Tracking Detroit’s Record Stores Through Maps: 1970 – 2010: Detroit’s place in American music has long been cemented. From jazz to techno, soul to punk, and many points in between, Detroit was the home of so much musical invention. It was also home to many independent record stores, as well as regional and national chains. How the location of these stores has shifted over time is one part of my dissertation on record stores and urban change (which also includes Chicago and Milwaukee). The record store is still an important place of musical discussion, discovery, and debate in Detroit, as it was decades ago. But where record stores are located in the segregated landscape of Detroit has changed, based on the following maps.
Cassettes Are Making A Comeback, But Which Artists Are Actually Selling Them? According to Billboard, there were only 25 titles that sold at least 1,000 copies on tape last year. That’s a minuscule amount, especially considering that many of the titles that sold the most cassettes were also incredibly popular across formats, and shipments of CDs, vinyl and especially streaming numbers all dwarf the tape sales. While only 25 albums moving at least four digits is certainly a select group, the list is longer than it was the year prior. In 2015, only eight records were able to achieve such a feat.
Keeping vinyl alive: Interview with owner of Cow Records: In the heart of Ocean Beach, roughly sandwiched between two adjacent pubs along the bustling street of Newport Avenue, lies Cow Records. Pleasant tunes from numerous generations of genres fill the crisp, beachside air pervading the establishment. Some 5,000 records almost paradoxically occupy the 1,100 square foot space, lining the floors, shelves, walls and any other crevice that will accommodate them. A handful of vinyls even dangle overhead, suspended by strings mounted to the ceiling above. Something of a hole-in-the-wall storefront, its success has never waned across store owner’s Greg Hildebrand’s over 25 years of operating it.
Vinyl vendors: Reviewing stores around LA during resurgence of record sales: I’ve been collecting vinyl from independent record stores in Los Angeles for about nine months. The record format creates a physical relationship between listeners and the music. Vinyl owners flip the record and listen to complete albums rather than a collection of singles, creating an intimate experience. Some bitter vinyl veterans act like records are an exclusive club reserved for classic rock fans and people over 30. Now newfound vinyl enthusiasts can find a number of records for sale at mainstream stores such as Urban Outfitters; however, independent record stores make for the most authentic shopping experience.
