Big Bad Best Buy

[Jason Tate]

Pitchfork recently released an article (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/06-02/23.shtml#bestbuy) on how Best Buy is screwing over indie-record stores.

[FreddyKrueger]

no shit

[silverloydstein]

shit no

[SuperJoe]

"I don't deny for a second that using hot indie titles as a loss leader is a total sucker punch to mom and pop record stores."

yeah i totally read that wrong the first time

[Kram41]

I think people need to accept that the days of independent records stores are coming to an end.

[SuperJoe]

I think people need to accept that the days of independent records stores are coming to an end.

um, wrong?

[Chriz2z]

My Bestbuy never has anything that I want. I have to go to FYE and pay a premium price, but atleast they have it.

[weworemasks]

indie record shops are pretentious and charge 15.99 for a cd i can buy for 9.99 at best buy. being a college student, i dont give a shit where i buy it from, as long as its the cheapest. i dont really care to hear the other side of the story (indie shop side) cause its always the same story. lower your damn prices, maybe ill buy it.

[Kram41]

um, wrong?

What does it matter where you buy the CD from, besides the price?

[youareallfreaks]

Damn The Man


. . .

[Chemical Love]

Personally I love this, CDs for cheap.

[SwedishHeat]

If the music industry's business model has to change, then indie record shops should too.

[SuperJoe]

What does it matter where you buy the CD from, besides the price?

you mean despite the fact that corporations like best buy run local mom and pop stores out of business and then being able to price-fix goods? i guess if you don't really care about the community that you live in, or don't support small business, then it really doesn't matter.

and i won't even touch on the ethical rationale for why supporting local indie stores is far more important than supporting businesses that can market the latest trends and drop it as soon as it falls out of the mainstream.

[youareallfreaks]

Damn The Man


. . .


SAVE THE EMPIRE!

[actionandaction]

I get vinyls from local record shops, that's about it. And I think I'm one of 3 people who enjoy pitchfork.

[zizou1790]

doesnt best buy lose money on the cds they sell anyways?

[SuperJoe]

I get vinyls from local record shops, that's about it. And I think I'm one of 3 people who enjoy pitchfork.

local record shops have a lot of stuff that stores like best buy don't, including used cd's, hard to find albums, and a good vibe with some conversation

people these days just want to run to the store, get a good deal, run home, throw it on their ipod, and go jogging

[SuperJoe]

doesnt best buy lose money on the cds they sell anyways?

yes, but it's a temporary loss. the idea is to attract more customers so that they will purchase a stereo system or dvd player or whatever tech good is needed. they make much more on a large sale than they lose by knocking a few bucks off of a CD

[sweetfootaction]

I'm not going to pay double the price for a cd at a different store when I can get a cd I want for $7.99 at Best Buy. I'm a college student and I usually like to pay the cheapest price, not get ripped off. When I see a good deal, I'm going to take advantage of it. Cd's are overpriced to begin with, why support that fact?

[Stubby0918]

I like best buy because the cds are so cheap. I'm sorry if I don't feel like paying over 15 dollars for cd

[SuperJoe]

I like best buy because the cds are so cheap. I'm sorry if I don't feel like paying over 15 dollars for cd

cds are pretty cheap the week they are released, even at indie stores. i buy about 30 cds a year (of which about 5-7 were purchased from a best buy, circuit city, etc), and i can't remember the last time i payed $15 for one.

[punkrockcasual]

Yeah, seriously. Why would you pay more for something when you don't have to? Not to mention I work at Best Buy, and I get CDs even cheaper. :X

[Kristina Marie]

My dad and I opened up a music store here and we charge $5-6 a CD, although a majority are used CDs.

[GAD_guy]

man i bought the cat power and antony and the johnsons albums for that price, but i felt so fucking dirty doing it. i almost felt like i was stealing. i didn't know the exact details but i pretty much knew this was a scheme to put indie record stores out of business. i try to buy as little as possible from major corporations. i justified the purchase to myself becuase i know i wouldn't have bought those two albums for their regular price. i still felt like a criminal though.

by the way, pitchfork is the best site on the internet.

[sweetmik]

I think people need to accept that the days of independent records stores are coming to an end.

