Lackluster Albums Killed the Record Store

It’s depressing.....In my youngster days, I would spend hours in a record store browsing for the latest breakthrough artists and bands. I also would pick up on the albums that were before my time but were definitive to their eras i.e. Purple Rain, Sticky Fingers, Thriller. I invested so much time and money to building a library of one of the most diverse music collections as it was a passion of mine.
Now it’s dead. No not disco, but the music industry. The breakthrough of illegal downloading and mp3 players has put the industry on halt and doesn’t seem to be moving forward in creating definitive albums. Now in days you hear a song on the radio and you run to your Itunes or illegal file sharing program and download it. In doing so, we’ve reduced the value of the album as a whole. The music business has taken note. Can anyone say that Futuresex/Lovesounds or B-Day will be considered a groundbreaking album 20 years down the road? Though we may remember Sexyback for its bizarre and tacky title.

For me it’s incredibly depressing to be witnessing legendary Toronto record stores like Sam’s closing due to the shoddy state of the industry. Even Music World is throwing in the towel. Music isn’t marketable in a package anymore. Now it has to be sold for advertisements or be included on some reality television program. HMV has completely reinvented its product line. They now specialize in dvds and video games, whereas they used to be the leading chain for music.

Of course I’ve come to realize that’s the way the market shifts, and will continue to support artists and musicians if their music interests me. Be sure to keep an eye open for the critical reviews of this years most anticipated releases. All reviewed by yours truly. Until then, everybody go out and buy an entire album. Yes, you haven’t “bought” a record in five years, but we’ve got to do our best to protect such a wonderful medium.

-JayLaDivo