The Toronto record store report

by: Chandler Levack

December 03, 2009 3:00 PM

Comments: (2)

Just a few years ago, record-store fans were sobbing into their Amoeba t-shirts and re-watching Empire Records on DVD, lamenting the death of music retail. The treasured institution we all knew and loved, famously personified by High Fidelity's Top Five–listmaking fanatic Rob Gordon, had been dealt a powerful blow by the rise of the MP3, and the various legal and illegal ways to procure them. Where were we to go, hat and Belle & Sebastian single in hand, without a haunt for geeks like us?

Yet some savvy local record stores have weathered the storm, arguably due to the resurgence of vinyl. Inspired by our Holiday Music Guide, EYE WEEKLY talked to employees at four of Toronto’s most beloved music hubs about the year’s best-sellers, format changes and why the indie record store is still kicking ass.

The Curator: Soundscapes, 572 College Street

Employee: Dan, who has worked at the store for two and a half years

Vinyl or CD?: We just started selling vinyl in the last six to eight months. Our focus is on bringing classic catalogue records into the store, in addition to [vinyl versions of the CDs] featured on our main display. But most of the stuff we’ve sold is new, like the new records by Timber Timbre, The xx and The Evening Hymns — those have really been the standout ones. We also sold quite a few copies of The Feelies’ Crazy Rhythms reissue. The new Wilco record [on vinyl] actually comes with a CD, instead of a digital download code — and for only $19.99. That’s been a big hit.

Is the record store still kicking ass?
Our numbers traditionally get quite a boost leading up the holiday. But this year’s release schedule is a little bit different, since big-ticket releases are rarely being released before Christmas. The Big Star box is a nice box set and Rhino just put out a reissue of Los AngelesNuggets: Where The Action Is . We’ve diversified what we do, but the picture’s still the same…we’re still selling lots of books. No one’s gonna reach the level of success record stores had 10 years ago, but the initial pronouncement of death to the CD doesn’t equal the death of music store. Anyone that has separated themselves from putting on a price tag on music or feeling a need to have physical product in their hand might have left the fold. But by being a store that has a curated collection, as opposed to following the trend of mainstream music, we’re thriving in a lagging industry.

What’s a record you loved this year?
Alaisdair Roberts, Spoils. I don’t know if I explain why I love it… it was just completely unique. We have a great write-up about it on our website.

Top sellers:
1. Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live
2. The xx – s/t
3. Evening Hymns - Spirit Guides
4. Them Crooked Vultures – s/t
5. (tie) Roseanne Cash - The List
Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
The Dave Rawlings Machine - A Friend of a Friend

The Tastemakers: Rotate This, 801 Queen W.

Employee: Greg, who has worked over the store for just over a year

Vinyl or CD?: I’d say we absolutely sell more vinyl — it’s probably close to making up 70 per cent of our sales. We sell less and less CDs every month, CDs are just so disposable. Records will be around for a long time.

Top Sellers: There’s the new Atlas Sound record, it's called Logos. And the new King Khan & BBQ record. Girls has done really well, so has the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack. What else… the latest Dog Day EP.

Why is shopping at Rotate This so intimidating?
It’s just some sort of reputation. I was intimidated to shop there before I started working there, but you should know, there’s really nothing to be scared of.

What’s a record you loved this year?
I would say a record called Cremations by Cold Cave. I can’t explain why it’s great… I’m not really good at talking about music… yeah, I know that I work in a record store.

The Emporium: Sonic Boom, 512 Bloor W.

Employee: John, who has worked at the store for just over three years
Vinyl or CD?: It all depends on what it is and what’s new. I would say that we sell more new CDs, but sales are increasing every year for new vinyl. There are records that sell consistently well, but people have been buying the new King Khan that just came out and The Almighty Defenders. This year’s biggest seller is A Charlie Brown Christmas on record. There’s also a series of Boris seven inches that do really well.

Top Sellers: The Them Crooked Vultures record that just came out. The Wooden Sky album. The new Tom Waits. The new Slayer album. And there’s actually a couple metal titles that are doing really well, like the new Krallice and the Marduk record. We cater to a lot of independent bands. Records by Lady GaGa and Rihanna just don’t do as well here.

Is the record store still kicking ass?
Certainly, we have people who are here to shop every single day. There’s just something about hunting for records that can’t be matched by hunting on the internet. You lose something tangible when you don’t listen to a record. Here, we have a really deep catalogue of artists.

What’s a record you loved this year?
I don’t really listen to a lot of recent music. I like the recent reissue of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk. But the new Lullabye Arkestra album is amazing. One of the members (Justin Small) works here, but after you’ve seen their live show you’ll understand why this record is absolutely raucous. Compared to their last, this record is a lot more stripped down to the core. You really get a good feel for the intensity for their live show.

The Merchandiser: Criminal Records, 493 Queen W.

Employee: Josh, who has worked at the store for three years

Vinyl or CD?: It varies on the title, but we easily sell double the amount of vinyl, maybe even triple. Partly it’s because we stock more vinyl than CDs now, but definitely the aesthetic of vinyl helps, the collectibility, Today, the CD isn’t necessary — while used vinyl still has value to this day, used CDs do not. Also it's analog versus digital — you can’t download what’s on a record, you can download what’s on a CD. And since most vinyl comes with digital download codes, you get the best of both worlds anyway.

Top Sellers:
1. The Antlers - Hospice
2. Them Crooked Vultures - s/t
3. The xx - s/t
4. Wilco - Summerteeth (reissue)
5. Girls - Album
6. Karen O and The Kids - Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack
7. Stone Roses - s/t (reissue)
8. Cuff The Duke - Way Down Here
9. Do May Say Think - Other Truths
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows

In Rainbows, still?
It’s so cheap on vinyl, people are still buying it in droves.

Is the record store still kicking ass?
I think that the record store will always continue but it has to change. People will always want something more than a MP3. We know that the format is not going to stay a CD, so it will probably be vinyl and continue to be so. As long as record stores continue to evolve with the times, I can foresee record stores sticking around. It’s the bigger chains that are having more problems. Music fans shop at indie stores. Casual music listeners shop at the bigger stores, and because they don’t have to go there for Britney Spears anymore, they get it off iTunes and bootleg it. I know HMW has been steadily reducing their CD numbers, and amping up their collection of DVDs, BluRays and video games.

What is a record to buy for the holiday season?
Well, one of my favourite records is Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s a holiday record that doesn’t make you want to puke.

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