News
Best Buy to sell unsigned bands
Big box retailer Best Buy is teaming up with regionalcd.net to stock their stores with local music. It looks like a coup for bands with strong Myspace followings to get wider distribution for their music, with artists receiving a cut of every disc sold, although initially stores will carry few copies, letting demand dictate future inventory.
There is a catch though, as this deal looks like another nail in the coffin for independent record stores. Best Buy already uses cd's as a loss-leader, pricing them well below list prices, in an attempt to get customers through the door and two steps closer to the higher profit-margined items like appliances and electronics. Independent record stores can't keep up with these tactics and this is just another blow to their bottom line. [CMJ]
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Independent music fans don't shop at corporations like Best Buy, hence the fact they are independent music fans. I can't see this having much of an effect.
I disagree. I'm an independent music fan and buy albums at Best Buy and Rasputins.
Jay
Oh, well... in that case, this must be the end of independent music. Thanks, Jay.
i work in the cd section at a best buy and everyday no less than 5 people come in looking for independent music, and every time i feel like calling them ignorant for coming to best buy to find it, and not a store like (in vancouver anyway) zulu records, scratch records or even for some.. HMV (found jay reatard there i was pumped) but if best buy is deciding to do this, those people wont be ignorant, will they?
best-buy-employee
haha FMH is a funny cat.
i have a boner
joe s
I'm on the fence about this one...
I you truly love independent music and the artists that create it and want them to success, then you should like this idea. A store like best buy is another way for them to get their music out. Who knows, maybe it'll get some of that other crap off the shelves.
SFPOET
Hey, nice shout out to Scratch and Zulu. I also live in Vancouver. Audiopile on Commercial is the best, though, if you love $10 vinyl of all new indie releases. Not as much selection as Zulu, but way better prices.
I'm a staff writer for Wutz Hood Magazine. The mag supports independent music. Unfortunately, the indie records stores find it hard to compete in price; however, indie stores always supported indie artists through sponsorships and by allowing artists to do in-store promotion. It appears Best Buy will pick and choose what bands they will sponsor based on My Space popularity. Hmmmm...and you are aware that those numbers can be altered, right?
Ian
www.myspace.com/wutzhoodmagazine
Wutz Hood Magazine
I'm a media/gaming specialist and we sell quite a bit of independent bands and artists. I'm a huge fan of music and a lot of the bands that I like are unsigned and I generally find them at my work. I talk to a lot of members from unsigned bands and I always share with them that Best Buy will promote them. Best Buy is a great company and they're only getting better. Independent bands that want to get known have chosen a great company to share their music. And I always recommend unsigned bands to customers of similar taste.
Another Best Buy Employee