Music Stores

[PbHurler]

OK, I like my music. I've got hundreds of record albums, hundreds of cd's.

There was a time when I could go to numerous "record stores" and pick up music of my choosing.
Fast forward to todays' times, most everyone I know tells me "hey, you can download from the internet and I'll show you how easy it is.

Not interested. I explain to these young pups that part of what I enjoy is the album/cd cover art, the liner notes, lyrics etc. that come with an "ALBUM" of music by an artist, be it LP or CD.

I get it that these young'ns today purchase a song they like off of the "album" release that contains it. But they evidently don't care about the liner notes / art work of the album.

I'm dating myself, but there are no more old school "music" stores in my local anymore & I sure miss them. All of the recent music purchases I've made have been from the net in order to get the entire album and it's packaging. I'll purchase the whole album release thank you, not just one or two songs.

I'm curious, do you have any "old school" music stores in your local?

[kens]

nope, I'm in the same boat with you

[castalott]

There was a good one until last year. Seems it closed...

[imashooter2]

Just a used CD shop, but he sells mostly game cartridges. Time marches on.

[2wheelDuke]

I can't think of any, besides maybe a used CD shop. But I know they're around. I was born in 80, so I do fondly remember the record stores from when I was a kid. My parents still have a couple milk crates of albums tucked away somewhere.

The whole digital music thing has been a mixed bag. I do miss the liner notes and pictures and lyric sheets that came with an actual CD. The instant gratification of downloading from the online store is pretty great. Being able to carry dozens of albums inside the phone that I'm already carrying is amazing. Same goes for the gigs of music at the touch of a screen in my truck. I stream a bunch of music too.

Some of the digital downloads I bought also included "liner notes." However, looking at that stuff on the screen isn't quite the same.

There must be music stores around though, because vinyl is still a thing. It may be somewhat of the "hipster" crowd, but there's folks my age and younger that are big into actual records still. I know they can't be buying them all online and at thrift shops.

[JimB..]

There are 2 or 3 record stores in Charlotte, NC, the largest also sells new and used CDs. I suspect that you could find one in most college towns.

[frkelly74]

Yard sales often have old albums.. We had a yard sale before moving and I sold my collection and now regret it of course.

[waksupi]

Yard sales, and auctions. Sometimes Salvation Army.

[DeanoBeanCounter]

It's a bit of a trip for you but here in Salt Lake is a store that specializes in LP's. Music/movie/game stores are making room for LP's. CD's are everywhere. Some people clame that LP's sound better then digital format.
Dean

[Ickisrulz]

Our last one closed not too long ago. No big deal for me as it was more expensive than Amazon. Amazon has about anything ever made. Many times you can get a digital download with the CD following a couple days later.

[runfiverun]

digital removes some of the unnecessary 'noises' to lay down tracks and save space.
so if you like hearing the tambourine or maraca's in the back round too bad.

SLC used to be real competitive with several record stores all over the valley.
thankfully they existed because even though it was the most saturated place on the planet with radio stations they all sucked.[they had one nuwave station that made it about 1.5 years]
the record stores could get you imports and had non commercial artists.

thank god cause if I had to hear anything about everyone workin for the weekend one more time, or steve perrys whiny voice twice every 10 minutes, I was gonna puke.

[Snow ninja]

Now I can agree with some of this. I enjoyed buying albums and the art and notes and whatnot. But I also can't tell you how many full albums I bought because I liked one song, and the rest of the album ended up sucking. I grew up in the era of records- then cassettes- and then CD's when I really started buying music (high school). CD's we're about $16 each at the time. $16 for one song is a bit much.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I know of one in Minnesota, it's been around for a long time.
Google search "electric fetus minneapolis" for more info

When CD's became the norm, people started selling their vinyl. I was a consignment seller at a thrift shop back then, and bought and sold thousands of vinyl LPs. Typically I'd buy entire collections (usually 250+ at a time) via word of mouth or garage sales, ...paying pennies each, and selling for $1 to $10 each, depending on demand and rarity.

2 decades ago, one of my best customers (who also lives in Glencoe) boasted a collection of 30,000 LPs. Then, around 2002, the store I consigned at, went belly up, and I found no other local source to sell through (I should have started selling online), so I sold the remaining inventory to another dealer/seller for 10¢ each. I recall that he cut me a check for around $350. I saved one album, Pink Floyd "The Wall". I wish I knew back then, that vinyl would get popular again.

