Record Store Tips : Florence Italy

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by timnor, Jun 2, 2014.

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  1. timnor

    timnor Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Thanks for that tip. It looks a great shop. The only thing that put me off was I checked the Dylan albums and the prices of original US pressings were sky high even compared to ebay and discogs. If this is the going price then when I sell my collection I am a rich man ! Still I will pass by for sure and take a credit card !
    Cheers
    Jim
     
  2. No Static

    No Static Gain Rider

    Location:
    Heart of Dixie
    This.

    I was there a few years ago and glad so see they're still around. The front of the shop is expensive but there's fair-priced vinyl as well. Stereophile did a short article on them once. Owners seem to be music lovers.

    Oh, and I was able to shop for vinyl, see the sights and eat all in the same trip. You can do all three. Great city!
     
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  3. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    Well, if you're American, I do not think you need to come to Italy to buy the first American pressings of Bob Dylan; in Italy, as far as the American releases, it is obvious that prices are higher than those that you have in the U.S.; a question: how much is it a first Italian press in the USA?

    Moral of the story: a record of an Italian artist that here in Italy it's 15 euro, if you find the same record in a store in the United States you will pay it at least double, if not triple; this is the logic of the market.

    Also: buying from Italy in the United States, I will pay the shipping costs more (often) the customs fees (which are not negligible, here in Italy), with the risk of having to send back the record because it does not match the description: with regard to the store "Rock Bottom" I can assure you that the description is always very thorough and professional and they do not ever sell a re-press guise of a first press (as often happens around....): according to you, why the records sold by some very famous sellers on ebay (for example oneadayrecords) often come to exceed three times the average value of the market? because there are sellers who over the years have always shown great professionalism and buyers trust them and prefer to buy from them: this is "Rock Bottom" here in Italy.

    However, everyone buys what he wants wherever he wants...I do not have to advertise to anyone: someone asked info about the best record-shops in Florence, and I gave an answer.
     
  4. timnor

    timnor Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Please don't get me wrong I am really grateful for the tip, will visit the store and I am sure I will pick up some LPs there.
    I am in Europe not America and have collected most original US Dylan pressings which I picked up at record shops all over Europe
    and also had many sent from the US and I never, ever even came close to paying 140 to 190 Euros for an original mono 2 eye Bob Dylan pressing !
    But if people want to pay these prices then I am happy if it keeps an independent record shop afloat ! Personally I would only pay 190 if Bob plays
    acoustic in my front room with the re-formed Rolling Thunder Band ! I guess everyone has a different idea of a price range that moves from
    expensive to excessive.
    Thanks again
    Jim
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2014
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  5. hockman

    hockman Forum Resident

    You are right, it is a broad sweeping statement and I bow to Stefano's local knowledge. But my travel observation is that good music shops are a lot harder to find in Italy (even in large cities like Rome) when compared to say Tokyo, Paris, even Istanbul...etc. Ok, perhaps Tokyo is an exception and an unfair comparison but in Paris for instance there are quite a no. of stores with rare and diverse old and new albums (albeit a bit pricey). There are stores that you could spend a whole day browsing and still find interesting stuff...
     
  6. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    What you say is true; Italian record stores have suffered a lot (perhaps more than in other countries) new forms of on-line sales (mainly Amazon) and the stores can not withstand the competition of Amazon: A store has to pay the rent of the premises, bills, employees, taxes (in Italy are very high, among the highest in the world) and can not possibly compete with Amazon which is able to sell at bargain prices; in Italy, only the field of vintage collecting was able to withstand the impact, but to devote yourself to collecting you need to be very competent and professional and "Rock Bottom" is the best we have in Italy; then everyone can criticize everything, but the situation in Italy is currently this one.

    As far as the record fairs (such as those in Milan or Bologna), the situation is more or less the same: great fairs last at least two days and the sellers have to pay the hotel, the road (the fuel and the motorway here in Italy are very very expensive), the space for the stand (very expensive too), and they certainly can not sell an original American Bob Dylan's album for 10 euro.

    Remain the flea markets: there you can find some great records at very very good prices, provided that the seller does not know what he's selling; but the policy of the smartest was the one that brought Italy to ruin; I do not know if I have explained myself.

    As far as the actual quality of Italian music, I agree that it is pretty bad, but the record companies produce what the public asks; and the "One Direction" band does not seem to be Italian...
     
  7. timnor

    timnor Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    I understand what you are saying. It seems to be a special situation in Italy which drives up the prices. What a pity. Still look on the bright side you have the singing Nun ! Now that is quality music !
    Cheers
    Jim
     
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  8. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel

    I'm surprised to read this , I buy cds from many Italian sellers online who have very large collections of quality music ( industrial, progressive rock ,new wave and EBM) sellers from discogs, gemm and ebay ( many times I found rare items at these sellers that its almost impossible to find elsewhere and the italian sellers sell those cds in fair prices
    so I always I thought that there is wide audience in Italy for quality music .
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2014
  9. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    I would say that in Italy, in proportion there are few people who listen to "good music"; but that few people are even willing to spend a lot of money.

    For "good music", I personally intend to music that requires some intellectual effort to be understood in full; for "bad music" I mean that which has no stature of this type; otherwise, the terms "good" and "bad" are always very subjective.
     
