You you think it is a shame that we have lost so many record (CD) stores?

Question

I used to love to go to a CD shop and just look.

Answer 1

I agree, I spent hours and hours in record stores in the early 80's, often skipping school to do so (and going without lunch so I could spend my lunch money on a record.)



I used to go to Greenwich Village in New York City, where there were several hidden-away basement record stores (Farfel's, Record Runner, Free Being, Sounds), where there'd be tons of bootlegs, dusty old psychedelic records that may well have been in the store since the 60's, the latest indie imports from England... It was more than a shopping excursion, it was a whole education (just not the type my school wanted me to get, haha).



I'd spend the time on the subway and ferry going home reading liner notes, pondering album art, imagining what the music would sound like...



In the digital age, I have been able to amass a far larger collection of music than I ever could have with physical, vinyl albums. I have been exposed to a greater variety of music, and can try out new artists much more easily. So the digital age has its merits too. But like everything in the modern world, our society is becoming less "social" and more isolated; we don't have to even leave the house to get whatever we want.



So, yeah, I miss those days. But as the Police once said, "when the world is runnin' down, ya make the best of what's still around..."

Answer 2

my memories are like John Ks, though I go back a few more years. I remember Bleeker Bob's (although the place turned into more of a tourist trap in later years), and I had a friend that ran a place called Record City in lower Manhattan, not far from where the Tower Records shop was on East 4th and Broadway. That store was amazing because he had new and used albums and very eclectic music that seems to be on the store stereo all day. I learned about a lot of great music there. He was going to open a store in Jersey, but I don't know if he ever did.



I think the growth of things like iTunes and the Amazon digital downloads are a sign that the record/CD industry are breathing their last. I hate iTunes and use Amazon when I can, and I like being able to hear samples of the old music and buy one track at a time.



But, it's never going to be the same as wasting an afternoon browsing the shelves...

Answer 3

I still have about four stores that I visit probably once a month. Honestly, I probably buy more CDs now than I ever did because: A)The internet has turned me on to so much new music B) I'm older and I have a job and money C) I'm a nerd.



I download just as much music as anyone, but if I like it I eventually will buy it. I'm just like that. The digital file is OK as a place holder, but I need the CD to really appreciate what the group or whatever does.



But Yes, It is a shame how many stores are gone and how hard of a time the ones that are left are having.

Answer 4

We have a second hand CD store in town, where they have literally hundreds/thousands for sale, and they will also get you most recent releases brand new. However, I do not always have the time to spend there "looking", so quite a few of my purchases on line, alas.



Showing my age here, but there was a time that you could go into an in-store booth and listen before buying, which was one of the experiences of my youth.



To be honest, there was nothing like looking at, and handling, Vinyl though. Agree with your sentiment 100%. Even WH Smith -a major High Street Retailer in the UK- stopped selling CDs around 6 months ago..

Answer 5

Yea thankfully my record store is alive and well. Every time I walk in there are always at least 2 people so business is good. I went on Sunday and bought the first two Weezer albums, had a conversation with the guy behind the counter. My friend who lives in North Carolina had never been to a record store so I recommended him one, he goes twice a month now. These stores have a great atmosphere and your bound to meet someone there who has similar tastes. It's just a shame things like itunes is making them obsolete.

Answer 6

Yeah, I do. My dad has told me stories about how there used to be a record shop in town, he would go there everyday after school and just look at all of the vinyl they had, and talk to the owner. And I remember going to a record shop in Houston, and staying there for literally hours, just browsing through the collection, until the guy working told me it was closing time.

Answer 7

I live in Europe and we pay a luxury tax on CDs, DVDs and books, which I think is crazy! Anything educational shouldn't be considered a luxury, and good music is certainly that. And then they wonder why people started pirating.

Yes I think it's bad that the record shops are gone, but I can understand why.

Answer 8

I especially miss the great people who owned and operated the smaller shop's. You would walk in the door, get a warm greeting and some fantastic feedback and suggested disc's after you picked up the newest release from a favorite artist you went in for in the first place. Now you walk into the music section at Best Buy unnoticed except for employee's wheeling out plasma t.v. set's to waiting customer's. Yes it's a shame.

Answer 9

We haven't had a good record shop in this town since BestBuy opened. Now I just do my music shopping on-line where I have the whole world at my fingertips (Red Eye Records in Sydney Australia, Record Shop X in Helsinki Finland, Music Non Stop in Leeds U.K. etc).

Answer 10

My friends and I used to go almost every weekend to see what new songs just came out and browse for stuff we had heard on the radio. Honestly though recently I have not heard a CD that I would find worth buying the entire album.

Answer 11

Why ? it happened



1- Only 1 store - FYE - seems to be in the malls . No Competition



2- When cd's got up to $16.99, people stopped buying new stuff.



3- The new artists all suck !

Answer 12

.yep nothing better than a huge old privately owned record shop that was unique to the town. I remember Hegewisch Records (the place was huge) and Rose Records.



Get used to it though, you will remember many things from your youth that will disappear, the things you take for granted today will be gone tomorrow

Answer 13

I've never had one in my town (or anywhere near me) so it doesn't affect me personally, but I do think it's a shame that so many are closing down nationwide and no new ones are starting.

Answer 14

It's a 15 minute walk to the closest one, so I'm not complaining.

Answer 15

No one thinks it's as important as the stores that really bring in the money. It is sad.