I dismantled my Rack Stereo system 7 years ago, and sold most of it, because I rarely used it, I'd just listen to music via Youtube. ...Fast forward to about 2 years ago...since my CD collection was just collecting dust (there was about 500 of them), I sold them to a local Pawn shop...He paid $1 each for his choice, which was classic Rock, he claims to have a good customer base for that, then paid me $50 for the remaining lot of 200 CD's that were other types of music. He sells CDs for $5 each, but has a closeout shelf of random stuff (not classic rock), he sells for $1. I did hold back 30 or so, for listening to in the car...which is rare to say the least.

Back to Music stores...My favorite was the Wax Museum, back when I was a teenager. They had some stores outside the metro area, making it easier for us small town kids to get too.
Here is a newspaper clip from about 1980.
208726

ANYWAY, I like music too.

[Riverpigusmc]

I still have my original vinyl copy of Live at the Fillmore East. I'll never part with my vinyl lp's

[kingstrider]

I'm with you. When I was in college I worked in a music store in the mall that sold tapes and CDs. Vinyl was long gone by then but it was a good job for a couple years that I took to get discounts on CDs and meet girls. I met my wife there and guess I was successful since I still have a lot of CDs lol. They eventually closed and the mall was torn down years later and replaced with a big mega church.

Growing up I cut my teeth on vinyl records and remember the fantastic artwork and liner notes more than anything. My wife and I still have a lot of vinyl but don't have a player right now. Despite several PCS moves I have no intention to sell it. My uncle died a couple years ago and had a huge collection of vinyl. As a kid I would borrow albums for weeks at a time then bring them back for more. I had hoped to inherit some of those but they were given to a family friend instead.

One more story but when I was in residency I had a younger coworker come over for dinner with his wife one time and he asked about the old wind up Victrola we had in a corner. I told him about it and said it played 78s instead of LPs. He had never even heard of a LP and said he had never bought a CD since all his music had been sourced online growing up. That seems so weird to me.

[Skunk1]

I love the old crackle and pop of the records. There is more sound to a record than a cd as the cd is condensed. We have a couple actual record stores near me. One has mostly records and very few cds. He's been around since I was a kid and survived all the other record/music stores closing.

[sharps4590]

Same era as several others here, pre-8 track tape. As to a dedicated music store for tapes, records and/or CD's, no sir, none here. Vinyl can be found at places already mentioned, thrift shops, garage/yard sales and antique malls.

A few months ago one of my oldest friends, we've known each other for 60 years, called and told me he had a surprise for me. He had found....well horse manure, I forgot already...it's either an 11 or 12 record set of "The Great Bands" from 1935 to 1945, (Big Band/Swing is my music of choice). It was put out by Readers Digest in 1966 and is in near new condition. I dug out my old turntable to re-connect....and it had died. Long story longer, we found one of those retro looking radio/phono/CD/cassette players that had good reviews and bought one. It isn't anything fancy but it's better than anything we had when I was a kid. I have enjoyed immensely listening to those old records!!! It put me in the search for others. Of all places, at a gun show I found a Cole Porter album with Rhapsody in Blue on one side and An American in Paris on the other.

[dragon813gt]

I don't know of any stores anymore. Vinyl is making a comeback and I'm sure as I get closer to Philly some hipsters have a small store catering to vinyl. I do miss the stores. Used to go every Tuesday to see the new releases. I used to know when albums were coming out. Can't tell you how many CDs I bought because the album artwork looked cool. Discovered a lot of good music this way.

Even though I can easily download music I still buy physical CDs off Amazon. I'm not paying $10 for a digital download that isn't a physical thing. I typically get a CD for the same price and I have a physical copy in case something happens. Takes maybe five minutes to rip it into my laptop and download it onto my phones.

I like Amazon for finding albums. Their recommendations are usually good. Way better than the clerks in record stores ever were. Especially for me because I grew up listening to Hip Hop. The clerks were always into Grunge so they were no help.

The internet has made it extremely easy to get any album you want. I have and still do download albums I can't buy. I'd gladly pay but they don't want to rerelease old albums or they release a small amount. In these cases the artists/companies are leaving money on the table and I can't help that. Since I still listen to Hip Hop there are free mixtapes released almost daily so I could just listen to them and never run out of free music to listen to. This is one area where the internet is superior to the old stores.

[myg30]

We had visitors from Asia ( Singapore) at work a year ago. They got to talking vinyl and wound up buying and shipping home about 80 lbs worth of LP's that 2 co workers had sold them.
Seems it's very popular and in demand over there. Kinda like our Levi's jeans(anti- gun co FYI).