  10. Picca

    Picca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Modena, Italy
    American pressings are pricey because they're, surprise, american. America is pretty distant from, surprise, Italy. In the sixties we used to press our records but in the seventies and eighties record companies started to import and distribute their releases, especially successful ones, while private importers were busy with the less commercial items. That's why in Italy it's easier to find, for example, German WB vinyls or Dutch CBS discs. Labels used to do this, don't ask me why, marketing strategies...I don't know. All the Nice Price CBS stuff was from the Netherlands, all the Asylum, Elektra from Germany. 'Printed in U.S.A.' was pretty rare because american dollar was very costly and when a Dutch pressing of Thriller (distributed directly to the shops by the label) used to cost 13'000 of old Lira (our coin before euro) an American pressing was 23'500. In Italy 'Printed in USA' meant expensive record (for some time the only American pressings availaible were the 'For Military Sale Only' ones, Columbia stuff mainly). A little cheaper were the records printed in Canada. Not to mention japan ones.
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2014
  11. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel
    Stefano
    most of the cds / lp stores that deal with industrial and new wave are in Milano?
     
  12. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    Absolutely true: in particular, the original USA Columbia "two eye" label in Italy is really impossible to find. Not to mention the Japanese releases that are ultra-rare in Italy and at unbelievable prices.
     
  13. Picca

    Picca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Modena, Italy
    Disco D'Oro in Bologna was heavily into that stuff. Don't know nowadays.
     
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  14. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    Well: every record store that has survived in Italy, it was forced to specialize itself; and new wave and industrial records/CD you can find them in every store that has survived the advent of Amazon. Then, it is clear that if you are looking for very rare and special pieces like for example the Death in June records, it is not easy to find them anywhere ....
     
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  15. Picca

    Picca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Modena, Italy
    http://www.discodoro.it/
    Here's the link (bet you already got it...)
     
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  16. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel
    Death in June is a great band , Especially their dark folk era
    Thank you for the link:cool:
    I will search their and maybe I will find Treasures.
    do they send their cds / lp outside of italy?
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2014
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  17. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel
  18. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    In my opinion, I would recommend you, to look here in Italy for Italian pressings of Italian artists: we have something for everyone: opera, rock, pop, progressive, jazz; Italy has a tradition of excellent music; then, frankly, as tourist in Tel Aviv I look for music by local artists and not by Italian musicians; as tourist in Japan I look for Japanese pressings and not for the Australian ones; I think it's quite logical and natural.
     
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  19. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel
    There is an Italian progressive rock band which greatly admired in Israel - PFM ( Premiata Forneria Marconi
    they made great music.
     
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  20. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    .....If I ever go to Tel Aviv, I would stock up on Israel pressings that have different covers and that here in Italy are naturally impossible to find.
     
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  21. Picca

    Picca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Modena, Italy
    e-mail them:
    [email protected]
    they're on Facebook too
     
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  22. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    A list of the Italian record stores that have withstood the crisis:

    http://freequenze.blogspot.it/p/negozi-di-dischi-italiani.html

    Personally, perhaps even in matters related to my age, since I was a teenager I have always bought the records in the store and not via computer: at that time there was no internet and the only way to get some good advices was to go to your dealer; bringing home the record, removing the cellophane and placing the record on the turntable, all these things gave me a great feeling; now many things have changed: I often purchase on ebay too, but it's not the same good feeling.

    I wish all the independent record stores around the world, to resist and not give up.
     
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  23. Peter A

    Peter A Senior Member

    I know the thread is about vinyl record stores in Florence, but if anyone is interested in jazz, blues, Brazilian music etc. on CD, I would strongly suggest to pay a visit to Twisted Jazz Shop (Borgo San Frediano, 21r).
    The shop has an incredible collection of CD's in the genres I mentioned, many Japanese editions. For instance, apart from Brazil, I have never seen a shop which has so many bossa nova CD's.
    There is also some second hand (jazz) vinyl, but that's mainly common stuff.

    For (rock, sixties, new wave) vinyl, Rock Bottom would definitely be my first choice. As has been mentioned a couple of times, prices are relatively high, but I saw many records there which I had never seen before (I bought a mint first (mono) pressing of Fresh Cream). Many (first) UK pressings in great condition...

    Cheers,
    Peter
     
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  24. Stefano G.

    Stefano G. Ab alto, speres alteri quod feceris.

    Of course, it is not the only store we have in Italy: there are many stores that are well supplied and that are operated by serious dealer; but if you love records and if you are a collector, you can not go to Florence without a visit to the store "Rock Bottom": It would be like going to Rome without going to photograph the Coliseum.
     
  25. timnor

    timnor Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Thanks for all the tips. I was in Florence and visited both Rock Bottom and Data93.

    Rock Bottom is a vinyl museum and worth a visit even if just to look round. Incredible stock. For the reasons that Stefano mentioned the prices are the most expensive
    I have ever seen in many years of record hunting but it is kind of fun to look at LPs you picked up (in Europe) for 40 Euro on sale for 320 ! I guess this shop
    would appeal to those with cash to spare, a desire to have an honestly graded LP who don't want to use discogs or ebay. Definitely for the specialist collector and not
    for a bargain hunter.

    I actually preferred Data93 for atmosphere. The prices were also cheaper and a bit more digging was necessary to uncover a gem.

    There were also new records and used CDs on sale at a large bookshop IBS near the Duomo. I picked up a Scott Walker DVD 30th Centuary Man for 5 Euro.

    Oh and the city was great too !
    Cheers
    Jim
     
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