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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "John L. Micek" <jlmicek@comcast.net> |
| Subject | Re: The loss of music retailing |
| Date | Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:22:18 -0500 |
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> To put it bluntly, we are freaks. We will go to any lengths to find and
> listen to music. And the kids who are passionate about music (the future
> freaks) will find the websites (Pitchfork, emusic, Itunes, etc.) and share
> the cool music with other like minded freaks.
>
It's odd that we've spent so much time talking about the "demise of the
retail music shop" without acknowledging our (collective) role in it.
On any given day, you'll find people on here extolling the virtues of
Parasol, NotLame, Bullseye, and Paisley Pop (gratuitous plug), or even
iTunes. I think it's safe to say that online communities such as this one
have done as much to "harm" (to the extent that such a thing is possible)
bricks-and-mortar retailers as "the kids" are doing with single-song
downloads and file-sharing.
And I say this in full acknowledgment of my own fondness for
brick-and-mortar record stores. My first and fondest memories of music
shopping were at the Strawberries Records & Tapes in Avon, Conn., and the
Caldor in Torrington, Conn., where I grew up. At that time (c.1983-84), when
I was first discovering music, they seemed like wondrous places. I vividly
remember being stunned that a record by The Jam was readily available at a
Caldor in provincial Connecticut. It seemed then like those songs were being
beamed in from another planet.
In one store, it seemed, I could go from The Jam to Hank Williams and then
to Augustus Pablo. It was a wide-ranging experience, and it seemed then like
the breadth of taste was just endless.
While I remain omnivorous when it comes to my consumption of music, my
tastes are a little more tailored, and the music I'm seeking appeals to a
much more segmented audience -- hence my reliance on online retailers like
NotLame, or SoulJazz or Parasol. If I do buy a retail CD, it's from the
local Borders as I'm shopping for books for myself (or my daughter) or a
DVD. That's not to mention quarterly trips to Record Connection in scenic
Ephrata, Pa., which remains indispensable to me, or efforts to seek out
record stores in towns I hit during the course of business travel.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that, as we bemoan the loss of
record retailers, we should probably acknowledge our own culpability.
Just a thought.
John Micek.
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