I still have old 78 records that my uncle gave me back in the 70's. Old classical stuff from 50's ?I'm sure the paper folders are rotted by now. Need to find them now that we talking about this.
I still have my Beatles, BTO,Bob Seagar,Cheech n Chong(minus the paper),Deep Purple and few other albums that I saved over the years.

Mike

[bedbugbilly]

The ones we had are all gone too. Same with the "book stores". Your post brought back some great memories of when I was a kid. . .. the record albums - LPs, 78s, 45s. We had a Spartan console record player and my folks or my brother or I always had it playing it seemed like. I remember how great the album covers were - interesting art and the lyrics printed on the inside slip cover for the album. When we weren't gathered as a family listening to the record player, we were all in one room watching the "new" TV - a Sparton. Gee, what would these young kids do today if all they had was B & W and none of this high definition stuff? I consider those years the best times and life was a lot simpler - no computers, no cell phones, none of this "social media" **** and for the most part, folks got along with others regardless of their political leanings.

Seems like my folks and us had a decent selection of LPs and 78s too - Big Band, Country, Classical . . . and let's not forget the albums of "Sing Along With Mitch" (Mitch Miller). :-)

[Riverpigusmc]

I'm with you. When I was in college I worked in a music store in the mall that sold tapes and CDs. Vinyl was long gone by then but it was a good job for a couple years that I took to get discounts on CDs and meet girls. I met my wife there and guess I was successful since I still have a lot of CDs lol. They eventually closed and the mall was torn down years later and replaced with a big mega church.

Growing up I cut my teeth on vinyl records and remember the fantastic artwork and liner notes more than anything. My wife and I still have a lot of vinyl but don't have a player right now. Despite several PCS moves I have no intention to sell it. My uncle died a couple years ago and had a huge collection of vinyl. As a kid I would borrow albums for weeks at a time then bring them back for more. I had hoped to inherit some of those but they were given to a family friend instead.

One more story but when I was in residency I had a younger coworker come over for dinner with his wife one time and he asked about the old wind up Victrola we had in a corner. I told him about it and said it played 78s instead of LPs. He had never even heard of a LP and said he had never bought a CD since all his music had been sourced online growing up. That seems so weird to me.

I bought an all in one turntable, CD player, radio unit and speakers on Amazon for about a hundred bucks. I hooked up some old speakers on it and listen to my LP's

[funnyjim014]

We just lost our local music shop in buffalo, Record Theater. They slowly died at one time they had over a dozen shops in the area. Last one was near Buff State College. Had a large vinyl collection till the end. They had a large auction over the summer

[runfiverun]

makes me wonder how many times a husband come home from work and accused his wife of sitting around listening to the radio all day instead of doing some housework about 100 years ago.

[GRid.1569]

Ah, Saturday afternoons in the record store flipping though album sleeves.... one of the rights of passage way back in the day....

[bangerjim]

Here in AZ we have many stores that sell new & used music "things". BestBuy and Fry's Electronics have HUUUUGE music departments, both CD's and now vinyl(!). Several other stores sell new and used music formats (and yes, games too). No lack of sources for those that wish to buy their music to touch, hold and read cover art.

I personally prefer digital all the way. Better sound, easier access, no harm of damage from moisture, heat, dirt, breakage, age. I have transferred much of my LARGE music library (tape/LP/CD) to digital for use in my shops and several vehicles via USB. I can drive from here to SOCA and back and never hear the same song twice - off of a teeny 32G USB flash drive buried in my driver's console. I really like that.

Today I just switched that drive out for another 32G full of all kinds of Christmas music. No fade out, no commercials, only the music I WANT to listen to......when I WANT it.

You cannot beat digital.

[dpoe001]

I have a very local to me used albums and cd he even has some old cassettes he gets in new albums also. He says people still ask for record albums.

[Calamity Jake]

Don't know where in Oklahoma you are. But OKC and Tulsa have used book stores
that have album. HALF PRICED BOOKS is one there are others.

[OeldeWolf]

Barnes & Noble bookstores are now carrying CD's and Vinyl. I have some hearing loss, and it is hard for me to tell the difference between digital and analog, unless the volume is cranked up to damaging levels.

[jonp]

You can download about anything you want in the world of music and that has opened up new worlds for millions but nothing sounds like vinyl.

Old blues with that crackle, hiss and pop...nothing sounds as warm and true as that