Flying FuManchu
New Yorker
Several days ago, I went shopping around for CDs. I went to the Borders book store to pick up a Pulp Cd and some other stuff. Anyways, I decided to buy me some Radiohead, "Hail to the Thief." To my shock, this Radiohead CD which is a fairly recent release was $15.99. I was like, "Whoa! That's some expensive sheet!" I laid down the CD and decide to buy from Best Buy or Circuit City which lo and behold was either $13.99 or $12.99. It then crossed my mind that sooner or later, almost every CD that loses its new release status, will go up in price. Hell, the new Radiohead could be looking at a $17.99 price tag in the future at major chain such as Borders. I then got thinking about the small record store (the mom and pop/ college types). These places sell CDs usually at even higher prices then the big chain stores. Sure opening releases/ really popular releases might sell at competitive prices but that is not case all the time and their is no guarantee that the low prices will stay the same after the week of release. Also, from experience, non-new releases and non-popular CDs receive the jacked up prices that range close to $17.99-$19.99. With the internet around as well as the superchain stores, are these smaller record stores even necessary anymore?
People say, well the obscure bands and records get the attention that big companies wouldn't care about. Well these days, big chain stores are selling local stuff and exposing the public to them. Even if the big chain store are lacking, the internet supposedly makes up for it from downloads to band websites.
Even local bands are geting some play/ exposure in the big chain stores.
People would say well there is the used CDs that are sold at the small stores. IMO, its these used CD sales that help keep some of these stores in business. However the more I scope these places, the more I notice the used CD section is lacking in terms of the bands/ people I want to hear. Hell, even the prices seem to high for used CDs when compared to new CDs of the same band sold in major chains.
So what more can these small stores do? Are they, at this point, going the way of dinosaur? Is it even worthwhile to support the record store? They are only the middleman.
People say, well the obscure bands and records get the attention that big companies wouldn't care about. Well these days, big chain stores are selling local stuff and exposing the public to them. Even if the big chain store are lacking, the internet supposedly makes up for it from downloads to band websites.
Even local bands are geting some play/ exposure in the big chain stores.
People would say well there is the used CDs that are sold at the small stores. IMO, its these used CD sales that help keep some of these stores in business. However the more I scope these places, the more I notice the used CD section is lacking in terms of the bands/ people I want to hear. Hell, even the prices seem to high for used CDs when compared to new CDs of the same band sold in major chains.
So what more can these small stores do? Are they, at this point, going the way of dinosaur? Is it even worthwhile to support the record store? They are only the middleman.