You're an idiot.

and plus the "I'm a college student" excuse is old. A majority of the people on here are college students. If you don't have money, find a website or a fanzine to get free cds in exchange for reviews. You'll be supporting the artist and label, just in a different way. And if you can't write, buy used cds. and buy used at indie stores. Don't let your favorites rot in second hand when they could be enjoyed by you.

Oh! I want new cds! Get over it and be patient. Stuff will always come your way if you're patient. there's an exception: an artist you really really love and want to support, go ahead and get it new. But buying new at indie stores supports the band, supports the label, supports the store, and supports your music community.

Lou's Records in encinitas has the best used section ever. I've boughten a majority of my cd's there from .99 cents to seven bucks.

[KarateExplosion]

worthless article. worthless cause. how about if the indie scene dedicates its efforts to poverty, disease prevention, hunger, or anything that actually matters. think objectively.

[Talib Scottie]

I go to Independent stores for vinyl and used CDs. I get my CDs from Best Buy and shows.

[SuperJoe]

worthless article. worthless cause. how about if the indie scene dedicates its efforts to poverty, disease prevention, hunger, or anything that actually matters. think objectively.

oh, you mean donate their $15K a year salary to charity and neglect their family? how about if the major corporations like best buy donated their proceeds to poverty, disease prevention, hunger, or anything that actually matters. think with your head out of your ass.

and the funny thing is, many record labels, stores, etc support causes like the ones you named. how many benefit comps come out every year?

[CorporateFish]

I shop best buy.

[joenicorata]

lets start with this: i work for best buy's geek squad.

i browse the media section of best buy bi-weekly. our selection is amazing. for example, i was browsing through the "H" section the other day, and i found the pre-triple crown release of hit the lights ep, the higher's "Star is dead ep" released a few years ago on fiddler, and the entire home grown catalog, two hidden in plain view cds (ep and full length), the head automatica full length, and every other drive-thru release that starts with "h" in between. when i go into "threshold music" (our indie store), i cant find shit. it seems like all they sell is the stuff from polyvinyl and "the emo diaries" collection. this isnt the only indie store that ive been in that is like this. if there is someone to blame, dont blame best buy, blame the labels, they always say, "if you cant find what you're looking for in a certain store, email us the location, bla bla, this doesnt do shit. the labels and distro companies stock the stores, they are the ones who dont stock the indie stores with the right stuff.

i have looked at advanced pricing for best buys media selection. when they sell a record for 7.99, they are giving it to you at cost. they arent raking in tons of money off of the new houston calls or new valencia album. they are breaking even. and whatever their motives are, i walk away with my favorite albums without giving up half of my paycheck for them. its business.

[resUrectMe617]

we should have weekly/biweekly article writers here.

[Brownpants06]

Welcome to 2001. If you can't keep up with competition...

[sweetfootaction]

lets start with this: i work for best buy's geek squad.

i browse the media section of best buy bi-weekly. our selection is amazing. for example, i was browsing through the "H" section the other day, and i found the pre-triple crown release of hit the lights ep, the higher's "Star is dead ep" released a few years ago on fiddler, and the entire home grown catalog, two hidden in plain view cds (ep and full length), the head automatica full length, and every other drive-thru release that starts with "h" in between. when i go into "threshold music" (our indie store), i cant find shit. it seems like all they sell is the stuff from polyvinyl and "the emo diaries" collection. this isnt the only indie store that ive been in that is like this. if there is someone to blame, dont blame best buy, blame the labels, they always say, "if you cant find what you're looking for in a certain store, email us the location, bla bla, this doesnt do shit. the labels and distro companies stock the stores, they are the ones who dont stock the indie stores with the right stuff.

i have looked at advanced pricing for best buys media selection. when they sell a record for 7.99, they are giving it to you at cost. they arent raking in tons of money off of the new houston calls or new valencia album. they are breaking even. and whatever their motives are, i walk away with my favorite albums without giving up half of my paycheck for them. its business.
Very well said!

But I was looking for the Hit The Lights EP at a couple best buy's near me and they didn't have it at all.

