  Boo Member Username: Boo Post Number: 130 Registered: 01-2004 Posted From: 63.117.185.99 |
i received my weekly update from neptune records this morning and was surprised to read that they are going out of business at the end of the month. i am sort of stunned because over the past year, three of the independent shops that i shop at have closed: wendell's, young soul rebel, and now neptune. harmony house was another victim. i don't foresee any new shops springing up to replace them- is the independent record shop a viable business opp anymore? i am not sure the reasons for neptune's closing but i imagine detroit rock city loves the bargains at amazon & best buy... | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 4090 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 141.217.174.229 |
Lack of Music scene in one community means no profits to the Independent record shops. Adieu Neptune. | ||
Machoken Member Username: Machoken Post Number: 1224 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 207.145.38.104 |
Yah, Flipside Records is probably next. Was in there a couple friday nights ago and the place was DEAD. | ||
The_aram Member Username: The_aram Post Number: 4843 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.41.124.8 |
i'm almost expecting one or more of the Ann Arbor record stores to close before I graduate. i don't know how they're making ends meet... | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 261 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 68.43.107.72 |
noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 428 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 65.42.23.2 |
It's that doubled edged sword dealing with smaller record stores "Most" people don't want to pay the higher prices usually associated with smaller stores to help keep them afloat. Stores like Best Buy and the internet are crazy competition these days. :-( | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 262 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 68.43.107.72 |
I always support the indy's nothing is more degrading than having some schmuck check my bag after I pay at the corporate whore best buy | ||
Wabashrr1 Member Username: Wabashrr1 Post Number: 98 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
The biggest joke about the 'schmuck' is that he/she can niether read or count. At least if they're anything like the ones at the homely depots.. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 265 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 68.43.107.72 |
Man I'm so pissed ever since I was bumped to south SCS from southwest Detroit, I've been regulated to once a week trips to Neptunes due to the distance. We have car city which is a good place too but Neptunes had alot of rare new stuff. Like when the Yeah yeah yeahs first came out Neptunes had all their shit | ||
Wilus1mj Member Username: Wilus1mj Post Number: 58 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 216.111.89.3 |
The digital music age has begun. | ||
Andylinn Member Username: Andylinn Post Number: 34 Registered: 04-2006 Posted From: 68.40.195.233 |
everyone support peoples records in midtown. it's our last? hope. | ||
Eastsidedog Member Username: Eastsidedog Post Number: 326 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 12.47.224.7 |
Record Time's decision to open a location in Ferndale was a good idea. I still go to Ferndale once a week to visit some friends and sometimes stop in at Record Time. But I have to say that a lot of the hardcore music fans have moved into the city where the scene is. It seems to me that the record stores will need to follow if they want to keep the loyalty of customers. Independent online music retailers are becoming really popular. It's important to note that Neptune wasn't really competing with Best Buy or downloads. They were competing with online retailers. They mostly sold vinyl and indie stuff. | ||
Spaceboykelly Member Username: Spaceboykelly Post Number: 145 Registered: 04-2005 Posted From: 69.246.30.248 |
Neptune was a great place for well-kept new import techno. The sale, by the way, is great. I was there last night and spent way too much. It'll be missed. I also miss Young Soul Rebels. What Andylinn said... support People's Records on Forest [b/t 2nd & 3rd] in Midtown. Which is the best place to find that amazing record you've spent years searching for. The Market-in-the-Arc is great too. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 7317 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 198.208.159.19 |
Young Soul Rebels left their spot because the landlord (gut from C Pop) wanted to boost their rent too high. I guess he would prefer an empty space and no rent. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 3395 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 65.222.10.3 |
There are three great places on Gratiot right near each other in Roseville. Record Time, Melodies and Memories, and Hot Hits. Both have excellent selections but I think the electric section is gone. Hot Hits used to have some great bootlegs as well, but that was years ago. | ||
Pdtpuck Member Username: Pdtpuck Post Number: 20 Registered: 01-2006 Posted From: 208.251.168.194 |
