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Comments on: Are record shops worth saving? (Part 3)

In his last installment, Donald Bell reflects on why record stores may or may not be worth saving in today's era of digital downloads and offers some ideas on how to evolve the concept.

Add a Comment (Log in or register) (19 Comments)

by HulkSmashForever April 28, 2009 5:50 PM PDT

"There's no personality to an MP3, no presentation, nothing to hold onto--and don't even get me started on audio fidelity. MP3 files have more in common with Excel spreadsheets than they do with rock 'n' roll, and yet, they've brought an industry to its knees. "

I guess I'm no audiophile since I truly love the sound of a higher bitrate MP3. I've never heard a bad song that I've bought from Amazon.com, and some of my old 128kbps MP3s sound wonderful played on my Sansa Fuze, Clip, and even the shoddy Shuffle knock-off I got after attending a seminar for "an exciting new business opportunity."

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by Uzbekistani April 29, 2009 12:16 PM PDT: I used to think that whole hype over ?oh, mp3s don?t? sound good enough for my audiophile ears? was a myth akin to Monster Cable?s $50 a pop HDMIs being way better than generic, $4.99 HDMI cables. I was quite happy with my 12gb mp3 collection, as it sounded pretty good on any portable device, was easy on my wallet and didn?t clutter my apartment (which made my wife happy). That was until I bought a new receiver, a pair of decent ? not hi-end by any means ? speakers and listened to my very few CDs. The sound astonished me ? I heard things I didn?t even know existed in the music I had been listening to for ages. Just to double-check, I played my 256 kbs mp3s on the new receiver and was hugely disappointed ? the sound didn?t have the same volume (not in terms of how loud it was, but in terms of the physical presence of the sound, if it makes any sense) and it seemed to be 2-dimensional, while CDs did sound as if the music was pouring from around me. Just to experiment, I re-coded one of my CDs at the highest quality possible (ended up being ridiculous 900+kbs) and only then, the mp3s sounded somewhat similar to CDs.

Now, I?m not an audiophile, but the difference in the sound quality was so obvious that it seemed foolish not to spend additional few bucks and actually buy CDs.; Like this


by make_or_break April 29, 2009 7:05 PM PDT: With headphones the data compression of MP3 files is significantly less noticeable. Play those files on a halfway decent stereo system...you can take it to the bank that you'll wonder what was it that you thought was ever good about compressed MP3 (or AAC, WMA) files. Soundstage, sonic depth and imaging through headphones is significantly compromised...even with lossless material. Crank a lossless source through a properly setup pair of loudspeakers--no matter how average--and you'll instantly detect the superior quality difference...and curse the limitations of MP3.; Like this

by iConquered April 29, 2009 9:20 AM PDT

There is one crucial element that is frequently overlooked in regards to the purchase of physical media: full ownership and transport. Just about every vehicle has a CD player and just about any disc based device (DVD player, Blu Ray Player, video game system) can play your audio CD's. Not every device is properly equipped to stream mp3 music. Sure you can use tape player adapters that were popular for using a Discman to play CD's in an ill-equipped vehicle. And it is true that you can purchase (at hefty cost) docks that allow you to hook up your iPod...but CD players are so inexpensive and widely available already.

The best benefit to CD ownership is the ability to create memories. With an mp3, you get a jpeg of the album cover. With a CD you get an actual booklet or the occasional poster that comprises your album cover. And guess what? You can actually get the album signed by your favorite band or artist. Kind of hard to have a band sign an immaterial idea like an mp3. And I don't see people caring as much about Rival Schools signing a Zune as much as signing their actual album. Would you care if Michael Jordan autographed your Palm Centro? Probably not.

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by BlackSoultan May 3, 2009 3:06 AM PDT: Have you not been in a car made in the past five years? Because, most cars (cheap or expensive) have an auxilliary jack. Meaning, it looks like a headphone jack. You can plug your phone/ipod/whatever into your car stereo faster than you can even pick up a CD that fell on the back seat. There's your full transport. And if you have Simplify Music for the iphone, you can actually do this and play any of your mp3s that you have at home and stream it, meaning I have access to 10 thousand mp3's at all times.