[jpgretzky15]

first people complain how expensive cd stores are

then they complain that the cheap cds are putting stores out of business.

gimme a break

[HBK42581]

I too work for Best Buy and as a former Supervisor of the CD and DVD department I can say two things with certainty....1) A vendor or brand paying for prominent placement in a store is nothing new (all major electronic manufacturers get their chance at having a nice clean end cap to promote their shit and have it look like it's worth the price)......and 2) my fellow Employee just ahead of me stated it already, Best Buy makes little to almost nothing off of the new release CD's when they come out because they are priced at cost or lower. The sale mentioned in the article was only a week long sale and was in no way different from a standard New Release CD sale of COLDPLAY, EMINEM or any other major artist. I will say that whenever I can't find something at BBY, I'll hit up Newbury Comics. But I don't usually go out of my way to shop at some hole in the wall "Indy Record Store" just so I can get dicked out of another 4-5 dollars. Just my opinion.

[kirbs84]

I shop regularly at best buy. I also buy the majority of my vinyl and hard to find releases at a local shop. keep in mind though, just because it's an "independent" store, doesn't mean all the profits are going to the band/label.

[Pat Marquez]

Wait... I thought pretentious indie kids wanted nothing to do with the main stream? So why should we support the "indpendant store."

Don't get me wrong, I support both Best Buy and "Mom and Pop" stores but some of these double standards are getting out of hand.

[Pat Marquez]

cds are pretty cheap the week they are released, even at indie stores. i buy about 30 cds a year (of which about 5-7 were purchased from a best buy, circuit city, etc), and i can't remember the last time i payed $15 for one.
At my local indie store back at home the CD's were more expensive when they were released...

[FOBlover]

Your an idiot.

and plus the "I'm a college student" excuse is old. A majority of the people on here are college students. If you don't have money, find a website or a fanzine to get free cds in exchange for reviews. You'll be supporting the artist and label, just in a different way. And if you can't write, buy used cds. and buy used at indie stores. Don't let your favorites rot in second hand when they could be enjoyed by you.

Oh! I want new cds! Get over it and be patient. Stuff will always come your way if you're patient. there's an exception: an artist you really really love and want to support, go ahead and get it new. But buying new at indie stores supports the band, supports the label, supports the store, and supports your music community.

Lou's Records in encinitas has the best used section ever. I've boughten a majority of my cd's there from .99 cents to seven bucks.

I'm not taking sides, but it's "You're an idiot." not "Your an idiot."

[johnarc]

on feb. 28th, my friend's independent record store of five years is closing. it is directly due to the fact that five years ago, when he opened, chain stores were not the place to find punk and hardcore labels, but since 2003-4 when stores like best buy started selling this kind of stuff for cheap like they would a kelly clarkson record, my friend's business has been lacking. it is one of, if not the main cause he is going out of business (the best buy is literally a half mile down the highway). I spent some of the best times in my life at that store, and now it's gone because people don't give a fuck about where they get their music, as long as it has a breakdown and the singer wears makeup. fuck that. fuck everyone who thinks shit like this doesn't matter. it's decisions like yours that is putting my friend out of business. you probably like shitty music anyway. fuck you. I'm out.

oh, and pitchfork rules hard.

[FOBlover]

I too work for Best Buy and as a former Supervisor of the CD and DVD department I can say two things with certainty....1) A vendor or brand paying for prominent placement in a store is nothing new (all major electronic manufacturers get their chance at having a nice clean end cap to promote their shit and have it look like it's worth the price)......and 2) my fellow Employee just ahead of me stated it already, Best Buy makes little to almost nothing off of the new release CD's when they come out because they are priced at cost or lower. The sale mentioned in the article was only a week long sale and was in no way different from a standard New Release CD sale of COLDPLAY, EMINEM or any other major artist. I will say that whenever I can't find something at BBY, I'll hit up Newbury Comics. But I don't usually go out of my way to shop at some hole in the wall "Indy Record Store" just so I can get dicked out of another 4-5 dollars. Just my opinion.

The only thing you and your fellow Best Buy employee forgot to mention is that everyone who works the floor at Best Buy are brain dead.

[Pat Marquez]

JohnArc...

Those assumptions are ridiculous...

