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May 17, 2006
The Other Side of Mt. Retailer
Clearly, though, what Miller and others fear is that the culture of literacy that indie bookstores help cultivate and nurture—the eccentric interests, the peculiar niches—will be lost in the routinized world of the superstore. Part of the value of indies was that they helped introduce us to new titles; Shakespeare & Co. in Lower Manhattan features different books than does Barnes & Noble.
- From a great article from Final Four-appearing-George Mason University professor in Slate.
If there were a dictionary police patrolling the streets and (fortuitously apt) independent music stores, they would be hauling in hipsters by the truckloads for their claims of indie music.
The Fiery Furnaces are indie. The Liars are indie. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have abdicated that indie designation. And that's fine because YYYs sound indie! Point being, independent as is espoused by the music-loving, corporate-fearing public is more an aesthetic statement than anything relating to P&L sheets or corporate hierarchy.
So rather than chortle as they crush enough truly independent store due to infrastructural cost-savings or distribution heft, the major book and music retailers should try to create seperate stores (or sections within their suburban palaces) that evoke a feeling of the much-loved independent stores. Pay a knowledgeable music lover a good salary, give him free music, and brand it as independent thinking, major retailer pricing. B/c, face it: the customer-facing employees of the independent stores (save for unique situations) are probably not getting a great deal of money for their work. Maybe we've confused jadedness for financial situation-based anger. So those people we salute as tastemakers at store might even draw a better salary from a chain (unless, perhaps, they run an ad-supported music blog).
If anyone is angered by the above suggestions, let the record state that I try to shop at the lovely SoundFix and enjoy coffee at its sister cafe. But... if indie stores are being crushed, their consumers need to be served elsewhere. And that patronage is up for grabs.
Notes: Jeff Klingman swears by the amicability of the staff at NYC's Other Music, despite this over-the-top clip. A post on the topic from Coolfer.
Tags: independent music, retailers, benign corporate patronage Slate
Cross posted here.Posted by Keith O'Brien at May 17, 2006 11:33 AM
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Comments
If you ever go to LA you must check out Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Technically an indie record store, but the size of a Best Buy. Blurring the lines between small, independent and behemoth big box stores.
Its heaven.
Posted by: Sebastian at May 17, 2006 02:25 PM
I don't like hang out with those OM guys, they just aren't dicks to me, but to be fair I usually am either silent or have pretty geekily specific questions. I prefer Soundfix too, actually.
Posted by: Jeff at May 17, 2006 02:58 PM
Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas sounds like it could be a cousin of the aforementioned Amoeba Music (which, if I'm not mistaken, has a store in the Bay area, as well). Funny thing, all the indie rock snobs in Austin prefer End of an Ear to Waterloo. Which is fine by me, because those kids annoys the snot out of me. I see them, and I hate my former self.
Posted by: Randall at May 17, 2006 06:42 PM
