Music store has new digs too - right around the block - still in Armory Square:
Upon entering Syracuse’s The Sound Garden one of the first visible images is a four-foot tall poster of iconic country singer Johnny Cash flashing his middle finger.
This is an appropriate visual summation of the record store’s attitude toward the current trends in the music industry that could potentially threaten their existence.
Earlier this month Nielsen Soundscan reported that physical CD sales dropped approximately 16 present while digital sales rose 34 percent since this time last year.
Major retailers such as Best Buy and Walmart, known in the industry as “big box” stores, have reduced their shelf space for CDs. In 2006 Tower Records, a once powerful and successful record store chain, went out of business. In 2007 Virgin had to close one of its more popular Megastores on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, Calif., citing that 40 percent of the company’s revenue comes from music sales whereas it was 70 percent four years ago. These trends have been felt more locally as The Sound Garden closed down their Geneseo location and Buffalo’s New World Record closed in April.
These statistics do not favor independent record stores like The Sound Garden, but they are taking measures to fight back.
“Basically, you just need to have a huge collection,” Ron Cicoria, The Sound Garden’s manager, said.
Since The Sound Garden is now the only independent record store in Syracuse, Cicoria says they have become a specialty store as much as a record store. The store has two floors full of new and used DVDs, CDs, vinyl records and assorted memorabilia. Cicoria said that the used section accounts for a significant chunk of their revenue and consumer-friendly price reductions are also a major factor. For example, The Sound Garden offers season two of the TV show “Arrested Development” for $19.99, while Best Buy charges $32.99. In regards to these markdowns Cicoria said, “sometimes you just have to take the hit to stay competitive.”
Appealing to niche audiences is also something The Sound Garden tries to focus on.
“We have the third Little Feat album, who else has that?” Cicoria said.
Whether you have heard of the band Little Feat or not is irrelevant, the point is that fans of the band can find their albums at The Sound Garden. Cicoria said the store wants to build the reputation of having everything.
The Sound Garden is also backed by the Music Monitor Network (MMN), a marketing coalition that helps independent record stores unite and work with record labels. “We believe that record stores are a viable part of any community” Carrie Colliton, Marketing Director for the MMN, said. It was this philosophy that sparked the creation of Record Store Day, a national event that took place on April 19. MMN backed stores were given exclusive sales that were not available to the big box stores; The Sound Garden, for example, sold a limited edition vinyl print of a Jason Mraz album on Record Store Day. National recording artists Metallica even did an in-store signing and meet and greet session with fans in San Francisco to help the cause.
Even with some artists support and a national unification of record stores, many say that there is still some work to be done. Matt Mallaber, former manager of The Sound Garden in Geneseo, said the industry as a whole is in trouble. Mallaber cites the advent of downloading music and the struggling economy as the main reasons for the store’s closing.
“As gas prices went up, there was less disposable income for people to spend on media,” Mallaber said.
He also said Geneseo’s rural location was a hindrance and the Syracuse location benefits from being in a more centralized urban area.
With the current economic conditions across the country and specifically Central and Western New York, changes to CD prices and packaging could be in order. Mark Bialczak music critic for the Syracuse Post-Standard, advocates a standard price of $10 for new CDs.
“If sales are lagging, you must reconsider your price point,” Bialczak said.“This is basic business that should be embraced by the music industry.”
Bruce Moser, an independent record promoter based in Buffalo, agrees that the record labels could help themselves out by offering fans more than just a standard CD. He feels that the inclusion of live or previously unreleased songs with CDs would entice fans back to record stores. Moser said many albums today have too much filler material and that record labels and artists “have a mentality that focuses on singles and not full albums.”
There is no clear cut way to track the statistics of illegal downloading, yet it is no coincidence that record sales have dipped since the inception of Napster spawned other file sharing programs such as Limewire or Kazaa.
While many people are downloading material illegally, some fans still prefer to go the traditional route. Kyle Anderson, an industrial design student at Syracuse University and patron of The Sound Garden, said it is unfortunate that some people don’t pay for music at all anymore.
“If you like a band, you should be willing to invest some money in them,” Anderson said.
As a fan he still enjoys the live music atmosphere and tends to buy CDs directly at the concerts in an effort to “cut out the middle man” of the record label.
From an artist’s standpoint, the record labels may be part of the problem. Moser says that labels are “raping and pillaging” artists when it comes to their financial cut. If the band releases a song for download at the price of $1, the artist is “lucky to see 13 cents of that” Moser said. To combat this, the band Radiohead set music history in 2007 when they released their album “In Rainbows” entirely through their website without the help of a record label. Fans were permitted to pay whatever price they chose, even if it was nothing. UK based publication The Times reported that the average payment was $7.99 US, yet approximately one third of the fans paid nothing. Other artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Madonna have followed suit.
While these online releases may benefit the artist, independent stores like The Sound Garden come out on the losing end. Cicoria describes these online releases as a major pain.
“If something is new in the industry, it’s an injustice if you can’t get it at a record store,” he said.
Artists are also striking deals exclusively with big box stores. AC/DC, a band synonymous with rebellion, will release their new album exclusively through Wal-Mart, a store known for its conservatism. Colliton called these deals that cut out independent stores “misguided and wrong.”
Cicoria said that most major recording artists grew up as music fans and support independent record stores. Henry Rollins, of Black Flag and Rollins Band fame, told the MMN, “If we lose the independent record stores, we lose big.”
Given that big box stores will never fade away, independent music stores like The Sound Garden everywhere hope that music fans share Rollins’ sense of urgency.
Moving on up
Syracuse’s the Sound Garden will be expanding size and scope. The city’s only independent record store will reside on Jefferson Street next to the M.O.S.T. Museum hopefully by the end of this month.
“Its definitely going to be bigger and better,” manager Ron Cicoria said.
With each purchase made at the store, customers receive a flier advertising the store’s relocation. The first line emphasizes the “HUGE” brick building that will house the store’s inventory, which filled two floors at the current location. Store management promises to expand on that inventory twofold.
“Our local section is the best in Syracuse,” Cicoria said.
The section is approximately three rows wide and management hopes to increase that. Record industry statistics show an increase in vinyl sales and the Sound Garden will expand their vinyl capacity accordingly.
Video games offer new facets of business for the store. The game selection will focus on the major platforms such as Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. The new store will sell new and used video games while also accepting trade ins. This model proved successful with music and DVDs. Cicoria said that used media accounts for a significant chunk of the Sound Garden’s revenue.
Customers who have had to fight their way to the store’s original location on Walton Street, can enjoy the benefits of free parking when the new store opens. The parking lot is located on Jefferson Street.
The store currently offers a sale on used CDs, two for $10. For more information on the store visit them in Armory Square or on line at cdjoint.com.
