Went into my BB tonight for the first time in a month or so. The cd section has been shrinking for the last couple years; last time I was there it was about 75% smaller then 2 years ago.

Tonight they had combined the cd's AND dvd's into the 75% shrunken cd section. This results in almost no cd's & a very small dvd section. Now that they've killed off Circuit City & Tower, looks like BB & Target are giving up on almost everything cd & dvd except Top 40 & whatever the labels are pushing that month.

This bites.

Last time I was in K-Mart, even their cd section was bigger then BB's is now.

I also find it interesting that my retail training was always to generate as much sales per square foot as possible. BB completely rearranged the store closest to me, & all product density is WAY DOWN (at least by a third).

Wonder if BB's in trouble? I'd also really like to know which overstock wholesaler bought all the cd's & dvd's Best Buy removed from the stores!

I was in my local BB today for the first time in months - complete renovation going on. CD/DVD section much reduced from the last time, and it was already getting small. They had a section of the store blocked off, although there was an opening in the back so that it was hard to tell if they were blocking it off or just separating it from the rest of the store. As Geff said, lower product density, but that may have been a concession to the remodeling.

Alan

I had a similar experience when I went to my local Borders the other day. I hadn't been there in several months. I knew their music department was shrinking, but I was still somewhat shocked to see a huge section of floor space that used to be filled with CDs now full of books.

More evidence that the CD will soon be dead unfortunately. When the big boxes don't even use them as traffic enticers, the writing is on the wall.

BTW, I was telling Jimbo about a music system my neighbor has (the Sonos/ Rhapsody system).
Its connected to his wi-fi and a main unit connects to his receiver. With a provided remote (like an IPOD Touch) he can bring up any group or album in the world and just hit play, instantly the music is playing over his speakers.

I told him look up Porcupine Tree ( a band he does not know) and within seconds the album The Incident is playing throughout the house.
I know we like to physically hold the music source but you have to admit, thats pretty neat to be able to sit in your comfy chair and with a remote, put on any album you want without dealing with looking for a CD, removing the CD from its packaging (not as easy these days) and then loading the CD and setting the receiver. No TV is needed.

Cost after the main unit and remote is bought is about $12 a month for Rhapsody. Most of us spend much more than $12 a month on music.

The WAF has to be off the roof since he doesn't need to have any shelving or special rooms to hold a music collection (like we do).
Also no server needed (something that will break eventually and all your music with it).

And good riddance to the walk-in store "experience".


No, it really is okay and nothing worthwhile has been lost. Enough with the Chicken Little stuff already. I haven't bought music from a B&M since the late 1990s, and haven't missed it at all ... my collection has never been more complete, the collecting experience has never been easier or more enjoyable.

I also don't believe that the compact disc will go away for a long time. (Hey, there's still new vinyl in 2010.) But physical media has been transitioning into a niche, collector's type of product ... that us, we're the niche. I predict (and you may bump this thread at intervals in the future) that those who shop on the Internet won't lack for new CDs for years and years to come.

I buy a lot on the net (heck it's my business), but I've always enjoyed browsing & B&M's also & I miss it.

I miss the store experience especially Tower. Places like BestBuy were never the same. Most shops in the city aren't much fun either.
So all we have left is the internet (basically Amazon).

I would guess Amazon will continue to sell CDs as long as their made since they have real low overhead. But buying stuff at Amazon while convenient, is not much fun.

No, no, John. I could not disagree with this more.

One of my goals in life is to get you guys to fall as much in love with this beautiful electronic landscape for music collecting as I have. I will never stop trying to do that.

I just listen to Pandora!

In all seriousness, i enjoy both equally. Without the net, my music collection would be missing a ton of treasures (& I don't just mean downloading either), but there's nothing quite like browsing a physical store for that elusive bargain.

I was being serious.

I also like the store experience more, personally. There's a certain instant gratification you get when you buy something and have it in your hands the instant you pay for it.

I love opening a CD and putting it in my car's player as I drive off from the store.

