Are Record Stores a Dying Breed?
Record stores were once a place where anyone could go and browse for hours on end looking and sometimes even listening to different music all day long.
It was a location to meet people who not only shared your passion for music, but also your musical tastes. It was a cool hangout, regardless if it was a large chain or a small locally owned business.
Now, you will be hard pressed to find a record store. Sure you will see various places like, department stores and shops selling music, but these items are usually sold as an added value with limited selection.
Does this mean we will no longer see record stores being opened anymore? Are record stores a dying breed?
My initial answer to this interesting question is, yes. I say yes because it is a known fact that sales of CDs and vinyl have declined considerably over the last decade or so since high-speed internet service.
In fact, according to the NPD Group, sales of physical mediums of music was in the 80th percentile. That number has decreased to less than 60th percentile. However, digital sales have increased by almost 80 percent.
These numbers are staggering and will continue to skew on the side of digital sales as more Internet service providers pop up around the world in places they were not before.
The change was made quite popular by the popularity of online music stores and portable digital music devices. With high speed Internet, like CLEAR Internet, and the popularity of online music stores, buyers were able to buy not a whole album, but individual songs in an instant.
This saved the consumer money. Not only were there savings, but convenience as well. Consumers could now sample songs, see ratings and even reviews. In addition, consumers could buy and enjoy their music instantly.
Now they can buy it on the go wirelessly using 4g Internet, like 4g clear.
Portability was also a great factor. Not only because it was portable in a smaller device, but it was portable in a smaller device that STORED thousands of songs!!!
You could now bring ALL your music with you wherever you went.
There is a lot to love about owning CDs and vinyl versions of albums and songs. There is a certain nostalgia to it, and there is also a better sound quality to it all.
Record stores will never completely die out, but they are a dying breed when faced with the technological onslaught of digital music.
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