[The Coalition]

where is the article about pitchfork ruining indie music?

[ETesdall]

lets start with this: i work for best buy's geek squad.

i browse the media section of best buy bi-weekly. our selection is amazing. for example, i was browsing through the "H" section the other day, and i found the pre-triple crown release of hit the lights ep, the higher's "Star is dead ep" released a few years ago on fiddler, and the entire home grown catalog, two hidden in plain view cds (ep and full length), the head automatica full length, and every other drive-thru release that starts with "h" in between. when i go into "threshold music" (our indie store), i cant find shit. it seems like all they sell is the stuff from polyvinyl and "the emo diaries" collection. this isnt the only indie store that ive been in that is like this. if there is someone to blame, dont blame best buy, blame the labels, they always say, "if you cant find what you're looking for in a certain store, email us the location, bla bla, this doesnt do shit. the labels and distro companies stock the stores, they are the ones who dont stock the indie stores with the right stuff.

i have looked at advanced pricing for best buys media selection. when they sell a record for 7.99, they are giving it to you at cost. they arent raking in tons of money off of the new houston calls or new valencia album. they are breaking even. and whatever their motives are, i walk away with my favorite albums without giving up half of my paycheck for them. its business.


Well Put.

[forgetdecember]

I don't have an indie record store in my area, if I did and they had Best Buy prices then I'd buy them from there, it not then I'd stick to Best Buy. I don't really care where I buy my CDs. I like Best Buy, they have reasonable prices and I can normally find what I'm looking for.

[resUrectMe617]

on feb. 28th, my friend's independent record store of five years is closing. it is directly due to the fact that five years ago, when he opened, chain stores were not the place to find punk and hardcore labels, but since 2003-4 when stores like best buy started selling this kind of stuff for cheap like they would a kelly clarkson record, my friend's business has been lacking. it is one of, if not the main cause he is going out of business (the best buy is literally a half mile down the highway). I spent some of the best times in my life at that store, and now it's gone because people don't give a fuck about where they get their music, as long as it has a breakdown and the singer wears makeup. fuck that. fuck everyone who thinks shit like this doesn't matter. it's decisions like yours that is putting my friend out of business. you probably like shitty music anyway. fuck you. I'm out.

oh, and pitchfork rules hard.

1) look up the word "competition"
2) realize that althoug yes we care about small businesses, not everyone has full wallets and can afford $15 cds. just cause we decide to buy something cheaper (cause it's what we can afford), doesnt mean we are dicking over a small business (like your friends) intentionally. i don't drive by a local store with the idea of "fuck yeah, im gonna ruin that kid's business". i'm not trying to sound one-sided here, but simply voicing the side that you fail to acknowledge. i'm sorry for your friend, but small businesses are closing down everywhere, what can you do? "support the local stores"? i'd love to, but its easier said than done.
3) and yeah when i go to best buy, before i buy an album i make sure the male musicians are wearing makeup cause i can't bear listening to unmakeuped music, fucking pisses me off.

[JustAn0th3rFace]

nothing new

[Rufio21]

I get vinyls from local record shops, that's about it. And I think I'm one of 3 people who enjoy pitchfork.

there are better indie new sites, but I do enjoy reading pitchfork. Intonation was one of the best times I had last summer. straight up.

[sweetmik]

I'm not taking sides, but it's "You're an idiot." not "Your an idiot."
thanks.

I'll go edit. I feel like shit today (goddamn flu), so excuse any grammatical error.

[Drew Beringer]

I love Best Buy.

[danielj135]

why is a music review site so pissed off that people are buying music??? that is what the music industry has been complaining about for the last 6 years.... shouldn't these people be happy?? labels are making money therefore pitchfork has more albums to review because labels can release more albums. best buy is happy because they are making money from additional purchases people make in the store and customers are happy because they are getting a tangible asset for a lower cost.... its all economics.

and its all cyclical... one day best buy will not be able to afford to price their cd's outrageously low and will raise their prices and stop deals. then there will be a revolution of new "indie record stores" that will be able to once again compete in the market for music.... its capitalism at its best.

[sweetmik]

why is a music review site so pissed off that people are buying music???

dude, it's pitchfork.

