Spring Break
The Daily OrangeGet offline and save your local record store, one album at a time
By Nathan Mattise
Posted: 3/31/08, 11:37 PM EST Section: Feature
There are too many devastating trends happening in our country right now. We've got a five-year-old war, extreme political divisiveness, education and income gaps and Gap stores that use "Puffy" in their advertising (alright maybe not that last one, but you get the point).
All of these are on my radar, but I'm a pop culture kid. It seems like people are a less aware of the potential music industry tragedy that's tearing up my heart and soul more than Justin Timberlake ever could.
The college town record store is slowly disappearing, and the future of musical diversity lies in the balance.
Recently, the Raleigh News & Observer ran a feature about the closing of Schoolkids Records - the last of the local music stores surrounding University of North Carolina's campus. The store had to shut down due to higher CD prices, online music access and less disposable college income due to higher tuitions and near-campus rent.
The Tar Heels aren't alone. According to the piece, multiple local music shops have recently shut down in State College, Pa. (Penn State), Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa) and Boulder, Col. (Colorado) among others. In order to survive, places like The Sound Garden have to find ways to adapt while maintaining that atmosphere any good local record store needs.
"Today you have to carry DVDs, we carry vinyl and we carry as much of that stuff as we can," said Mike Watson, a manager at Sound Garden down in Armory Square. "Someday we'll probably adventure into video games, Blu-rays. You need to get into all of it to survive, just to stay on your toes. We're definitely aware of what's going on, but we'll adapt with our own style."
Consider the role of music in a college atmosphere. College is the time to constantly have a stereo playing in the background. It's the time for concerts less than 20 dollars within a three-hour drive. It's the time to ask the music snob on your floor what new band with a noun and two adjective for a name he's spinning this week. (Think about it: Neutral Milk Hotel started this trend back in the day).
All of these are on my radar, but I'm a pop culture kid. It seems like people are a less aware of the potential music industry tragedy that's tearing up my heart and soul more than Justin Timberlake ever could.
The college town record store is slowly disappearing, and the future of musical diversity lies in the balance.
Recently, the Raleigh News & Observer ran a feature about the closing of Schoolkids Records - the last of the local music stores surrounding University of North Carolina's campus. The store had to shut down due to higher CD prices, online music access and less disposable college income due to higher tuitions and near-campus rent.
The Tar Heels aren't alone. According to the piece, multiple local music shops have recently shut down in State College, Pa. (Penn State), Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa) and Boulder, Col. (Colorado) among others. In order to survive, places like The Sound Garden have to find ways to adapt while maintaining that atmosphere any good local record store needs.
"Today you have to carry DVDs, we carry vinyl and we carry as much of that stuff as we can," said Mike Watson, a manager at Sound Garden down in Armory Square. "Someday we'll probably adventure into video games, Blu-rays. You need to get into all of it to survive, just to stay on your toes. We're definitely aware of what's going on, but we'll adapt with our own style."
Consider the role of music in a college atmosphere. College is the time to constantly have a stereo playing in the background. It's the time for concerts less than 20 dollars within a three-hour drive. It's the time to ask the music snob on your floor what new band with a noun and two adjective for a name he's spinning this week. (Think about it: Neutral Milk Hotel started this trend back in the day).
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