in there recently I heard the funniest exchange between him and one of his friends/patrons, who had told him that he had just gotten a car wash for $20.

The proprietor said: "You paid twenty dollars to wash a car? I have been driving since 1961, and I have NEVER washed a car!"

So, there! A secret of success. Who needs a car wash? It's a record shop you should be putting your money into. Clean vinyl is worth more than clean cars. Let that be a lesson to you!

What I am getting from this discussion is that the regular record store, i.e.; rows and rows of new CDs to browse through, is basically gone. And nowadays a record store has evolved into a place where there are new and used CDs, new and used vinyl records, and possibly a lot of space devoted to other stuff that may not even be music related. Trinkets, DVDs and video games and stuff like that. A major city might only support four or five stores and that's it.

You do what you have to do to survive in the retail business so I understand. In a way, it's sort of like a Fahrenheit 451 situation for CDs and vinyl records. Yes, vinyl is making a comeback but it will likely never be more than a tiny niche market, just a vestige of what it once was. An entire life's worth of music could fit on a 128 gigabyte flash drive. Wow, I checked for the first time in months, you can get one for $40 CDN or about $30 USD.

Not to spread even more doom and gloom, but I think the bookstore chains are also really hurting and the big mega bookstores with the sofas and reading chairs are getting rare also.

No bookshops are booming .....



ROCKMAN

Quote
MileHigh
What I am getting from this discussion is that the regular record store, i.e.; rows and rows of new CDs to browse through, is basically gone. And nowadays a record store has evolved into a place where there are new and used CDs, new and used vinyl records, and possibly a lot of space devoted to other stuff that may not even be music related. Trinkets, DVDs and video games and stuff like that. A major city might only support four or five stores and that's it.

You do what you have to do to survive in the retail business so I understand. In a way, it's sort of like a Fahrenheit 451 situation for CDs and vinyl records. Yes, vinyl is making a comeback but it will likely never be more than a tiny niche market, just a vestige of what it once was. An entire life's worth of music could fit on a 128 gigabyte flash drive. Wow, I checked for the first time in months, you can get one for $40 CDN or about $30 USD.

Not to spread even more doom and gloom, but I think the bookstore chains are also really hurting and the big mega bookstores with the sofas and reading chairs are getting rare also.

Thanks I'll check out Cheapos next weekend. Remember Second Comings??

Quote
Maindefender
I also about an hour west of Boston and must say good riddance to Newbury Comics. They closed Leominster, Fanuel Hall location has no music. Can't blame them but they no longer care about selling music.

A blessing is Bull Moose opened a new store in Keene NH!!! Hopefully they hang around for the next several years. I will be there Friday to pick up the new Spoon CD and check out their amazing music inventory!! Yes they have expanded to carry "toy" items but plenty of tunes. I always receive a Newbury a Comics gift card for Xmas, but I had to tell her, "ahem it's Bull Moose now sweetie".

Let's face it, as Georgelicks stated digital sales will be over 50% of music sales soon. Although I buy digital, for me it's primarily compact discs when I purchase an entire album. The artwork is still awesome on album releases BTW, another lost form in jeapardy.

Yeah Newbury has gone online ordering for music these day as their stores have become clothing, comics and action figures sellers although the Natick Mall location does have an expanding vinyl record section.

Personally I don't mind losing retail locations for CD's as I can get everything on Amazon these days but I do love having a retail store for vinyl.

If you are into vinyl there is a good store in Worcester now "Joe's Vinyl"

The owner is very picky about what he buys and his prices are decent.

[www.joesalbums.com]

Quote
timbernardis
The only drawback with buying online is that u can't see the product -- actually examine the records for scratches, see how worn the cover is, etc.

Hastings closed all of their roughly 125 stores this last fall and now there is no place in Billings (Montana) to browse a large stock of new and used recordings. There are, however, a couple of mom and pop stores but they don't have that much stock. But at least they are still around.


plexi

No doubt Timber, you are taking a chance buying on eBay but you just have to be very selective who you buy from as there are excellent vinyl sellers who sell quality product. Personally I don't mind paying a little extra for a good quality used LP's and have several vendors I buy regularly from. I have only been disappointed a few times with eBay or Discogs where the vinyl was not as described and in each case the seller gave me a partial refund I was satisfied with.

There is one vendor on eBay out of the UK who specializes in Beatles and Stones vinyl. He prices are not inexpensive but all his vinyl is in excellent condition. I have bought a number of Stones stereo and mono pressings from the 60's and 70's from him and they are excellent. His grading is always accurate on the side of being conservative. Unless you have to have first mono presssings of the original 60's albums he often has good deals,IMHO, of later pressings.

[stores.ebay.com]



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-13 01:56 by oldschool.

Like going to the grocery, I had to write down the albums on a list. Does anyone remember Rose Records in Chicago?

Quote
MileHigh
What I am getting from this discussion is that the regular record store, i.e.; rows and rows of new CDs to browse through, is basically gone. And nowadays a record store has evolved into a place where there are new and used CDs, new and used vinyl records, and possibly a lot of space devoted to other stuff that may not even be music related. Trinkets, DVDs and video games and stuff like that. A major city might only support four or five stores and that's it.

You do what you have to do to survive in the retail business so I understand. In a way, it's sort of like a Fahrenheit 451 situation for CDs and vinyl records. Yes, vinyl is making a comeback but it will likely never be more than a tiny niche market, just a vestige of what it once was. An entire life's worth of music could fit on a 128 gigabyte flash drive. Wow, I checked for the first time in months, you can get one for $40 CDN or about $30 USD.

Not to spread even more doom and gloom, but I think the bookstore chains are also really hurting and the big mega bookstores with the sofas and reading chairs are getting rare also.

I find it far easier to buy vinyl than CDs these days. Most of the record stores I go to only have CDs as an afterthought, I guess because if people want digital music they can download or stream it, and many vinyl albums also come with a download card (the best of both worlds, IMO).