Singing The Blues

by Bradley Stern
filed under: Uncategorized

92ff266e07d94e7ee580d0fdc40c85fd Singing The Blues
Following the morbid news of Woolworth’s and Zavvi‘s rapid demise within the United Kingdom, it appears the wave of music store shutdowns is now approaching the States.

According to Reuters, Times Square’s Virgin Megastore is due to shut its doors in April, with the Virgin in Union Square’s future still questionable.

With the economy falling to pieces, what will happen next?

Don’t worry, loves…I’m sure it will get worse before it gets better, but there’s simply got to be a brighter future around the corner.

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  • AutomaticTLC

    The Virgin Megastore in my area just closed as well. Tragic. :-(

  • 17days

    devastating, but only in a nostalgic way. the idea of a bricks and mortar music store is terribly dated; in 2 years there won’t be ANY.

    i guarantee it.

    all product will be ordered online, both physical and digital, aside from perhaps some new titles being carried at BEST BUY or TARGET or WALMART.

    but the day of the music store are well and truly over.

  • countpopula

    Thanks 17 Days…guess I'd better start looking for another job now. There are actually many people who would and do still buy music in physical formats, but, as you said, many live in areas where there are no specialty stores left, thanks to the Best Buys and Wal Marts of the world. Once the chains have eaten the little guys and worn out their usefulness, they will also fall by the wayside.

    It's a shame people don't find actual value in owning anything anymore. Maybe it's a dated idea, but it actually means something to me. I have been in this business for over 20 years, and I do specialized ordering for my store. I have a Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Barnes & Noble, and another indie store all within 7 miles. I have taken great pride in my years of hard work and perserverence, including long and odd hours and creating customer relations, even though things have gotten pretty shitty in the past 5 years. I have seen many good and caring people lose their jobs in all parts of the business because what they were doing was fighting a losing battle. And while it may be OK if you are a touring musician and can make money selling tickets, what if you are primarily a studio creation or a writer or producer? How are you supposed to make a living?

    It is a travesty what has happened to music as a business, and misuse of the internet deserves the lion's share of the blame. So much joy and thrill of discovery has been bled out into little TV monitors where everything is at our fingertips. It is a shame more people don't stand up to preserve the bits of history that they will miss when it is gone. I never thought the western world would turn into the easily lured sheep it has turned into.

  • 17days

    hi countpopula

    believe me; nobody liked shopping for records and tapes and cd’s more than me. i’m 33, and i was an enormous consumer growing up. in fact i still have a handful artists i collect everything for.

    while i agree with you that the experience of walking in to a record shop and discovering new music by browsing the racks or hearing what is playing overhead is unique and special, we can’t ignore that the internet has brought with it a whole new and exciting way to discover.

    i work in the music industry and, sadly, the writing has been on the wall for some time now. no doubt you’ll have a thriving mail order business from customers like me who consider a limited edition pet shop boys 12″ an essential purchase!



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