Idolator
If you've recently opened a record store, and you didn't happen to pick up the assets of Tower Records in a bankruptcy auction, you probably ventured into the current big box/piracy-dominated music market not because of the financial security, but because your social and job-related skills don't lend themselves to much else. Bad news: Your dreams of escaping a forty-hour-a-week cubicle existence are over. Indie music retailers are shutting their doors—and not only because of a shrinking customer base, but because owning a store and having to show up every day is, apparently, a total bummer.
Yet indie music fans not wanting to brave the Hollywood traffic to hit Amoeba had an outpost outside downtown in Sea Level Records, run by Silversun Pickups merch man Todd Clifford. The store arrived as the city's Echo Park neighborhood was undergoing a revitalization, and stocked a heavily curated catalog (top sellers this month include Silversun Pickups, adventurous guitar rock act Electrelane and avant-folk duo CocoRosie). Yet come the end of this month, the 32-year-old Clifford will close up shop for good...
"Obviously, if I would have had tons more sales, I would have had employees and not have to be here all the time and wouldn't be burned out," Clifford says. "I wanted to close this a while ago, but I was torn because it should be here. And it should be here, but that doesn't mean I have to do it."
Clifford recently spent two months on the road with Silversun Pickups. He says he expected to come back feeling refreshed. Instead, within 15 minutes of walking back into his store, he says he "hated being here."
Clifford says that when he opened up shop in 2001 he used to love customers. "Now when customers come in, I'm like, 'Just buy it and leave,' " he says. "This isn't a job where I should wake up and say, 'I don't want to go to work.' "
While it might be unreasonable to expect owning a small business, regardless of how "cool" it might be, to match up with a gig at Akron, Ohio's The Lime Spider, it might be hard for Mr. Clifford to gain much sympathy from anyone who might have to wear a collared shirt (or possibly even shoes) to work on a daily basis.
The Indies: Burnout Behind The Counter [CNN Money]
Sea Level Records
Comments
I totally know how that guy feels. Thankfully, I remedied my situation and got myself a job which allows me to troll music-biz blogs for up to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Couldn't do that at the record store. Ah, sweet freedom!
are we supposed to feel sorry for this asshole?
I think anyone who's worked in retail for more than 5 minutes learns to hate the customer. It's a natural reaction to low pay, combined with lots of weekend hours.
@baconfat: Seconded. Except now I'm supposed to read all of these blogs for work. This is supposed to feel more like a job than it does I guess.
@baconfat: You're right. I should issue a correction, really. OSHA just released the annual "Most Dangerous Lines of Employment" survey, and "owner, hipster record store" was at number five; right between "fisherman, commercial" and "refuse collector".
I feel no sympathy for anyone associated with Silversun Pickups.
@beta.rogan: Also, holidays! Like all of them!
i've done retail record stores for years (indie and the man). i just left for a job that uses my music knowledge in a different way.
although i don't missing pretending to like josh groban, i do miss acting superior to customers because my tastes are infinitely cooler.
certainly this guy will miss that part.
Akron, Ohio's The Lime Spider is one great little venue. You know, for the record.
@Aquemini: Ya got that right.
I agree with having little sympathy for this douche, I think he might be better suited to collecting unemployment checks that seeking out his dream job. I think it would kick ass to own/operate a record store. Look for ThaBombShelter in retail form in like 2040.
To be fair, I don't think Todd was looking for anyone's sympathy. I think he was answering questions honestly for a stupid "trend" piece, in the financial news mode at least.
As a (former) frequent patron of Sea Level, I might be a little too close to this. But, for the record, it was a great store and Todd's a really nice guy.
For real, all the haters should back off on calling Todd names. The guy ran a solid operation and was nothing less than delightful in all of my encounters with him. He just got burnt out fighting the good fight against the big boxes and Amoeba. Who here can blame him for that?
The guy complains that his job actually entails real work...if he wants to maintain a "nice guy" image, maybe he shouldn't do his best to project a "sloth-like" image...
It's a bit surprising that the savvy, edgy Idolator commenter crew are just, like, totally amazed when a person finds the job they once loved has turned into drudgery. It's not the first time in the history of the universe this happened.
Todd never said he hates work. He came to hate working _in a music store_, and attributed that in part to the years of working there six or seven days a week. No one should cry for him--and he never asked anyone to--but all the droll superiority is lam0rz.
What, like you can't be nice AND slothlike?
@papercoversrock: I'm sure he's a decent guy, and certainly any job (outside of being Lil' Wayne) eventually becomes work, but c'mon, I think your pal deserves a little roasting here, especially by anyone who had a job they didn't like in an industry they despised that they didn't have the luxury of walking away from simply because the fun was sucked out.
@DanGibson:
Maybe running this into the ground but: I certainly understand what you're saying. On the other hand, there are plenty of folks in all walks of life who decide they hate their jobs and chuck 'em for entirely new careers.
It's anecdotal, but I know a few. And it wasn't a luxury for any of them, just a hard choice that required debt and regrouping.
@papercoversrock: I don't fault the guy for ditching the store. If it's not fun anymore, go for it, pal. Run for the hills.
That being said, making it sound like running a record store is some traumatic experience, akin to long distance truck driving or something of the sort, is a little tacky, I think.
He's not an asshole because he doesn't like retail--he's an asshole because he's in a position to just say "nope, this isn't fun" and stop.
The idea of anyone voluntarily giving up any job gives me heart palpitations. If I could pull in at least 20k a year I'd be willing to do a whole lot more than wear a tie, work weekends, or pretend to like people.
"Now when customers come in, I'm like, 'Just buy it and leave,' "
Don't worry, when customers get that attitude, then usually do just that. Only, they skip the "buy" part.
I wonder what his hours of operation were? Most stores are open around 80 hours a week, and if he doesn't have any employees, that means he has to work those 80 hours not one week but every week. No sick days. No overtime pay.
But yeah, it's not as difficult as sitting in a cubicle all day surfing the internet for 40 hours a week, so I can understand why people would look down on him.
"What, like you can't be nice AND slothlike?"
Seriously.
@KinetiQ: The store was open 56 hours a week. Thanks for playing though.
Also, he spent two months on the road with Silversun Pickups, so the store was hardly keeping him locked into the LA area.
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