Record Stores That Jumped The Shark?

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by Marc Perman, Nov 29, 2016.

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  1. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I've been going to Record Surplus in LA on and off for many years, both as a visitor and as a local. Over the last couple of years their used vinyl prices have crept up, just a bit for a while and perhaps not unfairly given the Vinyl Revolution. Recently however prices have gotten completely out of hand and the place has surpassed Record Parlour and Rockaway to become the most overpriced record store in town. Sure they'll still sell you Greg Kihn or Graham Parker titles for under five bucks, but a standard domestic Jimi's Smash Hits (w/ poster) for $41? Even in the Quietest Moments for $18? Lots of things I'm forgetting because it's late in the $20-$35 range that are sold for half as much, or less, at some other stores in town? Maybe it's the lack of competition on LA's west side, but I doubt I'll be returning any time soon.

    Have any record stores "jumped the shark" in your town?
     
    pinkrudy and AaronW like this.
  2. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    If the market is willing to pay their prices they will be happy and be rewarded for their pricing. They make more profit on less turnover.

    Unfortunately, the popularity and "hipness" of records has increased their "value". In a way it could be seen as a compensation for retailers who's record stocks lost value in the CD revolution.
     
    AcidPunk15 likes this.
  3. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    I would pay good money to see a record store jumping a shark.
     
  4. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Sort of building on your comment, it just occurred to me the other day that (probably) one of the main reasons so many artists are now vinyl purists who love the sound of vinyl above all else is that fact it's not digital and can't be endlessly and cheaply (read: freely) replicated with no quality loss. That idea hit me when I was listening to Chris Robinson talk about the wonders of vinyl. You sell the consumer a record, they bring it home, and that's where it ends. Unless they needle drop it and give people the file, which seems to defeat the whole purpose of buying and playing vinyl.

    And then if you've pretty much gone all digital like myself, the last thing you want is a digital file with analog clicks and pops. At least it's the last thing I want.
     
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  5. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Only "The Fonz" can jump a shark. :)

     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2016
  6. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thanks for posting this, I wasn't sure if the phrase was widely known outside the US.
     
  7. Kingsley Fats

    Kingsley Fats Forum Resident

    I thought it was Batman that jumped the shark
     
  8. nodbor

    nodbor Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    It's all about supply and demand.
     
  9. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    In theory yes, but there's a supply of many LPs currently on Record Surplus's shelves available for much less just a few miles away.
     
  10. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    Yes, gone are the days when the compact cassette was seen as the evil home pirating device that would destroy the music industry (and truth, justice and the American way). All those records that were taped to cassette hardly ruined the industry.
     
  11. Buddy>Elvis

    Buddy>Elvis Senior Member

    Location:
    New Zealand
    A store that sells used records a few towns over was selling most things at $10-20 each. Last time I visited they were asking $80-120 for common things like Thriller. I seriously doubt anyone would be dumb enough to pay that. Thankfully most stores here whilst having increased their prices a bit due to demand are still realistic.
     
  12. Kingsley Fats

    Kingsley Fats Forum Resident

    The large record corporations didn't understand it then. they didn't understand when cd buring was happening, they didn't understand downloads & I'm sure they will make a mess of streaming
     
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  13. RayistaGeoff

    RayistaGeoff Forum Resident

    Nah, Batman fought off a shark with his Bat Anti-Shark Repellent (conveniently located in his utility belt) in the 60's Adam West movie.
     
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  14. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    And when that occurs I'm sure they are going to cry "it's unfair"!
     
    Kingsley Fats likes this.
  15. stanlove

    stanlove Forum Resident


    I was going to let this slide but its just too important. No it wasn't in his utility belt, it was in the helicopter along side the barracuda,whale, and manta-ray repellent sprays on the Oceanic repellent rack.


     
  16. smiley69

    smiley69 Forum Resident

    Location:
    lyon, france
    In Lyon (France) a record shop is selling Queen's News of the World LP 36€ !!
    I'm glad I'm a cd-only consumer !
     
    klockwerk likes this.
  17. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    I too am nostalgic for dirt-cheap used vinyl, but I don't have to pay the bills to keep the doors open in an LA retail shop.

    The marketplace will sort it out. Meanwhile, you know what sucks worse than a pricey copy of Smash Hits? Driving up to your favorite vinyl joint and finding out a nail salon or Subway franchise has replaced it.
     
  18. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    That's for sure, and has happened to virtually all of the record stores in Manhattan.
     
    Stone Turntable likes this.
  19. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    Go to the Wisconsin Dells for a summer vacation some time. You'll see EVERYTHING jumping the shark: Fonzie, a clown, a guy in an outhouse, a guy in a space shuttle, a guy in an outhouse inside of a space shuttle, and so much more.
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2016
    parman likes this.
  20. videoman

    videoman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lake Tahoe, NV
    Supply and demand. Only so many of those vintage LPs were pressed and it was now decades ago. More and more of them are bought up by collectors who hold on to them and copies in really good shape become harder and harder to find.
     
  21. morgan1098

    morgan1098 Forum Resident

    My local indie has come close to "jumping the shark" in another way... by focusing on non-music merchandise like smoking supplies, marijuana accessories (this is Colorado after all), porn dvds, and so on. This kind of stuff attracts a slightly different clientele than your basic music fan. But somehow, they've managed to keep vinyl and CD prices low and still sell a lot of music. But it's a shaky balance. Every time I go in there I'm afraid the CD section will have been removed to make room for a tattoo setup or something. :/
     
    LordThanos1969, klockwerk and parman like this.
  22. DeeThomaz

    DeeThomaz Senior Member

    Location:
    In The Felony Room
    It's hard to judge an independent record store these days. I don't really like what I've seen, but I realize they are facing some awful realities.
     
  23. erikdavid5000

    erikdavid5000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    +1

    I used to practically live at Record Surplus only a few years ago when I was building back my vinyl collection and I got so much stuff for reasonable prices. I even happily paid a bit more than reasonable for many many things, but these days the place is essentially a record museum.

    Head over to Sound Station off Manchester by LAX. Awesome selection, awesome staff, and their policy is "well, if it's in print on CD, available on streaming services, there's no reason to gouge the customer" .... Even their new vinyl is priced well.
     
  24. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    Some of our stores charge what I feel is more like discogs+ pricing while usually overrating the condition. The two records above are more like $15 and $3 around these parts though.
     
  25. overdrivethree

    overdrivethree Forum Resident

    My local Half Price Books seems to be attempting to reverse this trend. Their prices on vinyl got pretty ridiculous there for a couple years. But the last few times I've checked back in, their prices have come down to a far more reasonable level, with better used stock. I scored an original Beatles "Rock And Roll Music" double LP for $5 and it plays just fine.
     
    DeeThomaz likes this.
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