It’s hard not to like Record Store Day, the homage to the indie record store taking place this Saturday. Lots of limited-edition merchandise will be on sale; bands will play in-store sessions; and the Record Store Day brand will take over the retail space at Coachella that was formerly held by Virgin Megastore. Someone saying “New Order 7-inch” is about all it takes to get me to throw my support behind any sort of function or event, but Luke Lewis at the NME takes a look on the other side of the fence.
Why on earth would someone be against nerd-coveted vinyl and parties? Why would the bad man say such awful things? Partially because he doesn’t know if record stores are worth saving.
But is this such an epic tragedy? I wonder if there’s an element of false nostalgia here. The particular kind of store people have in mind when this subject comes up – ie, a half-remembered realm where a clued-up expert would have the time to guide you through the new releases, make personal recommendations, and send you on your way – surely disappeared decades ago, if it ever existed.
Besides, many of these nostalgists are precisely the kind of music obsessives who would have spluttered with rage if any record store assistant had presumed to tell them what to listen to. Who relies on retailers to tell them what to listen to? Or music critics, for that matter. These days, we make our own discoveries.
I should know. I worked in an independent record shop in Amersham for four years. There was no time to make pally recommendations – we were too busy processing the big sellers in a frantic bid to turn a profit. Which ultimately failed. The store closed in 2003. It was replaced by a Robert Dyas.
The cold truth is that the fate of record stores is bound up with wider shifts in our economic behaviour. No-one could save Woolworths, because the niche it had catered for no longer existed. Similarly, commentators are up in arms about the plight of regional newspapers. But when was the last time you read one? Sometimes, the depressing conclusion is the only accurate one.
While I certainly understand the concept of getting people in the stores so that they might fall in love with the experience again, I get the feeling that Lewis might be right. I still buy a decent amount of music, and I might stop by to see what free stuff I can get my hands on Saturday, but if there’s something I decide that I want on Sunday, I’ll probably still end up buying it online. Certainly there are cities with great record stores still, but some places are stuck with indies staffed the employees who were left when the sort of experts that we might ideally remember helping us find a new band split for richer-than-minimum-wage pastures.
My first job in a record store was at an amazing place that was staffed with people who had the sort of encyclopedia-type knowledge that selling jazz, blues, and world music effectively calls for. Last year, that store shut down. I saw one of my former co-workers on Monday night, and he’s a lot happier actually making some money at a local musical instrument store. It’s consumers’ loss that he’s not around to help direct people towards Mingus’ Black Saint and the Sinner Lady these days, but asking him to do so for the sort of paycheck he was receiving is absurd, and I think if you asked him now, he would say he should have left indie music retail ages ago.
On the other hand, if you look at the sort of people who work in editorial at eMusic, Amazon, and iTunes, the collected expertise is astounding, and not knowing the specifics of the salary structures at those sites, I feel fairly certain that those experts are at least not feeling cheated by how they’re being compensated. The expertise that used to be bought out by access to an employee discount has moved on to blogs, where the proprietors can do what they love on the side, with the possibility of making a little extra cash. Sure, it’s nice that labels and stores are getting together on Saturday. But how long can it last?
‘Record Store Day’ Masks A Depressing Truth - We’ve Fallen Out Of Love With Buying Music [NME]
I have no idea how things went down in the UK but if Lewis is talking about a record store stint that ended in 2003–he’s not too clear on that point–it’s not too crazy to assume his experience is one in which the ship had already sailed for the vast majority of record stores.
Yeah, you can’t ask 30-somethings w/aspirations and/or responsibilities to linger around as record store clerks for a pittance, but there was always a generational turnover.
I have absolutely no data to back this up, but I’m pretty sure that there’s a good chunk of the former record buying public that got their recommendations from a trusted record store clerk/buyer–I should know: I was on both sides of that interaction–who now can’t be bothered buying online, unless it’s a quick song off iTunes or replacing a beloved CD for $2 off Amazon. If that.
Hmm. I have never pined for “a half-remembered realm where a clued-up expert would have the time to guide [me] through the new releases.” As far as I can remember, those were the type of self-appointed assholes I encountered in places like Sam Goody and Strawberries who, truth be told, didn’t have any idea what the fuck they were talking about; and were simply hovering over me to ensure that I didn’t try try to walk out with a CD shoved down my pants. It worked about 50 percent of the time, I’ll give them that.
I do, on the other hand, have genuine nostalgia for a period that lasted about ten years; when I moved to Boston in my early 20s, got a job in Harvard Square, and could browse through half a dozen record stores during my lunch hour. The essential element here — aside from all of these stores having an awesome selection — is that the employees left me the fuck alone.
I’ll venture a guess and say that the person who wrote that article never liked the idea of buying music as much as he likes writing an article based on a half-realized assertion. If he really liked buying music, he never would have needed a self-appointed expert to guide him through a record store. He would have browsed. That’s the fucking point.
“The essential element here — aside from all of these stores having an awesome selection — is that the employees left me the fuck alone.”
Amen to this. Hovering record-store employees are part of what drove me to spend a lot of money on Amazon.com in the early part of this decade.
“The essential element here — aside from all of these stores having an awesome selection — is that the employees left me the fuck alone.”
Amen to this. Hovering CD-store employees were a large part of what drove me to blow all my $$$ on Amazon.com during the early part of this decade.
