Article: Are record shops worth saving?

Record stores have a soft spot in my heart. I spent 5 years working at Finders Records in Bowling Green, OH while I was in college (and afterward). So I'm very biased and my answer is a resounding YES! I think they provide a "space" where people can get together to experience and discuss new music. Very similar to what libraries are going through, where yeah, you can get a lot of information online, but you can't beat having a space to experience the information searching and gathering process with face to face assistance.

I believe record stores need to reinvent themselves. Not so much about having as many CD's as possible (though that is a nice feature), but more about creating a comfortable and inviting space. Music Saves is going in this direction with their Alley Cat series and in-store performances.

Are record shops worth saving?
by Donald Bell

Last Saturday, independent music retailers organized a national Record Store Day, complete with in-store freebies and exclusive releases from dozens of bands who want to see these business survive. As someone who spent two of the best years of my youth working at an independent record store, I have a nostalgic attachment to these mom-and-pop shops.
I don't know if I was motivated more by sentimentality or pity, but I felt an obligation to honor the spirit of the day and visit my local music store. The shop was ripped right out of "High Fidelity," and contained all the requisite elements for an indy music store: aloof, yet knowledgeable staff; equal ratios of vinyl and CDs; postered walls; a selection of local music; and a lazy pet cat. But nostalgia aside, I couldn't shake the reality that stores like this can't last much longer.

It's a shame, because some aspects of shopping in a record store haven't (or can't) translate into the world of online music. I'm not delusional enough to think that everyone should go back to buying CDs or LPs, but at the same time, my gut tells me that music consumers (and our culture in general) may realize all too late that there's something worth preserving about today's endangered music shops.

continue reading... [From Are record shops worth saving? (Part 1) | MP3 Insider - CNET Reviews]