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Grex > Music2 > #291: Music retail again: SKR Uptown (Classical) & Downtown to close |  |
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| 25 new of 194 responses total. |
krj
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response 161 of 194:
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Mar 23 23:29 UTC 2001 |
md in resp:156 :: being the only classical music store within 60 miles
doesn't work any more. In the Observer, Jim Leonard said that he used
to have a large base of distant customers who made approximately monthly
pilgrimages to SKR Classical, and weekends were the store's busiest
times. But in the last couple of years, most of those far-away
customers switched over to the online retailers so they could avoid
the drive, and weekends became SKR Classical's quietest times.
sindi in resp:158 :: I believe that what's left of the classical and
jazz business is moving to the online stores because of inventory issues.
Unlike pop music which is mostly economically driven by large quantities
of a small number of discs, a good classical or jazz store has to
stock small quantities of large numbers of discs. This sort of an
inventory problem is best handled by a large national online store
because the online store has many more customers and thus has less
of a problem trying match obscure discs with buyers. (I'm not explaining
this well, oh well.)
There was a recent online essay somewhere discussing how amazon.com
had a minor hit with the Ken Burns Jazz series, and how everyone had
been forgetting that Internet e-commerce was supposed to be all about
niche marketing, and not selling more N*Sync discs.
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remmers
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response 162 of 194:
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Mar 24 13:58 UTC 2001 |
Re resp:161 2nd paragraph: That makes a lot of sense, and I think
you explained it quite well. My current musical interest is ragtime,
which is about as nichey as you can get. Traditional retail music
stores tend to carry almost none of it - maybe a couple of Scott
Joplin CD's and that's it. But there are a number of ragtime
performers, and they put out CD's, which are easy to find and
purchase online.
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happyboy
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response 163 of 194:
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Mar 24 14:46 UTC 2001 |
make pilgrimage to elderly music, k?
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krj
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response 164 of 194:
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Mar 24 19:27 UTC 2001 |
I did that last week, hap. But it's not really a "pilgrimage" for me,
since I work just across town from Elderly.
Elderly Instruments, the folk music specialist in Lansing, is an
interesting case. They've had a sizable mail order operation for
maybe 25 years, and in the last couple of years they have moved onto the
web in a very classy way -- see http://www.elderly.com.
As far as I can tell, they are the largest folk music discounters
in the country, with many labels priced at $12.50 and almost nothing
priced over $15. So essentially they are a national retailer who,
through the accidents of history and geography, just happen to have
their one storefront outlet in Michigan.
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tpryan
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response 165 of 194:
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Mar 24 22:29 UTC 2001 |
Maybe a springtime Grexpedition to Elderly is in order some
late April weekend maybe?
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happyboy
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response 166 of 194:
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Mar 25 16:07 UTC 2001 |
grexers are not allowed there.
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md
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response 167 of 194:
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Mar 25 16:35 UTC 2001 |
Neither are Jews, Barry.
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happyboy
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response 168 of 194:
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Mar 25 22:19 UTC 2001 |
quit jewing me you dirdee wop.
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md
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response 169 of 194:
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Mar 26 12:10 UTC 2001 |
Eh Gianni Schichi shutta you face. Lees I dona preten I'ma notta woppa.
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remmers
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response 170 of 194:
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Mar 26 13:56 UTC 2001 |
Re resp:163 - Does Elderly carry ragtime CD's?
I must admit that on my one visit to Elderly -- five or six years
ago -- I did find a ragtime folio that I hadn't seen elsewhere.
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davel
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response 171 of 194:
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Mar 26 14:20 UTC 2001 |
I'd be very, very, very surprised if they didn't carry ragtime. At a guess,
with a far better selection than most stores - but possibly not much that you
wouldn't already have access to, John.
I think I have a fairly recent recordings catalog, & will check if I can
remember when I'm at home, & email you.
But you might well want to try their web site. I haven't used it (lynx being
my sole web browser), but I've heard it's very good (as krj just said).
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krj
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response 172 of 194:
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Mar 26 15:32 UTC 2001 |
I'm not finding any ragtime CDs on the Elderly web site listings.
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happyboy
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response 173 of 194:
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Mar 26 15:34 UTC 2001 |
i don't pretend that i'm not a jew, mike.
THAT WAS VERY MEAN.
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md
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response 174 of 194:
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Mar 26 19:51 UTC 2001 |
[hangs head in shame]
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happyboy
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response 175 of 194:
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Mar 27 23:25 UTC 2001 |
you should be 'shamed. :P~~~
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md
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response 176 of 194:
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Mar 28 13:13 UTC 2001 |
[Just kidding. Barry.]
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happyboy
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response 177 of 194:
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Mar 28 13:51 UTC 2001 |
it's to late, deliza, my heart is broked.
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remmers
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response 178 of 194:
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Mar 29 12:04 UTC 2001 |
A search of Elderly's web site brought up some CD's, but not very many.
I found the classic "Red Back Book" album of orchestral arrangements
of Scott Joplin Rags; "Grace and Beauty" with the New Orleans Ragtime
Orchesta; Butch Thompson performing Scott Joplin; some Jelly Roll Morton
recordings; Joshua Rifkin's classic Joplin recordings from the 70's;
a small handful of other CD's of possible interest.
I found nothing at all by the many excellent artists that I hear at the
ragtime festivals I attend, even though they produce CD's. Nothing by
Scott Kirby (possibly the foremost interpreter of Scott Joplin now
active), Jeff Barnhart, Bob Milne, Sue Keller, John Arpin, Terry Waldo,
Mimi Blais, Dick Zimmerman, The Etcetera String Band, Tony Caramia,
Frank French, David Thomas Roberts, etc. etc. etc. I have CD's by all
of these folks, purchased at ragtime festivals. I never see them in
record stores. Ragtime performing and recording is alive and well,
but is largely invisible to all but the most dedicated fans.
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davel
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response 179 of 194:
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Mar 29 14:50 UTC 2001 |
The same is generally true of the musical ghettos I move in these days.
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orinoco
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response 180 of 194:
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Mar 30 03:03 UTC 2001 |
You might have better luck looking for personal websites for those performers.
Those will probably have CD order forms if they've got CDs out.
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remmers
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response 181 of 194:
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Mar 30 17:07 UTC 2001 |
Yes indeed, most of them do have websites, and there are other
websites from which one can order the CD's. My point was that
their material is virtually unavailable from traditional retail
outlets.
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orinoco
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response 182 of 194:
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Mar 30 21:33 UTC 2001 |
Oh yeah? Well ... um ... uh ... then you're right.
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tpryan
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response 183 of 194:
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Apr 4 02:19 UTC 2001 |
Same with the funny music artists. Mostly self produced
and distributed. Some CDs are burnt 10 at a time. Better than
home duped cassettes. Most have web-sites of their own, some
use co-operative web distribution also.
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krj
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response 184 of 194:
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Oct 21 17:42 UTC 2001 |
---(( this item is now only active in the classical music conference ))---
In the restarted music conference, I put a pointer to the following
New York Times article: "Classical Music, Spinning Into Oblivion?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/21/arts/music/21TOMM.html
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krj
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response 185 of 194:
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Oct 21 17:43 UTC 2001 |
((Oops, miswrote the headline. The article is about the collapse of the
classical CD business.))
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