The funny thing about Best Buy is, the one here USED to have a great selection of hard-to-find, import rock n roll and metal (to name just a couple of genres), but then they moved into a new building (a la Wal-Mart...use old location for a year, build and move, old one sits & rots!) and dropped all of the great, hard-to-find stuff. Now they cater to the kids and their spoon-fed, MTV sanctioned bull sh*t. Not many indies around here, but the ones we have seem to be doing OK (for now!). | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 754 Registered: 04-2005 Posted From: 69.14.30.175 |
tis true, at one time i could always count on finding obscure stuff at best buy. now, it's hard to believe that was ever possible. about six years ago, the corporate directive was to give up floor space to higher-volume and more profitable merchandise, and prepare for the electronic media revolution. you can no longer go to best buy and expect to find moev, bootsauce, or basehead. | ||
Pdtpuck Member Username: Pdtpuck Post Number: 22 Registered: 01-2006 Posted From: 208.251.168.194 |
Even more sad, I can get obscure stuff faster and usually same price or even cheaper off of eBay! The US distribution houses don't stock much in the way of imports, and someone correct me if I am wrong, but my buddy at my local indy shop told me about a year ago there was some law change that made it somehow illegal to stock and sell imports in the US (i know, not much for info on this, but I'll find out!). A couple of the places he used to go through to get me my import Swedish rock (The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, etc.) went belly-up after this took effect because it wiped out their reason for being, mainly because they ONLY stocked imports. There are still a few places who either found a way around this supposed law or stock US material, but it takes forever and a day to get anything import. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 2544 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 69.47.100.44 |
Does anyone know if ol' Streetcorner Music at 13 Mile & Southfield is still around?? I went there years agao looking for some old obscure Was Not Was stuff and they dug it up pretty easily for me. Granted it cost me a pretty penny but sometimes you have to pay for what you want. I thought they were more than professional and helpful in my music search. | ||
Seth Member Username: Seth Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 204.78.62.36 |
Streetcorner is still there... but it's a different sort of store than the others mentioned. It may be the right place for jazz and such, but I've never found it the place to buy new music. I purchase tons of music and as iTunesey as I am, I still like to buy my CDs in person rather than online. Places like Wendell's, Neptune and Record Time (Flipside on a lucky Sunday) have helped to satisfy that thrill of the hunt on odd used & new indie stuff. I'll be sorry to see Neptune go. It was the perfect place for a music snob to shop and still feel slightly intimidated. As for other shopping options, we can't talk about area music stores without mentioning Encore in Ann Arbor for the used stuff. I've also been shocked by the ability of Dearborn Music to satisfy several obscure first-day-of-release fixes. | ||
Treelock Member Username: Treelock Post Number: 114 Registered: 03-2005 Posted From: 68.77.166.98 |
Ann Arbor jumps to mind as a city that long ago lost a lot of its good, independent music retailers — most notably, Schoolkids Records. Anyone know if PJ's is still in business there? What about the Record Graveyard in Hamtramck? Remaining options for us vinyl fans are Wazoo Records in A2, People's on Forest Ave., the Record Collector in Ferndale (no new stuff, however), Record Time, Flipside, Dearborn Music, Car City... what else? As much of an iTunes fan as I am (mostly because I'm sick of the proliferation of plastic CD cases in my crib), I seriously lament the passing of the browse-friendly record store. | ||
The_aram Member Username: The_aram Post Number: 4859 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.41.124.8 |
PJ's is still around and kicking. I'm a once-a-week visitor, always try to buy something and help out the cause. Encore and Wazoo are also still around. Schoolkid's still exists as a very cluttered basement store on State, but I really don't have a need to shop there because I don't buy much new stuff at all. Encore is definitely the best choice for pretty much everything these days, but I just don't like shopping there unless I have to. I like helping the PJ's guys out more. | ||
Dannaroo Member Username: Dannaroo Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 209.254.56.226 |
There is a relevent story regarding this thread on the front page of the MetroTimes this week: Out of the Groove | ||
Babycombo Member Username: Babycombo Post Number: 85 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 12.5.1.207 |
There are two records shops in Dearborn. Dearborn Music and Stormy Records. I'm not a huge fan of Neptune or Records time but I can always find CDs at Dearborn Music and Vinyl at Stormy Records. |
