ultimately this is the same discussion i have on here every so often, the same players spouting the same stuff. if you want to believe it still exists, cate, go ahead, but its a time that will never come back. you are never going to NOT convince people to download, and its not just a few radical people doing it, its millions, billions of people doing it. so theres that.
additionally, you are high if you think the scene at the local record store is anything like it was say 20 years ago. or even 10 years ago. The idea of the record store being a place to find out about new bands and to congregate with fellow music obsessives, that stopped being the case years ago.
Ultimately, there are always people who are going to buy physical copies. but as I said it will be niche. buying physcal copies of cds is niche right now.
you have obviously never been to Amoeba records!
i agree that the masses are stealing/downloading music - but the true fans that will be here til the end will always support their bands, music stores, etc.
to me- i need physical copies......of everything - there is no value in intangible goods - i want the record that was pressed and approved by the band, so i can hear it EXACTLY as they intended. I do not like the "optimization" of digital music, a computer should not decide what my ears should or shouldnt hear.
i disagree with mr Yorke, and i believe the complete opposite will happen in the future, people may see MP3's as worthless, with no value when compared to its physical counterpart - and go back to the days when vinyl reigned - in the past 2-3 years, i have seen this vinyl hobby explode, and in so. california alone, we get (at least) 3 of the biggest record shows MONTHLY - Buena Park / OC Record show, Long Beach antique show, and PCC antique market (and also "Beat Meet" record show)- and im sure there are more than the 4 i can think of off the top of my head. Records arent going anywhere
and when the kids of today begin to start valuing things (if they can for longer than 3 mins even), they will eventually see the value of something you can hold in your hand and display it on your shelf. Where is your MP3? its invisible, hence, non-existent....to people like me at least
That store doesnt exist anymore. Not like that, not like it used to. Why drive 10 minutes to a cd store to get a cd for 20 bucks, and why ask for music recommendations when you can do it all online, on this forum, on pitchfork, on stereogum. without ever leaving the house.
getting out of the house is fun. talking to people face to face is fun. alternatively, sitting on a computer is tedious and tiring - i know, i'm doing it right now!
i think your larger point about record stores hurting is valid, but there are still some good ones left.
ultimately we see things differently. you see it one way, i see it another. the point i think though is that, record stores are dwindling and are losing serious money. That is beyond dispute. If you accept that cd sales have dwindled every week and every year since 1999, and you accept that record stores are closing at fast rates as well.
yes, obviously some record stores exist. but i think you are personally on lsd if you can type with a straight face that the record store hasnt changed in the last decade, dramatically.
You talk to that local indie store you keep mentioning. they obviously are doing well enough to stay open, but i would bet their sales have drastically dwindled since 1999 and more so in the last few years. I bet they say not as many teens come in to spend their allowances on new releases, and I bet they mention that their customer is different than say 10 years ago.
Will there ever be a time when no one reads or buys actual physical copies of newspapers? Probably not. People will want to hold it, feel it, feel the print on their hands. But things have changed, and the Times and the Post and whoever will freely admit that their buisness is now more taylored to online sales. Thats just fact.
Ultimately you can live in lala land and think the record industry, or the buisness of record shops is stellar and booming, or you come to the conclusion thats fact, that record shops are dying out and the act of buying physical cds is something that is way less common than it was
Lets be honest. You are a 13 year old male in 2010. You did all your chores for the week and you get 20 bucks for allowance. In the past, some teens may have rushed to the local mall or cd store and got a cd. I would wager, that 13 year old, in 2010, doesnt go to the cd store with the 20, they download for free online and then go spend the 20 bucks on whatever, clothes or something else.
Its like people get so defensive on this board and refuse to admit the truth. just because you still buy cd's doesnt mean you get to invent a world that isnt real. By all means, continue buying cd's, but dont act like the majority of people still DO. Facts are facts. You either deal with them, or you lie and make up your own.
that was kind of aggressive. i have never really disagreed with you, i just said there are still SOME good record stores. and there are.
i disagree with mr Yorke, and i believe the complete opposite will happen in the future, people may see MP3's as worthless, with no value when compared to its physical counterpart - and go back to the days when vinyl reigned - in the past 2-3 years, i have seen this vinyl hobby explode, and in so. california alone, we get (at least) 3 of the biggest record shows MONTHLY - Buena Park / OC Record show, Long Beach antique show, and PCC antique market (and also "Beat Meet" record show)- and im sure there are more than the 4 i can think of off the top of my head. Records arent going anywhere
I'd say that this is definitely not going to happen. Digital music will continue to become more prevalent, mostly because it's much more convenient. Whether that's good or not remains to be seen.
Edit: Also, the recent interest in vinyl records is very very cool, but it will never overtake MP3's because it's not nearly as convenient a listening experience, even if the sound quality is much better. Also, not enough artists are releasing their music on vinyl these days.
that was kind of aggressive. i have never really disagreed with you, i just said there are still SOME good record stores. and there are.
Kind of like there are SOME arcades still around? Even though almost everyone plays video games at home on their consoles?
Touring will be the big thing. Acts will get word out via things like Pandora and Facebook, and work their way up the venue ladder from there. The majority of money will be made from ticket sales, merch, and fan club memberships.
Actually, that could be the way record labels stay relevant. You pay a fan club fee yearly to be in the label's fan club, which gives you a certain number of exclusive downloads and ticket opportunities for all the bands in their stable. Then the label can try to turn you on to their other new acts, or lure new acts to the label by showing how they already have X fans of similar music.
"Money is no object," I said, "but I am on a budget."
Comments
you have obviously never been to Amoeba records!
i agree that the masses are stealing/downloading music - but the true fans that will be here til the end will always support their bands, music stores, etc.
to me- i need physical copies......of everything - there is no value in intangible goods - i want the record that was pressed and approved by the band, so i can hear it EXACTLY as they intended. I do not like the "optimization" of digital music, a computer should not decide what my ears should or shouldnt hear.
i disagree with mr Yorke, and i believe the complete opposite will happen in the future, people may see MP3's as worthless, with no value when compared to its physical counterpart - and go back to the days when vinyl reigned - in the past 2-3 years, i have seen this vinyl hobby explode, and in so. california alone, we get (at least) 3 of the biggest record shows MONTHLY - Buena Park / OC Record show, Long Beach antique show, and PCC antique market (and also "Beat Meet" record show)- and im sure there are more than the 4 i can think of off the top of my head. Records arent going anywhere
and when the kids of today begin to start valuing things (if they can for longer than 3 mins even), they will eventually see the value of something you can hold in your hand and display it on your shelf. Where is your MP3? its invisible, hence, non-existent....to people like me at least
that was kind of aggressive. i have never really disagreed with you, i just said there are still SOME good record stores. and there are.
Edit: Also, the recent interest in vinyl records is very very cool, but it will never overtake MP3's because it's not nearly as convenient a listening experience, even if the sound quality is much better. Also, not enough artists are releasing their music on vinyl these days.
Touring will be the big thing. Acts will get word out via things like Pandora and Facebook, and work their way up the venue ladder from there. The majority of money will be made from ticket sales, merch, and fan club memberships.
Actually, that could be the way record labels stay relevant. You pay a fan club fee yearly to be in the label's fan club, which gives you a certain number of exclusive downloads and ticket opportunities for all the bands in their stable. Then the label can try to turn you on to their other new acts, or lure new acts to the label by showing how they already have X fans of similar music.
Can you provide the quote or context?
We'll ALL be gone in months...the question is how many?