[78-L] Record stores RIP (was: copyright)

[Michael Biel]

David Lennick wrote:
> the whole CD reissue 
> business has been in the outhouse for several months and I suspect that it's 
> going to stay there. An audience still exists, but Retail effectively told them 
> to drop dead even before this recession began to take hold.
>
> dl
>
>   

Retail have been aiming at the wrong customers and physically 
frightening off the customers that still want to buy physical items in a 
physical store.  This week's issue of Rolling Stone (itself a tiny shell 
of its former self) has an article discussing the closing of record 
stores and discussing the impending death of the CD.  They cite Nielson 
SoundScan figures that CD sales have dropped 48.9% since 2000.  2,680 
stores have closed since 2005.  They mention that the Virgin MegaStores 
on Broadway and in San Francisco are closing.  I've discussed many times 
about that Broadway store in particular, and most other record stores in 
general, that adults do not want to enter the store.  They blare out 
loud, tastless, vulgar hip-hop, rap, and heavy metal full of negativity 
and obscenity -- music that appeals to an audience that has already 
changed over to downloading exclusively -- instead of trying to appeal 
to the people who are still interested in buying a physical CD or DVD.  
Consider the location of that store, Broadway near 44th, right across 
from the Marriott Marque hotel and theatre.  There is enormous foot 
traffic by that store.  A large percentage of them are tourists, and a 
large percentage of those have been drawn there because of the Broadway 
Theatre.  But Broadway CDs, easy listening, jazz, classical -- the 
things that these people would be interested in -- are downstairs, and 
are not even promoted up at street level.  The store looks and sounds 
like it is all rap.  Tourists don't know that there are two levels below 
that are quieter and have what they would want.  And even those that do 
know have to brace themselves and run the gauntlet of ear-splitting crap 
to run to an escalator that often is not working.  It is a 
self-fulfilling prophecy, the stuff doesn't sell because they have 
chased off the customers that would have bought it.  So they give less 
emphasis to it, and downward goes the spiral.  Part of the problem is 
this business model, and part is that in employing only the cheapest 
young clerks by paying them nothing they are getting only employees that 
are interested in only that loud crap -- so that is a further reason why 
it is played.  And played LOUD.  There are stories about music like 
Sinatra being used to discourage loitering of teen gangs, and these 
stores know they run the risk of running off potential CHEAP employees.  
Remember when clerks in record stores KNEW MUSIC??  Remember when the 
music wasn't so loud that you could actually talk to them? 

Meanwhile, down at Acadamy Records the narrow store is CROWDED, and 
people are BUYING!!!!

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 
> Alan Bunting wrote:
>   
>> One definition of "publish" is "to make available to the public" so, in the case of a CD, I would suggest that "issue" and "publish" mean the same thing.
>>  
>> Of course, the preparation and production of the CD has to precede this so, for example, a CD issued in January 2009 might have had the original recording made in 2007 and post production and mastering done in 2008.  In this case, the copyright is effective from 2009. 
>>  
>> This principle applies (in the UK) to all recordings made after June 1957, earlier recordings lose their copyright 50 years after they were made.
>>  
>> Alan Bunting
>>
>> --- On Sun, 8/3/09, Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Is it possible to prepare and publish a CD reissue and hold on before 
>> issuing it? Does the time count from when published or issued or put on 
>> sale?
>>
>>    
>>
>>
>>       
>> _____________________________
>>     
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