By now you’ve heard that famous Mark Twain quote: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”
One could argue, of course, that reports of his death have not been exaggerated since 1910. But you get the idea – his demise was falsely reported while he was still kicking.
Likewise, record store owners think reports that their industry is dead are grossly exaggerated. Sure, record sales are down. And, yeah, downloads are doing quite well. (iTunes is now the biggest music retailer in the country.)
But people still love record stores and CDs, right?
Okay, yeah, it’s annoying when you buy a CD that has one good song and 12 crappy ones. And, sure, CD prices have shot up almost as insanely as gas prices.
Still.
In honor of their continued existence, independent retailers have created their own little holiday, called We’re Not Dead Yet Day. Except they’re actually calling it Record Store Day. (Frankly, I like my name better.)
The “holiday,” celebrated Saturday, was concocted last fall to help struggling record store sales. Lending a hand, groups like Metallica (whom downloaders love, by the way!), Billy Bragg and Panic at the Disco will perform at record stores across the country.
Not to be left out, San Luis Obispo’s Cheap Thrills and Boo Boo Records will be taking part. Both will be offering discounts. And Boo Boo will be offering live music throughout the day.
The Boo Boo lineup includes:
11:00AM The Green Apples
12:00 PM Guy Budd
1:00 PM Inga Swearingen
2:00 PM Fighting Chance
3:00 PM Sparrow’s Gate
4:00 PM Black Shirts
5:00 PM Hot & Cool Orchestra
6:00 PM the Threes & Nines
7:00 PM Port O’Brien
While you’re listening to those local acts, consider buying a CD at these places. Because while reports of the industry’s death may be exaggerated, it ain’t exactly looking healthy these days.
–Pat P.
Posted on April 17th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Music
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