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Record industry versus iPods and downloading (and why I like FBC)
They’re everywhere! IPODS (not to mention the dorky, white earphones that are included). Mostly, these tiny devices are spreading the same mainstream monotonous top 20 heard on every radio station known to man, which people can’t seem to get enough of. I know that if I hear another Kanye or Nickelback song I will have to hurt someone (not literally…well maybe if they’re forcing me to listen to Golddigger for the 8 millionth damn time). Sadly, since the advent of IPODs, the record industry has been screwed. Sales are down. But, is it any mystery why? Let’s face it, people don’t want to go to a store and drop $15 on a CD when free music is readily available online. Call it piracy or copyright infringement, regardless, it makes perfect sense. You could say that the record industry had it coming to them. When CD’s were first introduced back in the 80’s, the industry thought that they could charge $15 to $20 for a little plastic disk. And at that time anyway, they were right. The industry basically held a monopoly in the distribution of their artists’ work. If people wanted the music, they had to pay the price because there weres no cheaper options. Enter Napster in the late 1990’s. Napster, an early brainchild of the “file-sharing” that occurs today, was the answer to the overpriced discs of the days of old. Copyright law violation you say? Please! Although, it is true, and I am in no way, shape, or form promoting the act, it makes perfect sense. Within seconds, if anyone from around the world wants a song with a simple click of a mouse, it’s theirs. The industry, as well as many government agencies, have responded by cracking down on companies like Napster but also on individual downloaders. Yet many people shrug off the threat, because of the perception that most of the users targeted by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are those who download the most. Today, a transformed Napster, as well as new file-sharing options, allow people to download music online, usually for the “low” price of 99 cents per track. But, wait a second! Couldn’t you just go out to a store and buy the same damn CD for that exact price? This appears to be the most obvious reason why so-called piracy continues. There are still many file-sharing programs around that offer 100% free downloading. Until the industry and other slow government agencies figure out how to stop the process of illegal music downloading, many people will use it. I may be one of the few people that still ventures out to record stores. Call it my nostalgia for records (you know, those grossly over-sized black vinyl things that your parents used to listen to). Or call it my ignorance for not taking the opportunity to use the online resources. Why do I bother going to these stores? You may be wondering this because I just wrote a whole page about the over-pricing of the industry…(and you’re saying to yourself he’s still supporting them by throwing away his cash?). Yes, I am. Granted, I hate how much CD’s cost. They still have that glaring $15 price sticker, but for me record and CD shopping is my hobby. Crazy? Maybe, but for me there’s nothing else like it. Take Flat, Black, and Circular (FBC for short) for instance. Located on the north side of Grand River, between Division and Bailey, they are one of the three record stores on Grand River here in East Lansing, and, yes, they’re my favorite. To enter FBC, you walk upstairs to its second floor location, into a comfortable-sized music shop. It smells slightly musty from all of the used music and memorabilia that occupies various crates and bins around the store. But, it’s that smell that I live for. I visit the store as much as I can during each month. Unfortunately school occupies most of my time. Records don’t move out of and into the store as much as I’d like, but that’s the case for any shop you go to. You have to wait a while to make your rounds for any new-old stuff to turn up. The demand for records (and CDs for that matter) just isn’t very high. Thumbing through FBC’s numerous crates is what I love. You can find plenty of old stuff, but every now and then you find an awesome release you just have to buy for your collection. The beauty of record shopping is, although it still costs money (and we’re all ridiculously poor college students), on average, a used record will only cost you about $3 to $4, far less than purchasing a new CD. Until the record industry figures out how to halt all of the piracy online, I say more power to those of you who download. Get it for free if you wish, but if you want to go exploring and possibly find something new and different that you haven’t heard before, go to a record shop. Spend the money. It’s worth the experience and the fun. return to SpartanEdge.com home page 
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