Music stores out of tune
Brick and mortar record stores are an increasingly rare thing to see nowadays as people turn to the Internet to get their music.
With large retail chains like Wal-Mart and Target taking over CD sales and the easy access to music online, the smaller independent stores are facing difficult times. This is why, since 2007, independent record stores have come together and organized Record Store Day, an annual event on April 18.
Record Store Day is an event to celebrate music in the largest sense, and where better to find the love for music than at small mom and pop record stores everywhere around the country?
These businesses don’t sell to make money; they are in it because of their passion for music. One of these stores is Young Ones in Kutztown. On Saturday they had different festivities including live performances by bands from the Kutztown area, a giveaway, and loads of free music goodies. Whether this helps to get more people to become regular customers at independent record stores remains to be seen, but the event definitely got a lot of attention.
A number of artists put out exclusive releases on this day. Among them were Cold War Kids, My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, and many others. These releases were only available in the stores participating in the event, not online or in major retail stores.
The pain for the small record stores like Young Ones in these times is that a lot of people just aren’t buying records anymore. Children nowadays grow up with the notion that music is available easily and, even more importantly, free through the Internet.
Owning a song or an album is nothing more than a click of a mouse button. There really is no charm to it. The digital age takes away from the experience it used to be when buying an album, going to the record store, and flipping through the stacks. For many, this is an experience they only know through their parents. The physical aspect is completely gone, artwork is reduced to a stamp-sized picture on your iPod and no longer are scratches on a record or CD even relevant.
In recent years vinyl has made somewhat of a comeback. Although it is a very small market, there are still people that appreciate the whole experience that playing a vinyl record brings with it. The crackle of the record, the beautiful large 12 by 12 inch artwork, turning the record over–the real music lovers are still attracted to this nostalgia. A lot of indie record labels and indie bands have started releasing vinyl again, in addition to CDs and digital downloads of their music.
It makes an album more of a collectors’ item and you have to admit that having a box of vinyl records is a lot cooler than scrolling through the thumbnail-sized album covers in your iTunes library.
The convenience of downloading music is that you don’t have to make a commitment. If you don’t like the music, there’s no harm; you just delete it off your hard drive.
But owning an album or single in physical form is something that makes listening to the music extra special. It makes you more devoted to the music you love and that is something worth cherishing. On top of that, by buying records you support your favorite artists and most of all, your local store. No iTunes or Amazon can compete with the type of dedication and love they put into their work to pick out the best music for you. So turn off that iPod and go get a real record for once; you won’t regret it.
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