Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Moving a Record Store Part 3: The Final Chapter.

We have been in our new location for about 10 days now and all aspects of the move are completed. All the shelving and vinyl have been moved and we have spent the last week or so getting organized in the new space. The pictures that follow were all taken over the last couple of weeks as the final steps of the move were completed.

Part 2 of the series focused on one really tall record shelf. Soon afterwards, the first of three large shelves were moved. Here's what it would have looked like in the first aisle after moving the shelf, and filling it with in stock titles.


We had to start filling up the big shelf with records, and we did that the very next day.


A few days later, another large double-sided record shelf was moved and reconstructed in the new digs. Our helpers Travis and Joey were ready to rock. It's too bad we can't move these shelves with the records on them, but I don't know many people (or groups of people) who can lift 11,000 pounds. These guys were extremely efficient and the only job left for me was to supervise. A job well done!



Meanwhile, back at the old location 10 feet down the hallway, it looked like a tornado went through. Still lots of stuff to do, but the bulk of the heavy lifting is done at this point. 



This move gave us a prime opportunity to do some much needed house cleaning. The records were neatly arranged in the new office gradually as the move happened. Just look at these beautifully organized rows of records!



Some of our stuff made it over quickly and with little regard for organization. These are just empty boxes, and it took only a few minutes to clean this up. Below this mess is our new record sorting area!


It's right next to the shipping tables.


The morning after, looking past boxes of house and hip hop records in the new location. It looks kind of tight from this angle, but there's enough room to move around.


We have coffee!



We should probably clean up the old office too, eh?





Done and done! Ready for a new tenant.


And finally some time to custom mount one of the Technics 1200 MK-2 turntables. It may not be the most attractive install, but it's very functional! Playing records without leaving the desk doesn't hurt at all.


We have all worked tirelessly in the past few weeks, and we are happy to have all of this moving stuff behind us. Now we can get back to work! A huge thank you to Joey and Travis - it was their efforts that made this move possible. Going forward, we'll be able to serve our customers even better from our new location.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Freight Train Graffiti: Street Art in Eau Claire

Eau Claire is not a city known for it's graffiti. We don't have any subway trains. Our buses are clean. We don't have a lot of old buildings with large brick faces to tag. Still, we are located in a truly perfect spot to witness some of the best freight train graffiti this side of New York City. Right here in Eau Claire.

All of the following photos were taken within the last year. I can only hope these trains keep rolling by. If they do, I will get them posted.

Freight Train Graffiti #1
Freight Train Graffiti #1 (Right Side)
Freight Train Graffiti #1 (Left Side)

Freight Train Graffiti #1 (Full Car)
Freight Train Graffiti #2



Freight Train Graffiti #2
Freight Train Graffiti #3
Freight Train Graffiti #3
Freight Train Graffiti #3
Freight Train Graffiti #3
Freight Train Graffiti #3
Freight Train Graffiti #3

We liked the last one so much, we used it in one of our ads. I hope Dego doesn't mind.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Vinyl Record Sales Up 36% to 3.9 Million Units in 2011

The Nielsen and Billboard 2011 Music Industry Report was just released, and the sales of vinyl records continue to soar. Vinyl sales accounted for 3.9 million units in 2011, up 36% from the prior year. Vinyl records only represent a small portion of the overall music market, and despite the fact that CD sales have plummeted by upwards of 70% in the last decade, the compact disc still accounted for sales of 223.5 million units this past year. Digital music sales outpaced physical media sales (vinyl, CDs) for the first time ever, accounting for 50.3% of total sales - a sign that the digital age is taking hold in the mainstream.

Some of the physical media sales were spurred by big discounts. CD retailers opted to sell catalog titles as low as $5 apiece, which is a far cry from the $15 retail price of the past. As far as buying vinyl records in 2011, the deals have never been better. Online record retailer Metrowax has been offering discount offers of up to 40% off, and some aging stock as low as 35 cents each before any discounts.

Has the music industry finally come back from the abyss? Time will tell. For 2012, expect certain trends to continue. Digital and vinyl record sales should continue to rise. Digital music is starting to assert some dominance in the marketplace, and vinyl still has a long upward trend in front of it. CD sales have not yet hit the bottom and should continue to fall into the foreseeable future.

Check out these full articles on this topic.
Full Album Sales Showed a Little Growth in 2011...(NY Times)
The Music Hasn't Died:: Sales Up for First Time Since 2004...(Mashable)

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Classic Breakin' Video: 1983 Big Break Dance Contest

Here's an oldie but goodie that was dusted off and digitized. Classic. Enjoy!


Read more about this video over on Official Periodic.