Its not often that I am impressed by a simple article.
But after going into Music Zone to buy DVD's and music CDs for Christmas, I returned home and opened the bag. The staff had also put in a free magazine , namely The Zone which is a Music Zone publication with articles and reviews of new releases etc to be found in the shop.
I browsed through it and read an article by Music Zones M.D entitled Is Music Retail Dead?
As I said above, I was impressed with this and contacted Music Zone who gave permission for The Crypt to reprint it
I found it very thought provoking in that it turned the record industrys arguments on their heads and disputed the facts. I believe you will find the same.
So , without further ado, heres the article!
Is Music Retail dead?
Change the record says M.Z M.D. Russ Grainger
Did you know the music retail industry is doomed? The record companies know it, the major retail groups know it and , perhaps most significantly of all, one David Bowie Esq. seems to know it, too. In a recent interview , he was quoted as saying something along the lines of how, in five years time , his son wont be able to go and buy a CD from a music store, because there wont be any left.
And the reasons for this? Well, there seem to be a few front runners. CD burning is a hot new entry at the top of the list, with the kids of today reportedly opting to copy CDs from friends and acquaintances rather than forking out their hard earned readies for the originals. Then comes the scything arm of the internet grim reaper with its dual blade of online music stores and free downloads cutting the lifeline for the traditional bricks and mortar retail businesses. The record companies are panicking at falling sales and the corporate retail giants are soiling their silky undergarments in the fear that the end is nigh. Enjoy music Zone while you can people, because were doomed, were all doomed.
Bull***t with a side helping of complete b*****ks.
The retail industry is not consigned to starving to death at all. If the proposition is right the public will still flock to buy music , a fact proven that during these supposed tough times Music Zone continues to go from strength to strength (burgeoning from 17 stores to 43 stores in the past two years and still growing). Intelligent shoppers recognise good retail and when they do theyll keep making that informed choice. The industry needs to wake up and focus on the fact that the future could be bright if it makes the effort rather than relying on making excuses.
And to show that theyre only making excuses, here goes:
CD Burning. Okay, it undoubtedly robs some sales in the short term, but its hardly a new problem. In my day, as in many of yours, everybody would tape their mates albums now and again simply because they couldnt afford to buy them themselves. But, was this really such a bad thing?
Youd get to hear bands you might not have otherwise and later in the day when you had enough money, if you liked the album enough, youd buy it.
You wouldnt settle for the BASF 90 with your mates spidery attempt at an AC/DC logo on it, when you could have the original with Angus Young pictured resplendent in his full mental glory. And the exact same is true today.
Does the industry really think that come the 25th of December people will be hurriedly unwrapping CD sized gifts only to find boxes featuring someones poor imitation of the latest Coldplay artwork and a plain silver disc inside.
Will they buggery?
Copying music is hardly a new phenomenon; its been going on for donkeys years. Something that is slightly newer, however, is the internet.
Back in the heady days of the mid to late 90s the net was touted as the future of absolutely everything. The reality has been somewhat more mundane.
The online e-tailers that survived the initial boom and bust epidemic are still struggling. The music sites that have had the best deals have paid the price for their unrealistic strategies and the majority now match or just undercut typical high street pricing, with Music Zone largely undercutting them. Our shops have survived very nicely, thank you, without an online purchasing facility, and as long as our traditional retail philosophy works so well, well continue playing to our core strengths.
Basically, online businesses are only a threat if your off line proposition isnt good enough. We think our is and we hope you do, too.
An area where some see the internets greatest threat to retailers is through the ability to distribute free downloads.
Again, the argument against this is the same as that against CD burning music lovers want the originals. In this respect downloads could be viewed as a sales tool and not a threat to the lifeblood of the industry.
Music retail is not dying. Music Zone is the living, breathing, fighting and ultimately thriving embodiment of that. If there is a problem, the record companies have to shoulder the blame.Their historical intransigence when it comes to pricing levels for CDs has alienated consumers and made it difficult for retailers to offer the very best deals. Their continual investment in throwaway dance music with no shelf life has been made at the cost of discovering and promoting real bands with real futures and the abilities to build up catalogues that generations of music lovers will appreciate. Without those bands and those catalogues, music retailers are left with a void to fill and this is what can damage sales. In short, 10 years of investment in chart friendly dance has left ten years of releases well past their sell by date.
With all this in mind, how can we ensure that Mr bowies son will still be able to nip down to his local high street and into a music store in five years time?
Well, I can virtually promise that if he lives near a Music Zone hell be okay, but in terms of the wider industry its time to stop looking for excuses and start making positive changes. That responsibility rests mainly on the shoulders of the record companies, but we at MZ are going to do our bit, too. Not only by continuing to give you the best deals on the high street, but also by starting a campaign to uncover the best local music talent talent thatll be building up the kind of catalogues that consumers will want to buy for a long time into the future. Intrigued? Well, keep tuning into The Zone to find out.
In the meantime, I hope you get everything you want for Christmas.. but if Santa gives you some copied CDs, than take revenge by doing something nasty to his sack. Merry Christmas, folks.