The Beauty About the Death of the Music Store

by Jason Keath
April 17, 2010

The evolution of music sales over the past 2 decades has been a clear one. As peer to peer software like Napster devastated destination music stores, our music purchases moved closer to home.

First on our computers, then phones, and soon you will be able to buy tracks the second you hear them in your car (this seems so obvious to me, the music industry should make it happen sooner).

The music industry has been fighting to keep their old model, but what they should be doing is fighting to create more impulsive music buying opportunity. If you let me buy my music where I first hear it, when I am most amazed by a new sound, you dramatically increase your conversion.

I grew up buying tapes at local music shops. When I was a teenager it was all CD’s from the national chain store in the mall. Napster spread my first year in college and my music taste exploded because of the wealth of options now available at my fingertips. How refreshing right? I didn’t have to rely on local radio or the kids from my home town to hear about new music.

I use iTunes for all my music today (making me an honest man again). But it was never about having the money to afford music. It is about accessibility. When I can watch an episode of House, use Shazam to figure out the closing credit song, and buy that song on my phone, the sales cycle get dramatically short and simple. It goes form weeks to seconds. Impulse.

The music shops of the past were destinations. It was pure point of sale music. You physically went somewhere to browse the music, to talk about the music, to buy the music.

Today even the point of sale music is more impulsive.

If we hear music we like at a bar or coffee shop or on a commercial, we go get it online. The physical stores are marginalized. The digital product reigns. And our concept of consuming the media has completely evolved. We stream music more and more, owning becomes less important. We

Much of the community and discussion around music lives largely online and consumers seem the happier for it.

In the long run this evolution and disruption of the music industry is good. Consumers get more out of it. They get to find more great music. And musicians, while getting the short end of the stick with Napster piracy, seem to be skipping the music oligarchies and claiming back their connection with fans through unique products, touring, and digital consumer relationships.

A few examples of how the music industry could accelerate the impulse music buying trend:

I hope that I am just repeating what music executives already know and that all of this is in motion. I hope.

What do you think? Is the music industry better off? Will movies be immune to the same fate?

Original Image from Shutterstock.com

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    [...] lured him away, but he was Queen City’s first. Charlotte’s top SoMe blogger posts about the death of the music store, and on Record Store Day, to boot. [...]

  • http://mediaemerging.com Scott Hepburn

    You're right: There are so many ways the music industry could create buying opportunities it's ridiculous, yet they're missing those opportunities at nearly every turn.

    Consumers will always look for ways to get the music they want for free. Rather than investing so heavily in fighting consumers, the industry should try a little ingenuity. Give us more and better ways to buy your stuff and we'll do it.

    Or you could keep leaving the inventiveness to us. We're happy to dream up new ways to get what we want.

  • http://jasonkeath.com jakrose

    Thanks Scott. That is exactly how I feel. I find my buying or downloading
    decision is more based on access at that time and less on price.

  • http://squarejawmedia.com/ Brian McDonald

    It's a shame that the old record stores are dying. There are still a few around where I live for the collectors and the new vinyl fans. I miss hanging out at the stores, flipping through albums, talking to the guys that worked at the store about music and even selling used albums to buy new music. Yes there are tones of options to get music but much of the human aspect seems lost now. As far as the music industry, I don't feel sorry for them. They let Apple come in and in a few years redefine their industry. That's just plain pathetic and it is now happening to the newspaper industry. The sad thing is that they see it coming and are so pompous that they don't think it will affect their business.

  • http://twitter.com/kathrynarnot Kathryn Arnot

    I worked at HMV for years and many of my friends still do. We often discuss the dying industry and realize HMV may only be around for another 5 years. You can't fight the consumer and they want easier access. Your comments on impulse buying is on the money because people aren't impulse buying the the cash register anymore, they're impulse buying on the go.

    I just want to discourage people from illegal downloading. I know its easy but so a lot of other legal sources. Somebody created the music you're enjoying and if you want hear more of it encourage the creator by paying 99 cents please.

  • Guest

    Something is realizable but as of right now technology can only go so far, sending data wireless like that instantly is not as simple as you think. But I am sure when it is available they will try to make that transition when necessary.