I see how the physicality is a distraction to Linda, but I too lament even the physicality, tactile experience and packaging of vinyl albums and sleeves. It also gave you a visual filing system in your head that helped organize which songs are on which albums. Sure, some of it may have been distracting (like Led Zep III), or lame and boring (basic head shots or formal band photos), but others were tactile (like Eat A Peach), unusual (like Who's Next), memorable (Nevermind), iconic (Horses), artistic (Yes), or just plain fascinating (like Sgt. Pepper's).

It was like flipping through artwork with hidden treasures inside. Tower Records was like a toy store for music explorers. Racks of artwork to peruse and discover the world of graphic design. Something I could hold and touch and display in my bedroom. See me, touch me, feel me... Each one was like opening a present to myself with framable wrapping. And I like the visual image associated with Abbey Road, for example. Or It's A Beautiful Day.

I miss involving some of the other senses and the added pleasure that could be found through the packaging, artwork and graphic design. CDs and cassettes took that away in an instant and was an unsatisfactory replacement, to the point of being a distraction, where I think Linda is coming from. Her viewpoint is that of more purity of the music itself, isolating the aural from other senses and allowing you to make your own visual and emotional connections rather than that of a mass-produced picture of a prism or boy-toy panderism. But personally, I miss the added entry points and invitations into undiscovered musical landscapes and find that it adds another dimension over "electronic" landscapes, of which the mere description sounds a bit cold and unconnected to me. Perhaps even tenuous. For Linda, it's an unrestricted landscape, unfettered by physicality and marketing. For some of us others, it feels more like something was taken away from us.

My feelings exactly!

Best Buy will be Radio Shack by 2015.

The way they're shrinking the entire store's inventory, I'm starting to wonder if they'll still be around in 2015.

And that's not to say I dislike online at all -- they're the best option when you want the best prices or a hard to find item. I have many prized items in my various collections I simply wouldn't have if I relied on local stores.

A couple years ago, when stores had more stuff stocked, I thought we had the best of both worlds.

I use the internet/Amazon about 70+% of the time, but still find advantages to certain stores.

When I take my yearly vacation to the Bay Area, I always look forward to spending countless hours at Amoeba and walking out with lots of things (both the SF and Berkeley stores). One advantage of great independant stores, as Amoeba, is it's easier to find CDs you might never think of buying otherwise. When I go to the 60's/garage/oldies corner of the store, I see all sorts of titles or compilations from groups I never heard of....and if it looks good, I buy it on a whim.....sometimes discovering new things I end up loving, sometimes mistakes.....it's still more fun. With Amazon, I need to know the group and/or album I'm looking for already...as it's just typing a name in the search box.

Amoeba rules!

One of my favorite times of year usually after Christmas was the 30-50% off sale at Tower Records. That was always my Christmas.
Spending the day rummaging thru the racks looking for some gem I didn't know about or finally picking up a remaster that was priced right was fun. That Tower was just a half mile away from me. All gone now.

I'm with Linda -- I really can't say I miss the brick & mortar experience. The internet gives me instant access to pretty much anything I want, the prices are better, and I don't have to leave home or go out of my way to stop somewhere. I don't mind waiting a week or two for my music -- I've got plenty of other stuff to listen to. If I miss anything about physical shopping, it's the little thrill I'd get finding something unexpected tucked away on a dusty store shelf, like an out-of-print gem or hard-to-find import. But I still experience a piece of that thrill when I find a rarity online. Occasionally I'll receive a CD or box set in less-than-perfect condition in the mail, and I'll wish I could have picked out my copy instead of having it picked out for me, but that happens relatively rarely.

I'm with Linda as well. I can look up so many things and variations of things online that no record store or Best Buy type place would ever have-and I spend zero gas money.
I do miss some things about the in-store browsing/purchasing but not much.

I agree 100% with the niche part.....like vinyl, CD ain't going away. It's just changing focus....we are the niche.

But I do seriously miss the days of browsing at B&Ms and finding all kinds of weird and wonderful things. For many years, into the early 2000's at least, I didn't shop on-line, I didn't have to. Everything I could possibly want was readily available in the stores.

But of course it deteriorated to the point where I can't buy at a local B&M (HMV, Best Buy, Future Shop) to save my life .
They have NOTHING!
Was in the local Future Shop today (they are very similar to, and owned by, Best Buy).

Not a single solitary Lennon title... nada. Ridiculous.