As for getting an autograph? Tell ya what: lemme know who your favorite artist is, and for 100 bucks, I'll scribble whatever name you want on a piece of paper and mail it to you. OR...

You can get your same iphone and take a picture of you WITH your favorite celeb when you meet them. There's your ownership and transport. There's your creation of a memory. Instead of playing your 1 cd (or 6 if you upgrade to a nifty CD changer), how about playing EVERYTHING? Instead of a scribbled name you can't prove to anyone that is actually "Elton John", how about snapping a photo or even shooting a video of you WITH the star?

And trust me: unless you're in music, you're not gonna notice a difference between CD's and Mp3's. You'd literally have to be playing CD's and MP3's back to back to even notice a difference, and what kind of pompous ass DOES that? And for what? To prove a point and sound like you know something about music? I make music professionally, and have impeccable hearing, and guess what? I couldn't possibly care less about the difference. Turn it up, or change your speakers and you're good.; Like this


by April 29, 2009 12:12 PM PDT: Thanks, From LaRhythms Music Store. We have not been forgotten after all!; Like this Reply to this comment


by jazzygb April 29, 2009 2:37 PM PDT: Right on point DB! Well stated!! Long live the indie! btw... one of my all time favorites when i lived in mlps was http://www.electricfetus.com/. Visit if you ever have the chance, you'll see what I mean.; Like this Reply to this comment


by forkboy April 29, 2009 4:29 PM PDT: This three-part series has been very interesting. I hadn't really thought much about the large chunks of my youth spent in various record stores during the 70's, 80's and into the 90's. Record, and later CD, shopping was often a group outing best enjoyed with a handful of friends. Discoveries made....conversations had....checking out the awfully cute new girl behind the counter....it all served to cement not only a relationship with music (and subsequently the artists whose albums and CDs I purchased), but with my friends, the store and the employees therein.

There is none of that with the modern age of online purchasing. Mind you, finding a good record/CD store is often very difficult, if not impossible in today's day and age. And I don't mind stating that my now 44-year old back would not, repeat, would not survive an hour of bending over bin after bin after bin in search of some album/CD that I want. No sir. I'd be dead. Point-n-click does have its advantages as well.

I can't and won't speak to the various reasons why music stores are failing and what I think of digital downloads, but I will say this: store loyalty is dead. Today's shopper (be it for music or anything else) is driven almost solely by price and with the Internet making it possible to scour prices over tens, hundreds or even thousands of retailers, loyalty means nothing. I don't think any store, online or brick-and-mortar, can expect much in the way of customer loyalty these days. Whoever offers the best price at any given moment in time is the likely winner of a modern consumer's checkbook.; Like this Reply to this comment


by johnpy2 April 29, 2009 5:47 PM PDT: I won't argue about ambience, interacting with real live people, connections made on other things besides music (like community), buying something tangible vs. something in the ether, but to do three separate sections and not mention sound quality anywhere -- that's just kind of missing the point, isn't it? I think you ought to think about this stuff a little more before you write, maybe? As opposed to, I don't know, telling them what their business model should be?; Like this Reply to this comment

by Vesicant April 29, 2009 6:03 PM PDT

>why not offer a service that rips any five used CDs to a store-branded USB Flash drive for a flat, $10 fee?

Because it's...what's that word again...oh yeah... theft?

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by kojacked May 2, 2009 8:15 AM PDT: No the word is "paranoia".; Like this

by bluescratch April 30, 2009 12:37 AM PDT

I prefer CDs myself. I'll buy Amazons deal of the day for 1.99-3.99 and if I'm really imprressed, I'll buy the CD, Probably from one of their sellers for cheap.
One thing I never hear discussed is the reason CDs aren't selling is maybe their price. Borders sells theirs for $18.00. and Walmart is from 11-14. I can make a recording, and there are companies that'll package it for me in a slick and professional manner just as good as any superbands latest release and I would pay $1000 for 300 of them to resell. I have trouble paying more than an hour of my labor for a CD. So I shop around and with the exception of double discs, I won't pay more than 8 bucks for a disc. If I can't get the CD I want for that price today, I'll get it tomorrow.

