Posted by chicagomedia.org on April 18, 2009 at 12:31:33:
Record Store Day celebrates local retailers
April 18, 2009
BY KEVIN MACK | Chicago Sun-Times
All it takes is a few keystrokes or mouse clicks to buy music nowadays, so why would anyone bother going to an actual neighborhood record store?
"Customer service, atmosphere, benefits to their local economy, the opportunity to see cute boys and girls," answers Eric Levin. "Fresh air. Stuff like that."
All of that and more will be offered Saturday, when Chicago's independent music stores observe Record Store Day, an annual nationwide celebration of local music retailers.
Levin, a co-founder of the event and owner of a record store in Atlanta, hopes to show that independent stores entail "more than a dollar transaction."
To mark the occasion, Chicago's local shops will host in-house live music, sell special re-releases and other Record Store Day exclusives, offer discounts and give away posters and other freebies.
After watching their numbers drop during the 1990s heyday of mass retail, independent merchants say they have experienced a sales resurgence in recent years.
Reckless Record's three locations, Laurie's Planet of Sound in Lincoln Square and dozens of other Chicago shops have survived through steady neighborhood clientele and inventories that include records and CDs by smaller bands, rare releases and other offerings outside of the mainstream. And the person behind the counter likely knows the music firsthand from frequenting the club scene -- either as a fan or playing in a band.
"Niche marketing is the way to go," said Liz Tooley, co-owner of Permanent Records. "The more your people know, the better connection they have to their local music communities ...
"That's what has gotten us through the up and downs."
And the closures of Tower Records and the Virgin Megastore have only helped.
"Their absence made it easier for indie stores," said Bryan Smith, general manager of the Reckless Records in Wicker Park.
"In Chicago, with its large and diverse music tastes, you can be both successful and unique."
Ron Bierma, manager of the Near North Side's Jazz Record Mart, thinks the era of major music retailers trying to supply all styles of music is over.
"It's going back to the way it was in the '60s and '70s, when you knew what each store sold and what to buy in each."
Despite the dour economy, participants promise to retain Record Store Day's optimistic and creative ethos.
"It's about discovering the personalities working in stores," Bierma said. "The news has been bleak for so long, it's something to get excited about."