[kissbangkill]

i can't join this argument because i download. hah.

but i love indie stores. i grew up in a scene where indie stores were constantly opening and closing, doing everything they could to support the scene, hosting shows/tours, making merch for bands, employing local musicians, posting flyers, etc, etc. so i'd always go out of my way to shop there. i loved being able to go to a local indie store during the day and pick up a new cd that best buy would never carry (because the indie scene hadn't hit the mainstream yet), hang out and talk to the owner/employees, and then come back at night and play a show in the middle of the store. that's the scene i miss. at one of the indie stores i used to frequent, i'd spend hours listening to different cds, and half the time, the owner would let me buy the demo cd from up on the wall for cheaper. i'd much rather talk to the employees at an indie store than the retards that fill up every best buy i've ever been to (multiple states). what's the criteria for hiring? must stand around in groups talking about your weekend, ignoring customers?

that being said i do shop at best buy. but i buy from indie stores first when i actually have the money to buy cds. most of the bands whose cds i actually want to purchase aren't carried at best buy anyway. but if best buy has something i want, i'll get it there too. plus i get dvds from there. when i can actually afford them, that is.

[danielj135]

dude, it's pitchfork.

yes, i realize this... even said that in the comment

[JunkBondTrader]

fuck that. im so sorry that your indie record store cant keep up with the times, but their is no stopping it..........im not gonna fucking spend 13.99 on a CD if its 7.99 at best buy, and dont try to make me feel bad for doing that. Indie records give me this vibe that, "well if you buy from a major corporation then you dont care about music and you are just a hypocrite for buying an indie record at a large corporate store." sorry but fuck off. No one wants you to download music, but they want you to buy CD's for 13.99 sorry but fuck that. I dont have the money and i have to pay a shitload of money to go to college. If indie labels want to bitch about it Ill take my business to Best Buy......well its already there haha. suck my dick.


and what do indie labels offer that is different than best buy? they dont have an X-Factor.....im surprised there are still some around. They do nothing but jack up the prices, and thats all. I want some elitist mofo to come on here and tell me how its better to buy shit from an inde record store......THEY OFFER NOTHING THAT I CANT GET A BEST BUY!

i mean they do have a decent atmosphere and they try to support the community, but im still not going to buy a CD for 2X as much.

[boekebong]

I love Pitchfork. I try to shop independent. Sometimes I buy albums at Best Buy, but it's a rare occasion. I don't mind the (little) extra money that I sometimes pay because:

A) They carry used cd's that I can buy cheap (including Wilco, Sigur Ros, Elliott Smith, etc.). If they go out of business I will end up losing money by having to buy those new.

B) They support(ed) this music long before Best Buy cared and will continue to do it long after.

C) If Best Buy runs them out of town then everyone who is screaming competition will see that fall by the wayside. Their pricing model is only sustainable as a way to attract new customers, not to run a business. I refuse to support a race to the bottom, no matter what supposed benefits I might recieve.

D) I like spending time at my favorite indie stores. It's an experience that is part of my life. It's the same reason I like hard copies instead of iTunes. Music is more than just sound. I don't want a world of parking lots and cinder block. My indie has character that is worth more to me than a few dollars.

[kissbangkill]

I love Pitchfork. I try to shop independent. Sometimes I buy albums at Best Buy, but it's a rare occasion. I don't mind the (little) extra money that I sometimes pay because:

A) They carry used cd's that I can buy cheap (including Wilco, Sigur Ros, Elliott Smith, etc.). If they go out of business I will end up losing money by having to buy those new.

B) They support(ed) this music long before Best Buy cared and will continue to do it long after.

C) If Best Buy runs them out of town then everyone who is screaming competition will see that fall by the wayside. Their pricing model is only sustainable as a way to attract new customers, not to run a business. I refuse to support a race to the bottom, no matter what supposed benefits I might recieve.

D) I like spending time at my favorite indie stores. It's an experience that is part of my life. It's the same reason I like hard copies instead of iTunes. Music is more than just sound. I don't want a world of parking lots and cinder block. My indie has character that is worth more to me than a few dollars.

nice.

[sweetmik]

yes, i realize this... even said that in the comment

yea i read the comment.

my point was if you actually read pitchfork.