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by rapier1 May 2, 2009 8:07 AM PDT: I agree about the cost of making a physical CD but you aren't just buying the disk. You are also paying the musicians livelihood, the producers and engineers fee, the studio time involved, the promotional costs, and the costs to the distributor and label.; Like this


by chateau3 April 30, 2009 1:06 AM PDT: just like good records played on excellent equipment never matched the sound quality of a good performance in an adequate setting, MP3 would probably never catch up (that is, if proper recordings continue to exist). but good equipment tend to disappear and millions of bona fide listeners do not hear or sense a difference. bless the modest audiophiles around for keeping the faith and blame the earphones?or the monster sub woofers in a home system?; Like this Reply to this comment


by bhagebusch April 30, 2009 4:05 PM PDT: I hated to see my local mom & pop record shop close. It was hard to find a parking spot but once inside I could ALWAYS find something that caught my interest. It was a great source of vinyl, including 45's dating back to the early 60's, maybe even earlier. So what if I couldn't instantly access an online inventory, I could still flip through the records and CDs and, more often than not, I would find something I had forgotten about or never knew existed. I've added some really eclectic stuff to my collection that way. If I couldn't find what I wanted I could always ask. No big deal! Best of all, the owners knew their music, not at all like the know-nothings at the big box stores or the online auto-responders.
And listening to sound bites online can sometimes cause one to miss a hidden gem, one that a person has to listen to all the way through before realizing its impact.; Like this Reply to this comment


by indigofan May 2, 2009 7:54 AM PDT: There are several more great shops other than Amoeba in the bay area, also you fail to mention that there is a huge on-line presence of great ways to connect to get vinyl such as:

http://www.discogs.com/
http://www.gemm.com/
http://www.ebay.com/

Also worth mentioning is the audio quality and sound, not just the packaging experience associated with MP3s.; Like this Reply to this comment


by jerrymacGP May 2, 2009 9:32 AM PDT: Our small northern Canadian city has one locally-owned independent record store, as well as Best Buy, Future Shop, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc. For price, nothing beats the big chain stores. But for selection, I much prefer the small independent. I'm a metalhead, and it is very hard to find many classic metal albums in the big-box stores. But the small local shop (owned by two brothers) has everything from Diamond Head to Slayer, and also does special orders for what isn't on their shelves. They will also let you try out a CD before buying it (they have a couple of 5-disc carousel CD players set up with headphones). Just try that at Best Buy!

The key to survival for the small stores? Don't try to compete on price: the big boys will stomp all over you. Compete on service and selection.; Like this Reply to this comment


by Police_States_of_America May 2, 2009 10:13 AM PDT: People who demand fancy packaging are just proving how little they care about the actual music. Yes, you can make an artistic presentation, yes I like art. But when I buy and album I'm buying it for the music.

On CD's and Digital downloads, can you tell the difference in quality? Probably not if you listen to pop. Probably yes if you listen to industrial or techno on a good music player (eg not an ipod); Like this Reply to this comment


by cpopken May 5, 2009 9:33 AM PDT: I remember going to the local music store with friends and just browsing the selections and enjoying the atmosphere. I was a lover of music and would just love to be in there, making my purchases and just having a good time with friends. We used to go home and put on the album we just bought and listen to it over and over. It was also nice to be able to browse our friends collections and borrow that album we didn't have. In a way I kind of miss that, but now that I am 35 I really don't feel like going into a store that is filled with teens screwing around (much like I am did when I was that age). It is so much easier and convenient to buy online. The only thing I miss is getting together with friends, not so much the stores.

I also agree that the price for a CD is way too high. If itunes and Amazon can sell an album for $10 or less, there is no reason for it to cost $18 plus in a store. I know they have to keep the lights on, but come on, they have to at least try to compete. I liked some of the ideas in the article, it used to be a dream of mine to open up a music store, but with the way the industry is headed, it would be a complete money loser.; Like this Reply to this comment

(19 Comments)

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MP3 Insider is a blog and weekly podcast created by CNET's MP3 technology experts, Donald Bell and Jasmine France. Each week, Jasmine and Donald discuss the latest digital music (and video) news, hardware, software, and media services, and address reader calls and e-mail. Send us e-mail at mp3insider@cnet.com or call us at 1-800-720-CNET (2638) and be a part of the show.

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The hosts of MP3 Insider: Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.; Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.