Sharpening the Sword is a regular column by retailer John Riley of Grasshopper's Comics, a 1,300 square foot comic and games store in
Like I’ve said, there is no shortage of bad economic news lately. Yet in our corner of the universe comics had an all-out conquest of the summer box office, and unlike years past, this year’s batch of summer comic movies resulted in a definite groundswell of interest in comics themselves. This is especially true for books like The Walking Dead and Y: The Last Man, which had already attained a great deal of exposure in mainstream media, and especially true for Watchmen which is experiencing amazing interest in the wake of the movie trailer. But even at times like this it’s often helpful to look outside our industry for ideas on how we can continue to strengthen our businesses in a down economy.
Recently there was an article in Rolling Stone that covered an event that should be very interesting to us comic and game retailers: the first annual “Record Store Day.” On April 19th about 700 independent record stores participated in a national event meant to support the independent retailers left in the recording industry. Bands like Metallica and Vampire Weekend visited stores throughout the country to support them at a time when their industry might need them most. Here are some statistics that will bring back some horrible memories to those retailers who remember the early nineties. Last year 190 independent record stores closed, part of the 1,500 closings since 2003, a loss of 40% of the independent retailers in the country in the last 5 years. Did that give anyone flashbacks?
Record stores are getting hit on both fronts. On the retail end they are facing competition from online stores like iTunes and Amazon and the various albums being released exclusively to Walmart. Essentially the retailers are competing with the manufacturers themselves as the record companies seek to increase sales in a constantly down market. But that’s not their only problem. In their quest for records that sell millions of copies, the companies have tried to produce music that appealed to as many people as possible, and in doing so have turned off most people. In the old days artists produced an album a year, while today’s top artists take years (and sometimes decades) between releases. To survive, many of the larger successful independent retailers have had to expand into video games, DVDs, clothing and other ancillary items.
Record Store Day was an effort on behalf of the industry to bring attention to the mom and pop stores that historically were the backbone of the market. But their motivations go beyond mere goodwill. As the independent stores close more and more of the market belongs to big box retailers, who are simultaneously reducing their shelf space and limiting their selection to the biggest sellers. Thus, as each independent retailer disappears so does an important outlet for lesser known labels, artists, imports, etc...
The interesting thing for us is that everyone mentioned in that article and others cited the same thing: that the independent record stores act as an important cultural hub for music fans. The independent store is the spot where people discover new music by talking to knowledgeable staff and the other customers. Today there are many Websites that attempt to perform that service for customers, but it’s never the same as having that one-on-one conversation. Simply put, the computer very rarely can make the same level of connections that an educated employee can.
Surviving independent record stores have been forced to either diversify or build upon that culture in order to continue to act as a “community center.” We’re seeing a similar trend in bike shops, which have very low margins historically and survive almost entirely upon service and supplies (they make very little on the bikes themselves). A new wave of bike shops is opening around the country that build upon this concept of community center. These new shops have everything ranging from training facilities, to skills clinics, to cross-training programs for triathlons to lockers and showers for bicycle commuters.
Either way its interesting to watch as other industries adapt to a changing retail environment. In a way, we are uniquely protected in that comics are almost completely unavailable outside the direct market. And while trade paperbacks have made huge inroads into major bookstores, their selection and knowledge is minimal compared to that offered by a comic specialty shop.
So what will happen to Record Store Day? Will it grow each year with more and more retailers and artists participating to bring attention to a declining retail base? We’ll have to wait and see. I have to wonder if they got this idea from us comic retailers. After all, our fans are usually quite passionate about movies and music as well. Is it possible that one of them was a record store owner? Or frequented an independent music store and shared the idea with them? Either way, we’ll have to watch them closely. Maybe they’ll have a good idea that we can steal back!
The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.