When mainstream music like the new Dave Matthews Band or Blink-182 album is released, students can go to any music store and buy one of thousands of copies lining the store's walls. But what about when Ben Folds releases a new live album? Or when Superdrag's latest record goes on sale?
Many independent music stores, including Worldwide Music and 716 Records, have gone out of business in recent years due to the growth of large corporate music stores such as FYE, Tower Records and Best Buy. Combined with the popularity of file sharing, indie record shops have been slowly closing their doors.
"I like that you can get smaller artists and rarities from bands and imports. They're more interested in music," said Carolyn Kirchberger, a senior majoring in political science. "They go out of business . it is hard for them to support themselves."
Eric Van Rysdam, an employee at Home of the Hits, a record store on Elmwood Avenue, said that indie music stores are in a tight position because of competition from the larger conglomerates and the Internet.
"As a store, we were rocking when Nirvana exploded. We were selling Nirvana in the late '80s, before anyone ever heard of them. We had everyone coming in, asking for Soundgarden and Sonic Youth," he said. "The major chains had yet to catch up. When Napster became really popular, we didn't know if there would be a place for record stores in the next three years. But obviously, we didn't go anywhere."
"Since pop music came on to the scene, we've sort of reached a plateau of sales. We don't sell a huge amount of albums, but we stay in business," Van Rysdam added.
Darren Paltrowitz, editor of Long Island Entertainment, a Long Island magazine that focuses on indie-rock, said the pros and cons of shopping at indie record shops are more complicated than they may first appear.
"In the past two years, I believe I've only bought albums from indie stores and online services to save money," said Paltrowitz, "The most expensive used single CD at some indie stores is $8.99, whereas the least expensive new CD at Tower Records is going to be $12.99. Some of the best albums I've ever purchased were found in throw-away bargain bins."
Craig Moskowitz, a junior media studies major, disagreed that independent stores are always cheaper than their corporate counterparts.
"Independent music stores might have more of a selection of the non-mainstream music, which I'm more accustomed to listening to," he said. "But price-wise, Best Buy would probably be cheaper, because they buy in bulk, and they're making a bigger profit off electronics and appliances, so they can afford to sell music at a cheaper price."
There is more to the indie scene, however, than a wide selection of music. At these stores, music-loving students can find round-table discussions and, according to Van Rysdam, this camaraderie is part of the reason Home of the Hits is still in business.
"Running an indie music shop is not a way to become rich, but it's a lot of fun. There's a lot more excitement here about music than there might be in a lot of the chain music stores," said Van Rysdam.
Van Rysdam also said some bands are harder to sell as their popularity grows.
"We tend to carry bands that are a little off the beaten path. We've been here for over 20 years, and we usually get many bands that start off small, then become hugely popular," he said.
According to Van Rysdam, the band "Weezer" is a prime example.
"In the mid '90s, we were selling Weezer albums on a consistent basis. But then they laid low for a couple of years and came back in a huge way. When they came out with ("The Green Album"), we couldn't afford to buy as many copies as the large chains, so we had to charge more for it," said Van Rysdam. "We try to make up for some higher prices by offering a large selection in product."
Moskowitz shared the same sentiment as Van Rysdam about the prices at independent music stores.
"When it comes to anything that can be considered mainstream, the larger chains can monopolize. Since (the chain stores) are able to sell the albums at a cheaper price, it eliminates competition, and puts smaller music stores out of business," said Moskowitz.
