Everyone has heard of the struggles faced by the music industry in recent years, but you never hear people talk about the struggles of the people who sell their product.
At the end of 2007, Music World, the last major Canadian CD store, announced it was going out of business and declaring bankruptcy. This follows the collapse of Sam the Record Man, which closed its doors for good in June of 2007. Record stores are having a tough time dealing with declining sales and as more and more stores close, more and more people lose their jobs.
“I loved working at Music World because I didn’t hate going to work,” said former Music World employee Alex Young. “I could go into work and I knew it was going to be different and fresh everyday. I didn’t know who was going to buy what, and you don’t get the chance to work at very many jobs where you could come into work and talk about Jimmy Hendrix for an hour and forty five minutes. You get to meet a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds because everybody listens to music.”
Young worked at Music World in the Woodbine Mall for two and a half months before losing his job after the holiday season. A passionate music fan, he is sad to have only worked at his favourite job for such a short period of time. He acknowledges the difficulty major chains are having with competing in a struggling industry, but says the stores need to roll with the punches.
“I find the only music stores that are staying open now are the ones who are adapting, the ones that are taking on a different edge now,” said Young. “They’re not just music stores. If you walk into an HMV now, it’s closer to a Future Shop. Some stores, like
Young is referring to the fact that Sunrise Records is an official Ticketmaster outlet, allowing people to purchase concert tickets in person. HMV is also expanding its horizons, as it recently began selling Ipods after recognizing the overwhelming popularity of the Apple product. Although major chains are being forced to adapt, Young thinks that independent retailers will always exist because they serve a completely different demographic.
“The danger in more and more record stores closing is that it might just show how many people are actually invested in the music industry strictly on a commercial basis,” said Young. “The only people that are going to survive are the bands, the labels and the stores that people care about. Those are the bands, labels and stores that appeal to music fans. The only reason that mom and pop record store is there is because these people love music. That’s the only reason people work there, that’s the only reason people would go there.”
Monster Records, located at
“I don’t have a staff of thousands, and I don’t have big money tied up,” said Costa, who’s been managing Monster for 11 years. “It’s all about hiring people who know what they’re talking about. In good stores, suggesting stuff to people perpetuates the industry because you’re exposing people to new stuff. It’s a more personalized service. Come here and you’ll get my voice. You don’t get that at the big stores. They treat music like a product, but it’s more than that.”
Costa has done everything in the music industry from being a roadie to working at HMV. He has seen many changes over time, including record stores selling alternative products simply as a way to survive. According to Costa, there is a danger in the extinction of record shops, and a lot of the loss may be felt by the consumer.
“People might lose a connection to the music,” he says. “There’s a social aspect to record stores that may get lost. That drives my store. I like talking to people and turning them on to new stuff.”
HMV assistant manager Kiran Bhoday has noticed that her store now needs to compete with a much bigger market, such as Best Buy and Future Shop. In order to do so, she’s needed to alter her job description.
“The focus is more on conversion now,” said Bhoday, who works an HMV in Etobicoke. “It’s more on trying to make sales, trying to beat last year’s target. We also merchandise differently, we talk to customers differently. 10 years ago, we would have just let you shop. Now we ask, ‘What are you looking for?’ We’ve got to give 100% service all the time.”
Although the future of record stores may be difficult to predict, it’s more likely than not that stores are going to be selling a wider variety of products, not strictly CD’s and DVD’s. Even with the changing industry, music fans hope that they don’t lose the magic of purchasing music at their local record shop.
“I would miss the experience, and the memories. It’s the process. Going to a CD store is like a journey. I’ll go to a record store and pick up the record with the coolest artwork and just listen to it. There’s something special about discovering music that way. Just being able to go to a record shop and hang out with the guy behind the counter who’s wearing one of your favourite band’s t-shirts. Music doesn’t exclude anybody, and record shops are great for that because it’s like Music Lovers United.”
