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Those of you who are bemoaning the death of the compact disc have clearly not visited Green Bay, Wisc., where the owner of neighborhood record store The Exclusive says that his business is thriving! Anyone want to guess that part of the reason for the CD's relative health in Green Bay could be the mere existence of a neighborhood record store, as opposed to a far-flung Target that only has Disney tie-in CDs and the complete Now series on its music shelves? [Green Bay Press-Gazette via Coolfer]

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5:15 PM on Fri Feb 15 2008
By Maura Johnston
292 views
11 comments

Comments

by Tenno at 05:35 PM on 02/15/08
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I'm not sure about the numbers of $$ they make, but the amount of people in the local Zia's is always pretty decent, I know they're not really independent, but at least they stock a lot of obscure releases.
by loudersoft at 05:37 PM on 02/15/08
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It's so cold that the internet is never up long enough for anyone to actually download anything?
by loudersoft at 05:37 PM on 02/15/08
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Maybe they're trying to usher in 90's retro chic?
by Tenno at 05:45 PM on 02/15/08
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Lol the RIAA gots themselves a weather machine!
by Deadly Tango at 08:09 PM on 02/15/08
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The Exclusive Company is more of a regional chain than a neighborhood store -- they have shops all over Wisconsin. As recently as 8 years ago, they still offered discounts for those paying with cash instead of credit.

They also have perhaps the second-most annoying local television and radio commercials of all time (after Crazy Eddie's), each one ending with the snappy tag line...

"Say it with me... the EXCLUSIIIIIIIIIIIVE Company."
by Michaelangelo Matos at 08:26 PM on 02/15/08
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"The used-CD business is booming! My shop has 25 copies of R.E.M.'s Monster for sale!"
by katieee at 10:23 PM on 02/15/08
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@Deadly Tango: Ha! One of my best friends in college worked at the one in Madison. One cool thing about Exclusive is that they have an impressive classical and jazz section, if that's your thing - not what you would necessarily expect from your friendly neighborhood independent.
by boredwithitall at 09:20 AM on 02/16/08
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I always buy used CD's because it is better for the environment. Why buy new at an inflated price when you can get it used?
by Dowdydiva at 09:39 AM on 02/17/08
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@ Deadly Tango, yes those Exclusive Company ads are truly weird. I've found that if you see the ads late enough at night they really are kind of disturbing.

I think also they are doing well because there are zero good new indy or small chain records stores in Upper Michigan. We root for the Packers up there and some folks try to get Wisconsin to annex us every few years so it would be no leap to swing by the Exclusive Company on the way to Lambeau Field for the preseason game/school clothes shopping expedition.

Now, on the topic of backward areas, my brain cannot figure out how to do that @-sign plussy thing with people's names. Halp!
by Elijah-M at 04:30 PM on 02/17/08
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@Dowdydiva: Click on the reply button that appears to the right of their post. The arrow.
by Matt Cibula at 10:49 AM on 02/18/08
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The Exclusive Company is truly excellent, and I can walk to one here in Madison and save a buck or two by paying cash. I know when certain clerks are working, so I can talk to Thrash Metal Kid about new crazy stuff from Finland or whatever. And LOL at Matos but the used section is pretty small compared to the thousands of "new" discs, and the inventory always includes stuff I never realized they had -- there's more Mingus reissues there than there are used copies of "Monster" ... and this is in a strip mall next to Pedro's on one side and the Video Game X-Change on the other. The one in Appleton is awesome too!