I get asked this question quite a lot by two distinct groups of people. One is the retailers themselves. The other is the group of people passionate about independent music stores. The customers.
And therein lies the answer to the question and the solution to the problem: there exist the requisite two groups of people required in order for the answer to be a resounding YES!
Independent record retailers want to survive. Their customers want them to survive. Both groups are invested in the outcome to the current challenges.
I was interviewed for an article in Business Week about this very issue, and the ways in which New York store Other Music (a shop I really love) are coping with the transition to the online environment. And there’s a single, simple solution to their success.
It’s about people.
Despite what you might think, most people don’t frequent record stores because of records.
The smaller the independent store, the more it seems that there’s a pool of expertise and informed taste that goes into the ordering and selection of the stock held. In short, people shop at independent record stores because of the people who select and recommend the music.
Now, it’s important to realise that what I’ve said isn’t actually true. But it is useful.
Of course people shop at record stores because of records. But you solve the problem of people NOT shopping in record shops by choosing to believe that it’s about people. And that’s what’s important here. More records will not solve this problem.
In fact, that’s the cause of the problem. The online environment is so jam packed with riches, that the problem is not one of availability. The problem is one of filtering. There may be 6 million songs on iTunes. More, probably. You may be able to find anything you’re looking for on Amazon. And then some.
But music lovers — and I’m talking about real enthusiasts here, the bread-and-butter customers of indie retailers, not the casual chart shoppers — want to be introduced to music that they don’t yet know they will absolutely love.
More than ever, the opinion leader rules. And the opinion leader works in, or owns, the record store. They do it because it’s important. They do it because they’re passionate about the music.
Let’s face it, opening a record shop (or getting a job in one) has never been the greatest get-rich-quick scheme in the world. But then, neither has deciding to become a musician. But the motivation to devote your life in this way is a noble one. These people are heroes of our communities and deserve to be rewarded.
But for that to happen, they need to be smart about the changing environment, and use the new technologies to play to their strengths, rather to try (and fail) to emulate the corporates.
Independent record retailers will survive and thrive in direct proportion to the extent that they can provide a guide to the more interesting nooks and crannies of the Long Tail, rather than the extent to which they can make all of it available.
This is why my little record store experiment, Liquid Crunch will only ever have fifty items in stock — and why I’m calling on real experts for their recommendations. And I’m going to be profiling them so you can get to know them and trust the recommendations they make.
Interestingly, one of the best marketing tools for the bricks and mortar music retailers is the handwritten recommendation on the sleeve of the record itself. That, and the phrase “I think you should check this out – I reckon you’ll really love it,” are the things that physical record stores should be trying to capture and reproduce online. Think of it like a browsable, real-world mp3 blog.
One of the things the customers of independent retailers love about shopping at those stores is the fact that it’s not a corporate shopping mall experience. It’s human interaction, an experience, an encounter with a musical guide, entry into a world of expertise and deep knowledge about a particular kind of music and a sense of shared enthusiasm.
When deciding how to cope with the online environment, music retailers need to think about how to maximise that interaction in order to not only survive – but thrive.
There are more ideas in the Business Week article and slide show.
This blog post was written in the cafe part of my local, independent music retailer, Jibbering Records, where I was greeted with a handshake by Oli, one of the owners, had a chat with Rich (behind the counter) about the Five Corners Quintet 12″ that flew off the shelf the moment it was played instore, enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea — and ended up buying a record I was listening to as I typed.
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22 Comments
I like the concept of the independent record stores and I thought your comments were spot on. However, one alarming trend I note in many indie record stores is the tendency to be almost elitist in a way that makes them as disappointing as going to a big box retailer.
I’m sure the guys at Jibbering Records know that you are a fairly well-known music blogger with a more than usual interest in the music industry in general. You likely have also had an ongoing conversation and relationship with them and you have spent a good deal of money there.
What I would like to see is these stores catering to the fresh-faced kid or parent with kids that comes in looking for music. You know, the people walking in with some trepidation. Make the new faces in the store feel as welcome as the longtime customers.
I only really noticed this when I moved to the town I am in now, after frequenting the indie record shops in my old town. I realized in my old town I was part of a “hipsterish” clique that I was no longer a part of in the new record stores. It took me awhile to get friendly with them and now things are cool, but I try and be helpful to people who come in for the first time looking for good music.