I completely agree with this dude. Record store day is stupid. It’s like having Moisturizer Day where everyone goes into department stores and skin care emporiums to get “limited edition” scents, the major difference is that you may actually care what the staff there has to say. Products are products, dreaming up a special day to make people spend money isn’t “saving” anything, but it’s an excellent way for poorly stocked, confusingly organized stores to bleed a bit more money out of everyone while they still can.
@tim_loves_cats: Music is a cultural product. Moisturizer is not. I will cede that point if you can name more than a half dozen moisturizer blogs off the top of your head.
It seems to me that like the twit who wrote that article, you never liked record stores in the first place; and are thus basing your criticism on a culture that you’ve never actually participated in. Kind of like my grandfather bemoaning the lack of melody in hip hop.
Do record stores have an innate right to be propped up by consumers? Obviously not. Those of us who want to see them stick around for as long as they can aren’t being bled by anyone. We are simply being asked to show support for something we like.
@Elijah-M: So what if it’s a “cultural product”? That doesn’t give the physical cd or record any special priveledge. It can be obtained in many ways and in many formats.
I mostly object to being told I should care about something that’s long outlived in relevance for the sake of some by-gone era that never was. If you want to support something you like, support it year-round, as I’m sure you do. Remember that many going to their local shop on Saturday are looking for limited edition ebay gold.
i buy about 5 new records a year so i can’t really comment about the need for a physical new music outlet. but there is no way that ebay and online stores will ever be able to replace the sheer feeling of joy that i get flipping through dusty old lps. and no amount of blog trolling, all music guide visiting, etc. will ever be able to tell you about that awesome obscurity from 1971 you picked up on a whim because you thought you might have recognized the name of one of the guys, or the artwork was dope. maybe there’s a website out there that talks about it, but you never would have known to look for it until you saw it in the store.
viva record stores! record store day i can take or leave.
I like people. I buy stuff in stores because there are people there selling me the stuff I want. I don’t see why that is such a bad thing; I think that is a good thing.
@tim_loves_cats: “So what if it’s a “cultural product”? That doesn’t give the physical cd or record any special priveledge.”
No one, me included, said that it did.
As for the record store outliving its relevance, this is surely true for most people who, you included, are free to not care. What I find puzzling is that you’re wasting your time commenting about something to which you profess such ambivalence. If you object to being asked to care about something, the obvious course of action on your part would be to show a backbone and actually refrain from caring.
I couldn’t care less if a large number of the people who show up at my local record store on Saturday are trolling for items they can sell on eBay at a profit; not do I imagine that the people responsible for keeping the place open do. They’re probably interested in paying their rent more than anything else. If this helps them do that, great.
Oh man.
Surely, a good record store is a haven for most of us. Even if we have no inclination to buy something at the time, walking into a physical record store, and seeing how close the Beach Boys are stocked next to the Beatles, and moving around, just taking our time, thinking about nothing, seeing what’s out there is an entirely inimitable experience that can’t be compared to sitting at a desk and looking. Text messages are fine, but they aren’t conversation.
Record stores are good places. They keep records there. They have the White Album probably. Its a place that can just as easily be a GAP. Its the idea of the place, as a place that makes it worth saving.
As long as there are people alive who like their music to have a tangible physical presence, there will be at least some record stores around (if only a few). So, perhaps 30 more years? After that, it’s quite possible that removable media may no longer be an option that’s available or that anyone is even interested in, except historically.
One of my fundest record store memories is of a certain store where you would buy a beer in the nearby deli and then join in the debate of the day with the employees of the store and other customers. One such debate was “When did Elvis Costello start to suck? (I said after “Trust”).
@MhS: That must’ve been pretty cool.
It was. That store is still in business and is taking part in Record Store day. Unfortunately I’ll be away this weekend.
I buy music online pretty frequently nowadays…mainly because I live in the middle-of-nowhere ohio now. But I used to live in Chicago and every time I go back to visit I make sure to go to at least 2-3 record stores. I love browsing the racks even if I’m not looking for anything in particular. You never know what you’ll stumble upon. Plus I usually run into people I know there.
I also plan on traveling about an hour on Saturday to enjoy Record Store Day.
There are stores that sell candles, there are stores that sell beads, there are stores that sell bicycles for grown-ups. Why can’t there be stores that sell records?
Of course, candle manufacturers do not charge stores $13 for a product that the public expects to buy for $10. Probably because candle manufactures don’t require airplanes and cocaine to manufacture candles.
In the end, like most other indie retail it’s the price difference that has driven indie records stores out of business. With big box stores selling music as a loss leader and internet sites able to sell at lower prices due to volume and lower cost structures, it’s not a surprise. I buy at least 4-5 CDs a month, and I buy most of them online.
But, as a college student, I was friends with a clerk in my local record store, and spent lots of time discussing new import singles, scoring free promo materials, and browsing the used CD selection to check out his recommendations, and having the input of a kindred spirit was wonderful. In graduate school, I had a weekend ritual jaunt through Boston/Cambridge record stores to check out their inventories and talk with the proprietors, and it was a great way to learn about new music and discover unknown classics.
I went to Record Theatre in Buffalo for Record Store Day and picked up some of the singles, and a couple of used CDs (Pet Shop Boys!), and it really did feel like a homecoming to that world. More than the recommendations or staff interactions, it’s about a community of people who enjoy music (including the local musicians), and I’m sad to see its demise, especially when it must also contribute to the lower interest in music overall in the culture. But, ultimately, given the price difference (sometimes more than $8-$9 per CD) compared to online venues, it’s hard to continue shopping there for all of my music needs.