No! Not This Month! (Developing Resistance to CDCDCD)

[Henk]

Ah, yes, your salvation.  I was forgetting your messianic streak, Henk ; )

Well then I would have written "the salvation" of course. However my salvation can also appeal to others, that's why I share it here, do you understand?

[MishaK]

The stores you talk about must be stores which have to sell their recordings in order to pay their debts. It seems unlikely to me that they choose to operate in this way. They will always loose the competition with large companies like Amazon.

Besides I don't talk about second handed recordings.

You base this conjecture on what kind of inside industry knowledge? Look, the manager of a small record label happens to be a good friend of mine. Classical recordings are not a big money making business. Most CDs sell in the low 1000s of units. They are happy to sell this stuff any way they can. A few specialty stores for classical CDs survive only because the internet allows them access to a market larger than the local community which otherwise couldn't sustain such a business. Even amazon, arkivmusic, jpc etc. are only able to offer a large selection of classical CDs because the internet makes it possible to access classical music consumers all over the world. By your bizarre logic, I should stop buying through the internet altogether. If everybody followed that advice small classical CD outlets would go under completely, the large online retailers would drastically reduce their stock and some record labels would die or stop putting out new recordings. The internet is what makes this stuff survive. Most people buy MP3s these days. Audiophile CDs are a niche product. You can't effectively access a niche market unless you are located in an unusal metropolis exceptionally saturated with those niche consumers (such as Berlin), or else you have to have an internet retail outlet or use an intermediary service like amazon marketplace. You live in lala land.

[Brian]

Don't understand you. I consider consuming at a local record store a nice thing to do, it's good to support that business.

Henk,
MishaK's entire time zone has exactly one record store. It is called Joel's Classical Shop and it is in Texas. The distance from Misha's home city to his nearest classical record store is 1550 kilometres, LITERALLY exactly the same as the distance from Amsterdam to Barcelona. In other words, for Misha, the only options are buying recordings on the internet and driving the same distance as from Amsterdam to Barcelona.

By the way, I have bought things from Joel's Classical Shop many times and it is a wonderful place. But I was very lucky to live only 325 kilometres away from it.

[MishaK]

In other words, for Misha, the only options are buying recordings on the internet and driving the same distance as from Amsterdam to Barcelona.

And driving that distance subject to American speed limits is a much more time consuming affair. 

[Brian]

And driving that distance subject to American speed limits is a much more time consuming affair. 

Not to mention without the assorted driving enhancements to be found in Amsterdam!

[Brian]

Incidentally, time to come clean about my 2011 music spending.

- At the very start of January - the 5th? - I found a Harmonia Mundi label store in Girona, Spain and was so excited I spent 40 euros.
- I used an Amazon gift card to buy some music at no charge to myself.
- I bought the Charles Mackerras Martinu/Janacek box set from Supraphon, 22 pounds.
- I bought the Harmonia Mundi Art of the Violin/Lute boxes from the Super Cheap Bargains Thread, 10 pounds together.

Total music expenditures, Q1 2011: 67 pounds or US $109. That's about half my usual rate of expenditures.

I think that my Q2 spending will mostly go towards that new line of really, really cheap Sony box sets. Targeting the Szell/Haydn, Casadesus/Mozart, Levine/Brahms, Maazel/Sibelius, Wand/Bruckner and Abbado/Tchaikovsky, which all together only come out to 70 quid/$115ish.

[MishaK]

I was very good last year. Bought literally almost nothing due to budgetary restrictions and sheer lack of time due to baby arrival. Went on a little bit of a binge over the last two months to compensate. 

[DavidRoss]

I was very good last year. Bought literally almost nothing due to budgetary restrictions and sheer lack of time due to baby arrival. Went on a little bit of a binge over the last two months to compensate. 

A new baby?  Congratulations, papa!  Your first?

[MishaK]

A new baby?  Congratulations, papa!  Your first?

Yes. Thank you

[DavidRoss]

Yes. Thank you

Oh, my.  Your world is about to change more than you can imagine!      Boy or girl?

[MishaK]

Oh, my.  Your world is about to change more than you can imagine!      Boy or girl?

Oh, I know. He will be a year old in a few days.

[DavidRoss]

Oh, I know. He will be a year old in a few days.

Lovely.  Take lots of mental snapshots now--they may come in handy around, say, 2025...? 

[The new erato]

In pure defiance of you all I just ordered a lot.

Congrats MishaK BTW!

[Henk]

In pure defiance of you all I just ordered a lot.

Well, buy and order at a local store and your my man.

Henk

[The new erato]

Well, buy and order at a local store and your my man.

Henk

You start one and I will consider it. My nearest store is in Oslo 350 miles away, and they are terribly uncompetitive pricewise.

[karlhenning]

In pure defiance of you all I just ordered a lot.

Even a contrarian needs to produce results ; )

[eyeresist]

Because I tend not to make a new order until the old one has arrived, it is a healthy feeling to have an order held over. I have an order with HMV.jp which won't arrive until at least June!

But of course I am careful to apply this separately to each retailer.

I just placed an order with Amazon - well, I had to! I mean, I desperately need a decent can opener. And it's only good economics to put a few CDs and DVDs on top, to justify the shipping cost. Am I right?

[The new erato]

Because I tend not to make a new order until the old one has arrived, it is a healthy feeling to have an order held over. I have an order with HMV.jp which won't arrive until at least June!

But of course I am careful to apply this separately to each retailer.

I just placed an order with Amazon - well, I had to! I mean, I desperately need a decent can opener. And it's only good economics to put a few CDs and DVDs on top, to justify the shipping cost. Am I right?

You're a wise man.

[Henk]

Considering my "salvation": I keep doing both, order cd's at internet and buy at the local store, since both have advantages. I just hope the local store I buy records will survive. If not, well, there will be new stores started later again, for sure.

Henk

[Henk]

You start one and I will consider it. My nearest store is in Oslo 350 miles away, and they are terribly uncompetitive pricewise.

My store is just 4 km away. When it's on my way, I often visit it. Nice people, you can always listen to cd's in seperate little rooms, nice athmosphere. It's always a pleasure. Prices are reasonable. I just make a quick assessment about buying a record at the store or on internet. If I've made use of their service or want a record immediately I buy it there.

Henk