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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.
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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!
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Cristiano RadtkeQuote
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.