All over the net today you are being reminded that today is record store day and that you should be out there buying music at your local independent retailer. While I try to do some of this throughout the year, it would be MORE than disengenuous of me to say this to anyone as I am finding myself buying music off the net at a record pace. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. While it is a nice sentiment and has nothing but good at it’s heart, I for one won’t be telling anyone to support their local store for one day when there are 364 other days a year we could be supporting the indie store to keep them in business. Just the other day I was driving through my old home town and thought to myself “I should stop at “Fine Groove Records” only to find it has been closed. While it’s sad, I haven’t exactly been stopping down there once or twice a month to buy my music. I’m much more likely to go to Amazon, iTunes or emusic to get my music fix. I’m quite curious as to others buying habits. Are you all like me? Or do you get to the record store more than once or twice a year to get your music? Unfortunately, I think we’re well past the tipping point as to keeping a vibrant, physical music marketplace alive.
This discussion currently has 4 responses.
April 17, 2010
I have a three-tiered approach. If it’s a local band or I’m likely to go to the band’s tour stop here relatively close to when the album comes out, I’ll buy it at their show. They get more money for it that way, plus I can usually get it autographed, plus I have the memory of buying it at the show. If I’m not likely to see them close to the album’s release, but I want a physical copy of it (some bands do a really nice job on packaging and liner notes), then I go to the indie record store and buy it. And tend to pick up some used stuff or vinyl while I’m there, too. If I don’t care about the band as much or am unlikely to ever see them, I’ll get the digital version.
Generally, that tends to fall into a continuum of liking the band, too, or whether they’re local or not. Local bands I ALWAYS pick up their CDs at their shows, or from them directly. And albums from favorite bands that I’ve been anticipating I’ll tend to get in physical form – I picked up Los Campesinos! the first day, and am planning to be at Ameoba on May 4th for Broken Social Scene and The New Pornographers, since I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it to their concerts.
I think some places will stay around – Amoeba in LA, Waterloo in Austin, other big flagship stores in major cities that have a thriving music culture. But the vinyl store I went to a time or two near me up in the San Fernando Valley seems to have closed…those smaller, mom & pop stores are probably going to be the ones that suffer.
April 19, 2010
I really appreciate your thoughts on this, and I like the principle behind it. I wish I could say I am the same way all the time, but a lot of it is laziness on my part. It’s just so easy to download an album. I would say I’m down to about 25% physical product. I’m sure I’ll want a copy of The National’s High Violet and Hold Steady’s new one, but it’s definitely the rarity for me. I think I need to make a better effort this year to get to some local shops. In the case of an Amoeba, they seem to get a lot of promotional shows, etc.. that help them bring in customers.
April 20, 2010
Amoeba’s kind of an institution. They do get a lot of promo shows (my friend and I saw Farfarlo there a few weeks ago for free the day before Fanfarlo played a major venue in town), and they just generally have a lot of cultural cachet. Sadly, they’re the exception, not the rule.
April 21, 2010
I honestly have not bought a physical CD at an actual store for about 10 years. I think the last one I picked up was Mercury Rev (All is Dream) and that was released on 9/11/01.
I have picked up records at a person’s show (RED SPARROWES THIS WEEKEND!), but otherwise all downloading. And I’ll admit most of it has not been legal.
Everytime I walk into a record store (The Fetus or Cheapo), I make a b line straight for the DVDs.