Independent Music Stores – The Last To Know

“Once upon a time it was just the radio stations that knew about a new music release before we did. These days now that it’s all on-line, we’re the last to know.” 

This was what a local independent music store owner said frustratedly to me this week as she searched on-line for a long time, unsuccessfully trying to find out about 3 new album releases from internationally-known music artists I asked her about buying, and pre-ordering if possible.

pre order music closed“I’ll keep looking for them, but the only way for now seems to be pre-ordering digital copies”, she said.

Buy new Janelle Monae cd from music stores or pre order on iTunes?

Buy Ne-Yo cd from music stores or pre order on iTunes?

(Not the particular albums I was looking for this week in my local, independent music store, but you get the picture)

The experience that I’d hoped to instead have in that music store was this…

I might be able to pre-order the albums from her. If not, she’d at least say “Yes, we’ll have them as soon as they’re released. Come back then”.

I’d leave the store happy.

Then I’d count down the days in anticipation and excitement of going back to the music store on the release date to pick up my new musical joy I’d been waiting to get my hands on and hear.

On the release date, I would go back to the music store and gladly hand over my money to the owner and walk away with my new record or cd.

The Record Store

I’d take it home and put it on. I’d listen to all of the sounds of the recording that the artist who made the music recorded and wanted me to hear. I’d admire the album art work. Check out the names of the artists who worked on the album and where it was recorded. I’d read the acknowledgments or other messages written by the artist.

It would be a happy, happy musical day for me.

I miss those good ol’ days. They weren’t so long ago.

Independent music store owners undoubtedly miss them too.

I suppose we should count our blessings that in the bad new days of digital music consumption, some independent music stores still have their doors open to go in and ask – that those store owners are passionate enough about music to stay open whilst barely making enough money to pay themselves a wage.

Yes, I know it’s all been said before but it needs to be said again and again.

Blessed be the independent music store owners.

Blessed be the music artists who release their music on vinyl and cd.

Tads Records - music stores, Jamaica

Damned be digital music consumption and it’s ever-increasing global monopoly.

Buy new music from music stores or pre order on iTunes?

Anyone out there apart from me and music store owners, feeling frustrated and saddened by these bad new days in the world of music? 

Funk fans out there who aren’t sure, hear this beloved George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars song in its dirty, compressed mp3 format, and mull over the format in which you’ll be buying the highly-anticipated new Funkadelic album that George Clinton has just announced is coming our way…

George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars - T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (1996)

George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars – ‘Funky Kind (Gonna Knock It Down)’ – T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M (1996)

x

The MP3 Tragedy

Sound quality matters.  Ever so much.

The movement from the sweet, tasty sounds of vinyl

ffd-vinyl

…to not-anywhere-near-as-amazing, but still okay sounding CD’s

Fat Freddys Drop - Blackbird CD - www.beaveronthebeats.com

…to unbearable MP3 versions & their loss of sounds…

MP3 Symbol - Beaver on the Beats

01 Blackbird – MP3 – Blackbird (2013) – Fat Freddys Drop

…is a tragedy of epic proportions.

Don’t you think so?

Or am I going on about nothing? 

Don’t know what I’m talking about?

Or I’m right, but just need to shut up about it, accept that it’s happening/happened and get on with things in our new world of musical dissemination and listening?

Tell me, please. I need to know.

What’s the future trajectory for the sound quality of our music?

Is it hopeless for me to have hope? To try and resist the ‘inevitable’? Are we doomed for a future where we have to buy our music from and store it on a computer? In shitty MP3 format? Once upon a time I heard that technology was supposed to give us better things than we had before.  Well tragically for all of us, it hasn’t turned out that way for music.

5 Awesome Reasons to Buy Your Music on Vinyl or CD

1. Hearing all the sounds in the music that the artist created for you to hear.

FFD recording

Fat Freddys Drop recording

2. Enjoying the album’s visual and written arts – and supporting the visual artists & authors creating it. Front Cover. Back Cover. Booklet. Inserts. & any other extra bits the artist might include for you.

3. Supporting the music artists trying to make a living from the valuable contributions they are making to the goodness in the world.

4. If buying it from your local independent music store, supporting both those music store owners and music in general.

5. Enjoying the sensory delights of having the vinyl or cd in your hot little hands, smelling it, touching it, seeing it, putting it into your record or CD player and waiting in anticipation for the sounds of music.

Any reasons I missed?  Number 1 (sound) is enough to give MP3 a complete miss anyway. Isn’t it?

Increase your listening pleasure. Don’t miss out on hearing every single sound the artist who created the music wanted you to hear.  Choose vinyl or CD where you can, over shitty MP3 versions.  I will, for as long as I still can anyway (in hope that it’s forever).

Independent Colombian Music Stores for Independent Colombian Music

These are some of the exciting new Colombian sound pleasures I have ahead of me.

Music Stores for Independent Colombian Music CDs - Beaver on the Beats

All are Colombian fusion music CD’s.

All are original, real CD’s with good sound quality. I can listen to all the sounds of the original recorded music (unlike in MP3 or MP4 format). Real CD’s with the album artwork, artists names & track names in real print.

All CD’s bought from 2 music stores in Bogota:

1. Musiteca (Cra 8 # 18-81 Local 203-Tel 284 3263)

Music Stores with Independent Colombian Music Cds - Beaver on the Beats

2. W Records (Tel 247 4045) – in the same complex as Musiteca

Music Stores with Independent Colombian Music Cds - Beaver on the Beats

Musiteca & W Records are independent record stores.

Both music stores sell lots of independent Colombian music CD’s that can be hard to find elsewhere.

In both stores you can tell them what music you like, and they will put all the options in front of you to listen and choose from.

I love love love my visits to these Bogota music stores for all my Colombian music needs.  

I am really excited about my new Colombian fusion music goodies from Musiteca & W Records. I will let you know what I find.

Any independent music stores left where you live?

There aren’t enough of them left anywhere in the world.

I usually find the people running those independent music stores are passionate about music and about supporting music artists – including local and independent ones.

I think those independent music stores are worth supporting wherever you can so that they don’t all disappear from the world.  

If you’re in Bogota remember to find Musiteca and W Records for buying independent Colombian music.