In order to celebrate the release of their latest effort, The Electric Age, veteran New Jersey thrash metal band Overkill will be doing an in-store signing session at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ on March 27. This recently announced event coincides with the release date of their new album, making the event somewhat of a release party. The signing will take place at 7 p.m. Further details will follow.
Vintage Vinyl is one of the few independent brick and mortar record stores remaining in the area, and they are becoming increasingly scarce nationwide, falling victim to advances in technology from both the ‘Top 100’ crowd and those who seek out more obscure music. While the record store boasts that they carry everything “From the Obvious to the Obscure”, it is increasingly apparent that consumers are finding alternative means of acquiring their music.
Among the general public, illegal downloading has become widespread, and while many, particularly those who are collectors or have a tendency toward more obscure items, continue to eventually buy the products, an assumption could be made that a vast portion of the albums that get illegally downloaded are never subsequently purchased legally.
In response to illegal downloading, the recording industry has put an increased emphasis on purchasing mp3s, which is actually more in line with the general manner of consumption of more popular artists, who gear their music toward producing ‘singles’ suitable for radio play. Purchasing individual mp3s of singles thus provides a cheaper alternative to consumers who would rather have just the one or two songs instead of buying an entire album to get the song that they want. Yet again, this model fits in perfectly to the modern culture that consumes the majority of its music via mp3 players anyway; unsurprisingly, many consider the CD a dying format, if not already obsolete.
In many underground music cultures, however, in which the collector mentality is much more vital, not only is there a tendency of less frequent illegal downloading or purchases of mp3s, there is also a greater tendency to follow up an illegal download with a purchase. This type of sampling has taken the place of the tape trading of the 80s, a practice to which many bands owe their popularity. Yet the underground too is not without its issues when it comes to supporting the local, independent brick and mortar music distributors.
The rise of mailorders during the 00s has affected independent music stores just as much as illegal downloading. For businesses that cater to acquired tastes that necessitate dedication, the worry is not so much whether the consumer will buy the product, but from where. The internet age has made it much easier to form a one man operation, and independent record labels and distributors have risen to the forefront of underground music, rendering the brick and mortar store obsolete. Online distributors have a number of factors working in their favor, including ease of browsing and searching and, often, cheaper prices due to minimal overhead costs.
Yet, for many, there is still a nostalgia of walking into a brick and mortar store. Browsing through the racks of CDs and LPs somehow just feels appropriate. Perhaps stumbling upon a stranger that shares a common interest in music. Walking out of the store with music in your hands, and playing a brand new album on the way home. Online stores certainly can not hold artist performances and in-store signings. These are experiences that online shopping can not provide, and they are a valid reason to continue to support independent businesses. So when Overkill stops by Fords to meet with their fans at Vintage Vinyl, consider coming out and showing support.
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