Where's the metal?

Here’s an idea with a potentially short shelf life: a website that lists record stores around you that carry metal.

That site is wheresthemetal.com. Currently it only works for the US. It looks like it integrates Google’s search and map functionalities.

(Interestingly, in a recent RIAA-vs-downloader lawsuit, the defendant argued that distance from record stores (and thus from albums carrying copyright notices) constituted lack of access to copyright notices (since MP3’s don’t carry them). In other words, “record stores far away” = ignorance = innocent infringement. A weak argument, but an interesting one to make.)

From testing a few locations with it, two things are immediately noticeable. First, it’s pretty accurate. Second, it’s depressing how few independent record stores there are. The main place to buy metal in the US seems to be Hot Topic, with other chains like FYE and Best Buy running a distant second.

Chains have a poor selection of metal, and necessarily so. They operate in terms of revenue per square foot, so they only carry what sells the most.

Independent record stores have a related problem. If they are to have a “good” selection, they must carry more obscure stuff that doesn’t sell well. They can stock higher profile releases to get people in the door, but chain stores carry those, too, and they usually undercut independents in terms of prices. Chains also have the clout to get, say, High on Fire to offer exclusive bonus tracks only at Best Buy.

I’ve written about a few metal-centric record stores: Shaxul in San Francisco, Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles, and The Record Vault back in the day in SF. They are the exception to the rule. The rule is that metal releases are skyrocketing, record stores are nosediving, and CD’s probably won’t be manufactured in five years.  (I recently got into a heated discussion about this with Hydra Head Records co-owner Mark Thompson.  He thinks CD’s will go away in 20 years, not five.  Since he’s the one actually selling them, he’s probably right.)

My approach to record stores has changed, at least for metal.  Record stores used to be where I bought music I was seeking.  But since there are so many releases now, yet so few stores to carry them, record stores have become places to buy music I don’t seek.  They’re better for unexpected finds than directed buying.  If I want a metal album, local record stores probably don’t carry it, especially given my tastes.  Meanwhile, it’s always available online, with more benefit to labels and artists if I buy directly from them.

Record stores are good for two things: buying music and being around it.  Both functions are becoming increasingly irrelevant for me as my tastes become more “long tail” and esoteric.  Chances are that any given record store won’t carry what I’m looking for, and that the online community is more knowledgeable about my tastes than any given record store clerk.  I’m torn.  I want to support record stores.  They were an integral part of my youth.  But they feel more like a luxury to me now than a necessity.