Take Mika, the current midweek topper - are they going to release a physical version? And if not, how stupid does that make retailers who don't do their own chart for instore? And what repercussions must there be for retail? The number one ain't available in music shops. Except virtual ones.

Following Music Zone going into administration (they had only taken over MVC last year!) and the terrible results from HMV - will there be any retailers left by next Christmas?

To save the record busines (and retail shops) - or at least stop the current free fall - there is one very simple solution: (much) lower prices!

I guess the short answer is yes. My question would be what for?

My local Music Zone is one of the 31 that are closing. A real shame to be honest as its the first in 28 years we've not had at least 1 record shop in the town.

There's an article I wrote called "Death Of The Local Record Shop" here - www.designermagazine.org/DeathOfTheLocalRecordStore.html

Not aimed at industry though - more those older music fans that still buy records in shops

Alex

<<<< To save the record busines (and retail shops) - or at least stop the current free fall - there is one very simple solution: (much) lower prices! >>>

I think you miss the point !

Lower prices (in Tesco et al) are the REASON so many shops are closing !

Also, Music Zone was also one of the cheapest outlets around anyway - and they went bust !

the problems with retailers is THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING A SERVICE.
You only have to visit any Apple store to see that price has nothing to do with it; if they want the product, people will buy it.
Physical shops should have rare vinyl next to modern download facilities - everything for the modern music lover.
Teenage girls will visit to download HEART THROB ONE singles when they are given huge, beautifully produced posters at the same time.
Rock fans will go to KING RECORDS STORE when they get free or discounted concert tickets with XX downloads.
Anoraks will go there when they get a linited edition colour vinyl copy with each download.
Burned CD's of your download selection (when 30 or more singles are bought there) for car and hifi play...

The possibilities are endless as long as imagination is used.

Most shops are still models of the 1990's. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

One of the most obvious things staring at retail at the moment is the fact that CDs are dead. They are terminallly ill and that goes for the rest of physical music product. It's a matter of time for wav quality downloads to become de rigeur and that will be the final death knell to record retailers.

JK you got a great post there one which i think should be sent to BARD. Incidently it is not just something that retailers need to look at but all artistes.

I remember the days when a top 20 track sold more than a number one is selling now. Our population has grown but record sales are falling. Ok record sales is dying too, it's sick now but on life support. We need to start making arrangements for its funeral but at the same time lady music is pregnant with a newborn about to make an appearance. We should be preparing for this 'newborn' business model for artists. The world cannot revolve around record sales, or the charts (in its current guise).

velvet rope are debating the 3m youtube download track with only 200,000 sales for the band.

Record sales will soon become a collectors item only for fans. Once it is possible to have a pay for play model whereby every download, radio play, internet stream etc is PAID for by the facilitator of the music then buying music will be irrelevant and buying secondary items like posters, books, txt 87765 for the reverse auction a date with George Michael etc.
It will be for the fans.

Note where this was said first. JK keep this for when it happens. Im not saying i like it or dislike it but hey thats evolution.

Everyone also forgets - that back in the golden days of the 60s / 70s - most towns only had a cinema for young people to spend their money on.

Now the possibilities are endless ... as well as cinemas (which are thriving) we also have -

bowling alleys / McDonalds / Computer games / iPods / Play Stations / X Boxes and the vast majority of kids money goes on mobile phones.

There is simply not enough left for buying music (esp when the music does not excite them that much).

Now "anyone can chart" and all that... and the unsigned hit mumbo jumbo... we've been talking a lot in my neck of the woods about what it all means, and (chart) shop-wise there is certainly a problem.

It's all very well for the chart to be more open... and sales to be up... but with retail choices down it's "meet the new boss, same as the old boss".

There were 5,000 odd chart return outlets for CD... how many for downloads? 50? For people who see this as box-shifting and would be happy with one site for the top 10 that's no problem. But with only 50 homepages to carry information about what's available and what's new the diversity of the chart ("anyone can chart" notwithstanding) will suffer.

Anytime we see bottlenecks in the industry... it initially boosts the numbers then sucks the life out. Abandoning physical sales too soon isn't wise for the long term.

Much as I like iTunes, a world with only iTunes would be hell... and doomed.