Indie Music Chatter

Every time I go to a record store I am immediately reminded of why I have sworn off brick and mortar music shops altogether (unless it’s second hand CD shops) and have come to rely on online shopping as my main source of getting my CDs.

I went to “Store One” to get a copy of Black Rebel Motorcycle’s Baby 81 as well as the new Manic Street Preachers album Send Away The Tigers. A friend told me that both albums were already available in said music store. I went inside had a cursory look at the shelves facing the door (the “new releases” section) and not seeing the two albums I went to the customer service booth to ask for both CDs. The girl manning the booth gave me a look that I have become quite familiar with. A look of bewilderment — like I am talking to her in some strange indecipherable dead language or that I have suddenly sprouted horns on my head that are tipped with foam dice. To break the spell, I asked her again and she finally found her tongue with an answer that have become a de riguer partner to her look, “We don’t have those titles.”

I knew that I was being taken for another ride down Bullshit Lane so I took the time to browse through the CD shelves and, true enough, after a mere minute and a half, I had both albums in my hands. Both albums were there and there were multiple copies of each title. I was so pissed that I decided not to buy any of the CDs that day. I just didn’t want to tarnish my memory of those two albums by associating them with a stupid store clerk.

I personally think that the slow death of brick and mortar CD stores all over the world could be partially blamed on inept CD store staff. By not knowing the answer to simple music related questions, they inadvertently turn off potential buyers. In my dream CD store, the clerks are all music snobs like Jack Black’s character in High Fidelity. My staff would sneer at the pedestrian tastes of some customers, refuse to sell wonderful hard to find albums to people who we deem not worthy of the album, and play cool music all day as our public service, educating all of our customers and exposing them to amazing songs from little known artists.

But then I wake up and realize that it will be a long time in coming so I just open my browser, go to my favorite online store and just order another batch of CDs without any fuss.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Manic Street Preachers, CD stores