The world of music downloading, both legally and illegally, has exploded in the past decade with the invention of the portable MP3 player and CD burners.
In February, Apple Computers announced it had topped three billion iTunes downloads since its music store launched less than three years ago.
The popularity of music downloading has hurt music retailers near and far.
“It’s been a slow change over the past three years,” said Chad Chapman, manager of used music store Second Spin on Wilshire Boulevard. “More people are just catching up with technology. You’ll see every Christmas season more and more people get iPods.”
Fortunately, Second Spin has been slightly protected from the effects of music down-loads because it is a used CD store and attracts a different clientele.
“Tower is getting hit harder than the secondhand stores,” Chapman said. “We’re getting business from [customers who] down-load the CD, bring it in, and sell it back to us.”
Record Surplus, on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles, has been hit by a 30-percent decline in CD sales over the past decade.
“I think the record companies should protect themselves better,” said Michael Comstock Jr., the store owner’s son.“I’m not particularly happy about it.”
Calling Record Surplus the “Cheers” of music stores, Comstock said he has noticed people are ordering music online now through sites like Amazon.com. He said the store has survived on the strength of its loyal customer base.
Downloading has also hit House of Records on Pico Boulevard. Though the store has experienced declining sales in CDs, it has actually seen an increase in sales of the LP, which cannot be directly ripped.
“An LP is like the first edition of a book,” said store owner Philip Smith. “It’s always going to be the original way the item came out.”
Similar to Second Spin, House of Records is a used music store where customers can find a CD anywhere between $6 and $10.
“A lot of people still want to own the
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 25, 2006. Read the original PDF.