Otherwise, I feel the independent record stores will be their own worst enemies.
DM
http://www.bloggingmuses.com
The expertise in record shops is a diminishing resource and any online way in which that expertise can be shared is the only way it will survive.
In the same way that the knowledge you share would not have had the wide dissemination if you were using a physical retail model, the knowledge of audiophiles needs to be shared online through niche record stores. The independance of experts is their strength.
When I worked at Tower Records in Birmingham, we prided ourselves on our areas of expertise. The interview for the job centered around what I new about music and not what I knew about customer service. And the customer service was always pretty good at Tower as well. That Tower records ethos was lost when they shut down, other retail stores have customer service drones and it would be no great loss when they dissappear.
Fans want to know the answer to questions like “I like this stuff, where can I hear more?”. That answer can be supplied by the retailer/expert.
Actually in France, they are closing not because of the crisis (even if they’ve lost 20% of their revenues in the last five years) but because of their placement in city centers that makes them interesting for banks, fashion stores, hotels, etc
Example: Rennes Musique in my town which had been around for 30 years and closed last month
I personally think that “people shop at independent record stores because of the people who select and recommend the music” is a bit of a romantic notion. When I first went into the flagship Rough Trade store in Brick Lane I was extremely excited by the idea that there would be someone behind the counter that cared about the music I was buying and could give me more information about upcoming releases and other music I’d like to buy. The reality was different. The guy wasn’t the least bit interested. I tried starting conversation but it just wasn’t forthcoming. I did buy a great 7″ (Liz Green) but only because I’d checked the artists myspace and had heard about her via a music blog.
Independent music retailers will continue to exist while there is still an older generation that habitually buys their music in this fashion and hasn’t, or doesn’t want to, fully embrace the current digital music ecosystem. But the market will continue to shrink steadily.
(Disclaimer: I used to own and run an independent music retailer!)
hey andrew
i think they will survive in the same way vinyl record stores survive today. its going to become a very niche market. im not saying tomorrow but its hard to imagine my kids who will be the real digital natives of digital music going to the cd store to buy a piece of plastic.
No, I don’t think they will survive – for the most part. There will still be some in large liberal cities like NYC but … for the most part they will continue their demise. For me it’s not that big of a deal because I don’t have a lot of nostalgia for music stores… and well I don’t think it’s that important. I think music is important, not how I buy it.
The offline second hand market sadly seems to be suffering more than shops which stock new releases though – taking Birmingham as an example again, we’ve lost Highway 61, Reddingtons, Plastic Factory, that one in Harborne and a decent monthly record fair since I’ve been here. I’m guessing it’s a national trend.
Andrew
I have to say, I agree with the romantic notion, but most of the people in independents that I have frequented over the past 25 years have been completely (I can’t think of anything polite)….So arrogant. Like most independents in this day and age, if they do not embrace the basics of politeness and customer service they will soon disappear. E.g. how many independents are there in the second city? Just because you have a shop, doesn’t mean you can run a business. I could go on..
We met (virtually) through myspace when you first moved to Brum. Since then we have moved to Brighton, as you do. I will contact you separately about other stuff soon!
Larry247
Well …. here in Amsterdam the most recordshops are closing their doors. And they were good recordstores. Of course there will always remain one or two for the fanatics and freaks, but reality is that young kids don’t buy music and that websites have taken over the role of adviser and / or filter. I wish you were right Andrew, but i am afraid you are not. This feels like wishfull thinking!
In Auckland, NZ many more record shops have closed in the last ten years than remain open. The last independent store, Real Groovy, is huge and there is no opportunity to talk to and develop relationships with staff. it is that, along with stock selection, that I think make a really good record shop. One of the best, now sadly gone was Crawlspace Records on K Road. As well as being a great shop they also put a percentage of profits into releasing experimental and alternative NZ music on their own label. I put together a blogpost and podcast about them to mark Record Store Day
I think Andrew is too romantic about it too, but not the extent Erwin describes. In Dordrecht (city #20 of the Netherlands), there is one ‘alternative’ record store, and it does a great job (even better than previous years, for that matter). I sometimes speak to the owner, and he says that it’s indeed because of the record tips by either him as an authority or him as a person that knows his customers. Nevertheless, the apparent lack of other record shops also makes his life a lot easier :)
It seems that the situation in Amsterdam is a combination of a lot of factors. Yes, less people will buy physical cd’s in physical shops, but the internet still doesn’t come close to ‘the real thing’ for loads of customers (both specialized 37-old music journalists and 16-year old emo girls). Shops, physical objects, real interaction, the magic of the routine of listening and buying, the social aspect, the coffee: I haven’t seen full web 2.0 replacements for that ;)
I think there’s one misunderstanding going on through this thread of conversation. It’s the ‘romantic’ idea. I don’t think of this as a romantic ideal, but a hard business strategy.
