Ok lets be honest...

practices like this are and have been steadily coming to a rapid end at Indie and other traditional retail music stores like Cocunuts for the past decade with the late 90's introduction of these:





along with a combination of the "Power of the Internet" you can use these nifty little devices(MP3 and Ipod players) to download ipod tunes for sometimes only cents a track or even bootleg and illegally obtain music through service lik Forstwire(the new Napster).

No longer do music listeners and lovers have to worry about paying $20 dollars for a single album CD and keeping a disc holder or packet in the glove compartment of their cars in order to change music types when they want to hear something different.Now all changing artists,trask or genre means is flicking a button or menu touch screen and sifting through hundreds and maybe even thousands of downloaded music files that comprise single tracks that you downloaded off of the world wide web on a handheld,less than pocket sized device in a matter of seconds.

There is little doubt that this newest generation technology which has progessed over the years is good for the consumer but what about the businessman?Ofcourse initially whent he surge of Mp3/I-pod mania began it wasnt good and alot of music stores and chains which had been in business for decades went out of business in months.

However despite the many hardships music retailers have had to endure over the past 5 years especially,and overwhelming public and finanical analyst opinion that music stores as the world once knew them would soon cease to exist,somehow these pillars of American and world pop culture have managed to not only stay afloat in many cases but prosper even with the difficult economic times.

This is one of the many articles that I have been reading on this issue since I visited a freind in Hollywood ,USA last month who works here at Amoeba Music:



>about how this section of the music industry has somehow miraculously managed to survive the Global 21st century tech revolution and economy recession

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/04/how-record-stores-can-survive-the-internet-age/39734/



quite the interesting issue to ponder eh?

In the polls you put "sell music videos and dvd's" but alot of music stores like Coconuts haev long ago started doing that.Probably their greatest draw will be an internet cafe.Basically they better have something more than just music cd's lol.Its kind of like movie theatres.When I managed one 2 years ago I discovered that only a small portion like less than 5% of the profits made by theatres is made by ticket admission.......the film studio's get a huge portion of that and the rest is eaten alive by taxes.Most of the profit is made by the concession stand which is why they charge you like 10 bucks for a bag of M&M's which is why unless Im taking my girl out I rarely go to the movies.

5-6 years ago I remember going to Tower Records,
probably twice a week and now all 5 stores have since
folded. Though, I agree with Roc (Internet Cafe), or
maybe doing what Borders, did (Merging with both
Starbucks and Jamba Juice). I mean, in the last 5 years
they went from 150 stores to 528 and thriving! Buuut,
what do I know, I'm just an Ironworker.

Note: I have no problems burning music for free! when
I have to pay $100.00+ for a concert ticket.

And yea,traditional specialty stores of all types not just music are becomign obsolete much like the cassete and VHS tapes became after laser reading discs and discs are swiftly becoming after MP3,Ipods and Black Berry's.

Things change with time.

and indeed it is quite unfortunete what has become of Tower Records that used to be a great place to go and shop for music.I remember coming up,going on the weekends to the mall with my girlfreinds and we would shop with our walkman's on in Tower and FYE looking for the latest TLC,Brandy or Aaliyah cuts.

My mom always used to tell me how much she missed drive thru outdoor theatres lol.

I sometimes hate that things have to change,this is one of those times.