[JunkBondTrader]

i love pitchfork too

[underthetalking]

indie record shops are pretentious and charge 15.99 for a cd i can buy for 9.99 at best buy. being a college student, i dont give a shit where i buy it from, as long as its the cheapest. i dont really care to hear the other side of the story (indie shop side) cause its always the same story. lower your damn prices, maybe ill buy it.

Agreed. Kudos Best Buy.

It doesn't matter where you buy it from. For me, the cheaper the better. Indie stores are just stores. Not a fucking way of life. I say good riddance to bad rubbish.

[makebelieve327]

cds are pretty cheap the week they are released, even at indie stores. i buy about 30 cds a year (of which about 5-7 were purchased from a best buy, circuit city, etc), and i can't remember the last time i payed $15 for one.

I must buy about 150 CDs a year, if not more. I bought 7 this Tuesday(10 more online a few days before) at Newbury Comics, all of which were released on that day and besides one($13.99 for They Shoot Horses Don't They- Boo Hoo Hoo Boo[best one I got]), I did not pay more than $9.99. It was $72 total, which is just over $10 a CD.

In my experiences, Newbury Comics does a great job of making CDs around $10 for the first week or two. Plus, they always have two racks full of CDs from top notch artists from various genres, new CDs and old ones on sale for $9.99, and a few times a year(including now) they have a ton of CDs on sale online for $9.95 each. I am not familiar with any other indie store besides them so I can't really relate to other places being so overpriced, but you just have to pick and choose what CDs to buy there. Obviously an older, less distributed, rare CD is going to be $15.99 or more. Know when and what to buy there.

As for the argument, there really isn't much of a winning solution. Buying a CD from Best Buy rather than not buying at all is helping the artist/label. Buying a CD from an indie store helps the store because all they really have to rely on are CD sales. However, the argument saying that you should buy used CDs from indie stores actually hurts the artist because they don't see anything from that sale, yet it helps the store. Either way could potentially hurt the artist/label or the indie store.

As for me, I try to avoid Best Buy as much as possible. I have had some good chats with the people working at Newbury Comics that actually know music and have a passion for it, something that(somewhat bad stereotype/assumption) isn't as likely to be reproduced by a Best Buy employee. I have become sort of a professional at buying CDs and have learned when to shop and get the best prices. I feel like I help both the artist and store, but that is what I want to do. I'd hope that enough people do the same to keep them both around, and I guess whichever side you help, there will be about an equal amount on the other side to balance things out.

Oh, and the people at Pitchfork generally know their shit and often provide some detailed, and often entertaining reviews. Obviously if your musical tastes consist of Panic! At the Disco(not that there's anything wrong with that) you probably won't enjoy the site much.

Aaaaaanndddd I'm spent.

[bung]

too long/didn't read past the first few lines. if i can go to best buy and buy a cd for 7.99 and go to an indie store and buy the same cd for 13.99+, guess where i am going to go.

[enj0i29]

first people complain how expensive cd stores are

then they complain that the cheap cds are putting stores out of business.

gimme a break

Amen!

[FOBlover]

too long/didn't read past the first few lines. if i can go to best buy and buy a cd for 7.99 and go to an indie store and buy the same cd for 13.99+, guess where i am going to go.

You are a genius.

[makebelieve327]

indie record shops are pretentious and charge 15.99 for a cd i can buy for 9.99 at best buy. being a college student, i dont give a shit where i buy it from, as long as its the cheapest. i dont really care to hear the other side of the story (indie shop side) cause its always the same story. lower your damn prices, maybe ill buy it.

I don't exactly undestand how that makes them pretentious when they have to charge more because they rely on those sales. And besides that, it is a widely percieved myth that all CDs at indie stores are that expensive. As I explained earlier, at least for Newbury Comics, they can almost always be found cheaper.

[kissbangkill]

I must buy about 150 CDs a year, if not more. I bought 7 this Tuesday(10 more online a few days before) at Newbury Comics, all of which were released on that day and besides one($13.99 for They Shoot Horses Don't They- Boo Hoo Hoo Boo[best one I got]), I did not pay more than $9.99. It was $72 total, which is just over $10 a CD.