I’m NOT saying that the reason that independent record stores survive is because they focus on customer service, product knowledge, community relationships and specialist expertise.
I’m saying that the widespread failure to do that is the reason most of them close down.
@inge If the fysical product really was important, people would still buy them. They do less and less everyday. To be honest i don’t care less and less as well. I buy a cd (i’m an old man!), i rip it and put it on my iPod and never look at it again. A cd to me means nothing more than a fysical backup.
@Dubber The way you say it you blame it to the shops. You shouldn’t. The world around the shops changes, apart from a few examples (Rough Trade in London ill survive for a bit and Dordrecht is really different ;-) ) they don’t stand a chance in the end. Good service will help them for a bit, but not for long.
I’ve been buying records in stores for over 20 years from eastern block in Manchester back in 1987 to Conch in Auckland city and have enjoyed ever one for many if the reasons posted here. I’ve also had many bad experiences at the hands of arrogant and unhelpful staff but the consistent thing for me has been, well, me.
I love finding and being told about new music, I always search for the most passionate and opinionated people to help guide my experience. There seems to be even more people today who have an amazing depth of knowledge and want to share it with the world, if only they could figure out how to transfer that to an online retail experience. I still love the idea of music blogs as record labels and stores.
Authority and knowledge can sell, especially to passionate music fans.
Totally agree Andrew – I think record store need to adopt both an offline and online brand strategy to balance books and expand their community. My favourite example is Norman Records (www.normanrecords.com) in Leeds, their Friday afternoon irrevent review newsletter is fantastic, and I’ll try and buy online from Norman to support the business (though guiltily have succumbed to Ebay sourcing or Amazon when occassionally pinched on price)…
Jibbering Records rules!!
Thanks for a fantastic and enlightening article.
I have been one of the “arrogant and unhelpful Indie Retailers” for the last 33 years and there are many reasons, yet no excuses for this.
Some people kind of like the traditional grumpy snobbishness we exude when faced with the 1000th customer who, for instance, insists a CD is out already because he has read a review of it (on a foreign website maybe?).
Or when a fresh faced kid thinks he knows better than we do how our establishments should be ordered or displayed.
Maybe it’s a “DJ ” who wants to skip tracks to find the juicy breaks on my pristine LPs, making them unsellable as new.
Or just wants to talk b@ll@cks to me when I have a queue
(it happens, still!) I love all my punters, but I dont kiss butt and they come if they like the experience and stay away if they don’t.
I did however come up with a way we can compete which I would happily share with all my peers/competitors.
“Buy It, Burn It, then Return It!”
When I sell a USED CD I immediately offer the option to trade it back to me (for a consideration, naturally) based on certain conditions such as time, state of the CD, having bought it from me in the first place.
Used music has always been a bit of a legal black hole but so far as I can gather, when you buy a CD you are allowed to copy it (once?) for personal back up. Nowhere does it suggest to my knowledge that one has to surrender one’s back up when one the re-sells the CD.
e.g. buy a CD for £4.99 rip/burn it, sell it back for £2 store credit and a LEGAL high quality (better that DL’d) copy is yours for £2.99. with no compatibility or Licencing worries either.
Works out cheaper than I-Tunes and still helps keep local shops in business.
call me at 757-556-9425
I totally agree with your article. I really like your idea of Liquid Crunch. While I like going to our local indy record store, Waterloo Records, I also spend alot of time looking through various music sites. However, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and/or feel like only certain artists are being pushed by the sites. It’s nice to have someone who is trying to help filter the music to highlight other great artists.
Thanks,
Greg
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