March 19th, 2007

The Local Music Shop

» Posted in Digital Music, Economics, NYC, Tech at 7:50 pm

The web has been encroaching on the role played by the local record shop for a while now. That’s not exactly news. But the shops are responding and adapting. And even NYC, a market where a small music stores can still survive, is no exception.

Many shops are broadcasting music from their stores on internet radio. Thats great for the nocturnal music head who can’t make it before closing time to dig through all the new shit, or simply find it more efficient to do so while riding the iron horse or trooping from place to place. (Like me, for example.)

Some are blogging events and material from their stores, where they provide in-house reviews, which takes “staff picks” to a new level.

And still others have started digital music stores, where you can buy digital files of the music of your choice from wherever you’re at.. But that’s the rarest of steps.

A quick review of some shops in the city that are evolving with the net.
Turntable Lab does it all… except sell digital music. Their web site has staff reviews of most of their music. They have an internet radio show on BrooklynRadio.net. And they have a blog where they post events, mixes, and other irrelevant stuff. Their website even offers super sperm from musical geniuses for demanding mothers!	One of those mixtapes fiends? Halcyon’s website has LOTS of podcasts from their in-house DJ’s, as well as from guests like Diplo. Jason Charles also rocks anything underground or electronic for Halcyon on his internet radio show at East Village Radio, the one time pirate radio station that got shut down by the FCC.
The long time Mecca for backpacking B Boys that is Fat Beats has also been steadily embracing the web. They have a blog, and an internet radio show on East Village Radio where Monster and Bill Sharp flip shit on that underground tip.	Other Music will soon offer a “curated selection” (which is what they consider their storefront) of MP3’s for sale that can be played on any MP3 player and copied as many times as you like. Click here for updates on that. Hopefully, they’ll dead their weird categories, like the In, Out, and Then sections.