There was a time when local record shops were commonplace in New Jersey.
These were places Jersey music lovers rushed to on the day a much-anticipated album or single was released. Or perhaps they just enjoyed hanging out in the neighborhood store, looking at the rows of album covers and trading music recommendations with like-minded fans.
All that has changed. Now music fans go online to download individual tracks. Recommendation websites help them find new music they might like, and social networks allow them to congregate electronically with other fans.
Of course, many music lovers still purchase actual CDs or DVDs—or even new or used vinyl LPs. For these shoppers, there are several options. They can get new CDs at rock-bottom prices at the huge discount chains like Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart. They can go online and buy from a web retailer like amazon.com. Or they can seek out the ambience and selection of the last remaining locally owned record stores.
From Paterson to Princeton to Marlton, independent record stores dot the New Jersey landscape. They are few and far between, but, for the true fan, these intrepid retailers are worth seeking.
You never know what goodies you might find. On one recent Saturday, a customer walked into the Record City store in Paterson seeking hip-hop artist Beanie Sigel’s 2001 album, The Reason. When employee Freddy Kersey pulled it off the store’s rap CD wall and handed it over, the customer exclaimed, “You just saved my life.�?br />
Such scenes are the norm at indie stores, which stay alive by offering expert customer service, a friendly, community-oriented environment, and an ample stock of hard-to-find new and used CDs, DVDs, video games, and vinyl LPs. Typically, such establishments also carry music posters, T-shirts, audio accessories, and gift items.
Like independent bookstores, most indie record shops also maintain a presence on the Internet, where they sell used goods through their own websites or their Amazon Marketplace or eBay stores. A key to this business is used vinyl. While most consumers consider vinyl obsolete, some seek it for its sound quality or collectibility. For the record stores, vinyl is cheap to buy as people sell off their old and cumbersome collections and represents a steady, high-margin business.
Rob Roth, owner of Vintage Vinyl in Fords, says interest in vinyl is growing. In 2008, 15 percent of his sales came from vinyl, up from 10 percent the prior year. Roth says two distinct groups of customers buy vinyl. “It’s the older guys replacing their vinyl albums because new vinyl sounds better, and it’s the younger kids who are getting into it,�?he says.
But vinyl is a small business and hardly makes up for the overall decline in the music market. In 2008, total album sales (CD and vinyl) across the United States were down 14.4 percent to 428.4 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That followed years of steady declines—as recently as 2000, the industry sold 785 million albums.
Independent stores were a relatively strong sector, with their album sales in 2008 declining only 9.6 percent. Music chains were down 22 percent the same year. That helps explain why familiar chain names like Tower Records and Sam Goody have disappeared. In fact, since 2005, more than 1,800 stores carrying music have closed nationwide, according to Almighty Institute of Music Retail, a Los Angeles marketing company.
Still, despite rising rents in their downtown locations and a declining economy, a handful of hearty independent stores manage to survive. Some stay alive by marketing to a particular audience—hip-hop or Latin specialty stores, for example. Others rely on cheaper used goods. “I’d rather sell a $5 used CD than a $15 new one,�?explains Gary Scotti, owner of Scotti’s Record Shops in Summit and Morristown.
While there are bargains to be had at indie stores, when it comes to new releases, it’s impossible for these stores to compete with the discount chains, which often sell hit CDs at a loss just to build store traffic. Such loss-leading is the bane of the indie retailers�?existence. And retailers say the record companies exacerbate the problem by giving the big discounters exclusive releases from major artists. In recent years, certain titles by Garth Brooks, the Eagles, Guns N�?Roses, and AC/DC have been available only at Wal-Mart or Best Buy.
For now, the best of the independent retailers are hanging in there. Luckily, New Jersey—home of music legends from Sinatra to Basie to the Boss—still has a number of killer record stores. Here are ten of our favorites, listed alphabetically:
GROOVEGROUND
Collingswood
Over the last five years, Haddon Avenue in Collingswood has been transformed from mundane shopping street to hip strip, with restaurants, antique stores, music venues, and even a taxidermist. Among the hippest spots on the strip is Grooveground, a coffeehouse-cum-music store that opened in 2001.
Grooveground may make its bigger bucks with coffee and its eclectic menu (featuring yakitori, quesadillas, salads, vegetarian chili, parfaits, and the like), but it remains committed to music.
“We’ve been doing surprisingly well selling CDs, especially considering downloading and the down economy,�?says Rich DiGregorio, a Grooveground barista from Marlton. Part of one wall displays CDs of all genres, and what is not available in the store can be ordered through Grooveground’s website.
“We really encourage people to order through us,�?says DiGregorio. “Why would they do that when they could go to amazon.com? Well, don’t you want to order from someone who knows about music? That is a requirement here.�?br />
Grooveground also has music memorabilia, T-shirts, and other new and used clothing. Friday nights are live music nights, with several acts playing.
647 Haddon Ave, 856-869-9800, grooveground.com
JACK’S MUSIC SHOPPE
Red Bank
Rumor has it that Jack’s is where Bruce Springsteen shops for his music. Whatever the case, this is one of the best record stores in the state. It’s a big store�?,400 square feet on the main floor, plus a 1,300- square-foot balcony—and it is stocked with tens of thousands of CDs and DVDs. Guitars and other instruments, amplifiers, and sheet music are also for sale.
Celebrating his 40th year in business, owner Jack Anderson admits, “We don’t see the volume that we would have seen in the old days.�?Demographics have changed, too. “We used to sell to everyone from young kids to grandparents, but we don’t do much youth business because they are so into downloading,�?Anderson says.
Interest in hit CDs is down, but “catalog and esoteric titles�?still do big business for Jack’s. “Rock is our main seller,�?says Anderson. “We will carry every Stones album, every Beatles, every Zeppelin. Any decent artist, we will have their whole catalog. You can’t find that at Best Buy.�?br />
Used CDs account for about 15 percent of Jack’s CD inventory. Remarkably, before being sold, each used CD is resurfaced, loaded into a new plastic tray, and rewrapped. “It comes out beautiful, but we mark it as used,�?says Anderson.
So does Springsteen shop at the store? Anderson won’t say yes or no, just that Bruce is “a damn nice guy.”—EC
30 Broad St, 732-842-0731, jacksmusicshop.com
PRINCETON RECORD EXCHANGE
Princeton
It’s 3 pm on Super Bowl Sunday, and Princeton Record Exchange is humming. About 60 customers are poking through the rows of bins and conversing with friends about potential purchases.
According to owner Barry Weisfeld, Princeton Record Exchange carries about 60,000 CDs, 50,000 LPs, and 20,000 DVDs. Although it is packed to the rafters, the store is easy to shop. An exception is the bargain vinyl, some of which is displayed in boxes under the racks.
Used items account for about 60 percent of what the store sells. “Our strongest categories on CD are rock, classical, and jazz,�?says Weisfeld. “On vinyl, it is rock, jazz, soul, and reggae.�?br />
Weisfeld started the store in 1980; it has been in its present location since 1985. Pricing is key. “We have 20,000 CDs under $5, which is one of our big draws,�?he says.
The store’s customers are mainly males in the 20-to-40 age range, although the occasional youngster will wander in. “We had a 12-year-old kid here looking for blues records,�?Weisfeld relates. “I talked to her mother, and the kid was really into it. We don’t get too much business from the under-14-year-old age group.”—EC
20 S Tulane St, 609-921-0881, prex.com
RECORD CITY
Paterson
Record City has been in business in downtown Paterson for more than twenty years and is considered by some in the music industry to be the top urban music store in New Jersey. “We specialize in hip-hop, R
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