to see the audio slideshow transcript.

A Documentary by Thomas Hoke
March 2014
Rasputin’s Music is a
chain of record stores throughout the Bay Area that sells
almost everything from obscure
books, to both vintage and new
movies, a wide selection of CDs and vinyls,
and a multitude of flashy posters.
Rasputin’s Music now has eight different locations throughout the bay area. Justin says,
“Each store has a different vibe to it, and the sales
reflect that every store sells a majority of a different genre.” Even through the digital age, the brick
and mortar record store continues to attract customers.
At the dawn of 1999, three visionaries released Napster, a music sharing platform that changed
the music industry forever. This marked the start of the decline in revenue for brick and mortar
record stores nationwide. When the number of pirates began to increase, the sales revenue of almost
every traditional record store began to decrease. This sudden drop in sales left producers and record
labels exasperated.
What keeps the few surviving record stores like Rasputin around? Many would argue it’s the atmosphere of the store or the feeling of holding a physical
copy of a record in your hands. According to Justin,
an employee at the Rasputin Mountain View
Location, “You lose out on a lot of the music
when you purchase it online, especially when
you pirate. I think that when people pirate they
definitely lose respect for what they’re getting
and they tend to not even listen to
more than like a song before moving
on to the next download. I think it’s
unfortunate that people do that but
unfortunately people
aren’t going to stop because it’s too difficult to
pay for all of it.”
Justin and all members of the record store community encourage people to purchase less music digitally, and
more music from record stores. This not only supports the
record stores and keeps them in business, but one also get
much more out of your purchase for just a few extra dollars. When you buy a physical copy of an album, it feels like
you got more money’s worth, and as a result, you tend to
listen to it more carefully. When you pirate music, the average listener goes through about one or two songs per album,
whereas if they had purchased it physically, they are more
likely to listen and appreciate the entire piece.
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day
on the third Saturday of every April. It brings the customers, employees, and the musical environment together in order to maintain the subculture of independent record stores.
The Mountain View location for Rasputin’s Music has signed
a pledge held by recordstoreday.com to participate in Record
Store Day. Record stores all around the world have reported
a leap in sales on record store day.
However, during the other 364 days out of the year,
what attracts customers to the store? I would argue that it’s
the atmosphere that the store provides. The vibe resembles
a different time period when you’re inside the store’s postercovered walls. A vintage feel rushes through your mind
when you first enter the store, and you’re transported into
a simpler time when digital music wasn’t an option. For one
customer, his sole source of music is record stores. He refuses to fall into the abyss that he feels the internet creates.
When I caught him mid-search, he told me that “I usually
like to pick out albums based off of the album artwork I find
interesting, and the results are usually very positive.” This
customer enjoyed being inside the store because it was a
place that was a void in today’s society.
Being encompassed
by fellow music lovers can
be an extremely beneficial
experience to anyone who
walks through the door. This
experience can stem from conversing
with an employee who can give unique
and knowledgeable recommendations
on what you are looking for. One can
find equally constructive dialog when
you converse with a fellow customer who can lend
a helping hand when conducting a search, or give
insight on items they find intriguing. The resurgence of vinyl in recent years
has sparked a sharp incline in overall sales
in record stores across the country. Over the
past few years, adolescents across the country have reverted back to a simpler time and
reignited a passion for vinyl. While there are
a
variety of reasons for why this trend has sprung
up recently, the most prominent reason seems to
be that purchasing a physical copy of the record
feels more rewarding. At the same time, the
vinyl aspect elevates the listening experience by adding a vintage aura to the musical anthology. Collecting vinyl LP’s feels
like more of a hobby than “collecting” digital music or even
CD’s. In an interview conducted with Amanda O’Brien, she “enjoys vinyl more because
it feels more real and old fashioned and it’s more interactive and visual.” She is an avid
music collector and prides off of her vinyl collection. Before digital music was
even available, purchasing vinyls is more than simply purchasing an album, it
is adding to an ever growing collection. Keeping a musical library ceases to be
seen as a collection especially if the music is pirated.
Rasputin’s Music in Mountain View shared this new
trend of vinyl has made a huge impact on sales. Located in
the back of the store, Rasputin’s Music provides customers
with a diverse vinyl LP and laserdisc section, organized by
genre. They additionally maintain a constant state of savings by implementing a “50-Cent Records” section and a
“$1.00 Records” section, which are filled with classic hits.
However, classics aren’t the only kind of vinyl offered to
customers, genres such as electronic and metal among
many more are also available, ranging from used to new.
Rasputin’s Music in Mountain View shared this
new trend of vinyl has made a huge impact on sales.
Located in the back of the store, Rasputin’s Music provides customers with a diverse vinyl LP and laserdisc
section, organized by genre. They additionally maintain
a constant state of savings by implementing a “50-Cent
Records” section and a “$1.00 Records” section, which
are filled with classic hits. However, classics aren’t the
only kind of vinyl offered to customers, genres such as
electronic and metal among many more are also available, ranging from used to new.
Although not at its peak, the record store community as
a whole is going strong. However, it still needs all the support it
can get. One way you can music stores is to cut down your digital music consumption. This doesn’t mean that you have to buy
all your music through these stores, but even just one album out
of ten can make a difference. As mentioned throughout the paper, physical copies of music are always going to be more valuable to the consumer than digitally purchased or pirated music.
Whether it’s physically or emotionally, physical copies of an
album or EP grants the listener a sense of realness, along with a
blast from the past.
Credits
A special thanks to...
Rasputin’s Music
Justin
Anonymous Customer
Amanda O’Brien
The Freestyle Staff