In my experiences, Newbury Comics does a great job of making CDs around $10 for the first week or two. Plus, they always have two racks full of CDs from top notch artists from various genres, new CDs and old ones on sale for $9.99, and a few times a year(including now) they have a ton of CDs on sale online for $9.95 each. I am not familiar with any other indie store besides them so I can't really relate to other places being so overpriced, but you just have to pick and choose what CDs to buy there. Obviously an older, less distributed, rare CD is going to be $15.99 or more. Know when and what to buy there.

As for the argument, there really isn't much of a winning solution. Buying a CD from Best Buy rather than not buying at all is helping the artist/label. Buying a CD from an indie store helps the store because all they really have to rely on are CD sales. However, the argument saying that you should buy used CDs from indie stores actually hurts the artist because they don't see anything from that sale, yet it helps the store. Either way could potentially hurt the artist/label or the indie store.

As for me, I try to avoid Best Buy as much as possible. I have had some good chats with the people working at Newbury Comics that actually know music and have a passion for it, something that(somewhat bad stereotype/assumption) isn't as likely to be reproduced by a Best Buy employee. I have become sort of a professional at buying CDs and have learned when to shop and get the best prices. I feel like I help both the artist and store, but that is what I want to do. I'd hope that enough people do the same to keep them both around, and I guess whichever side you help, there will be about an equal amount on the other side to balance things out.

Oh, and the people at Pitchfork generally know their shit and often provide some detailed, and often entertaining reviews. Obviously if your musical tastes consist of Panic! At the Disco(not that there's anything wrong with that) you probably won't enjoy the site much.

Aaaaaanndddd I'm spent.

word.

[Suchasucker]

I have been to most the indie music stores in my town, and they all charge $12.99-23.99 for CDs. Even the used CD stores charge at least $15.

No way am I going to drive half-way across town to pay $5-10 extra for a CD, let alone that for a used one.

Any more I usually wait and buy CDs at shows directly from the band. Cut out the middle man all together.

[thesego211]

Dimple music in Sacramento has great prices on newer music. that might be rare among indie stores, but prices are great here. also, for people who don't buy a ton of new albums, indie stores are a great resource for cheaper, older albums. also, what's with the people they have on the floor at Best Buy? do they even know where they are? i like indie record stores because of the chance to actually talk about music with the employees, there is a relationship there that you don't get at Best Buy. but people have the choice to shop wherever they want, i can't judge. just curious though, how many of the people on here that say they just shop at Best Buy because it's cheaper, are the same people who are against Wal-Mart? because this seems like a similar scenario.

but hey, we are all in this together, we should remember this one thing: It ain't easy being white, it ain't easy being brown...

[randall814]

im a best buy employee. i do hate most of our policies, but we are the number one consumer electronics retailer for a reason. same shit for cd's. our prices are low cause its a business strategy. you cant blame best buy for doing everything it can while staying within the walls of the law and keeping ethics in mind. 99% of customers arent going to give two shits about paying an ethical price for ANYTHING. fuck buying cd's "professionally." if you want to buy cd's professionally, then go into the business, suck at it, overcharge, and be shut down like the rest.

my girlfriends family used to have a mom and pop record shop, so dont think that im not familiar with both sides of the story, either. best buy wont be doing hot at selling cds anyway, because they will be obsolete in another 10 years. all music will be digital and available through the internet soon enough. album artwork enticing to you? good, cause you can download that with it, you dolt.

the people at best buy that work in the media department sure as hell dont know very much about all the music we carry. if you expect them too, youre a fucking moron. that is a VAST amount of music to catalogue in ones head. i know a hell of a lot about music, artists, trivia, etc from a large range of music, but i doubt that applies to more than 50% of the artists we carry.

and i have a difficult time supporting the labels anyway. often, an artist only sees pennies on the dollar for an album sale, anyway.



and i know few people read all of that.

ps. 9 times out of 10, when i go into a local record shop (throughout the entire state of michigan...i get around) and ask for the artists most of us listen to often, they have no idea what the hell im talking about. those burnouts can tell you beatles trivia and impress you with their insturmentation skills all day long, but the bottom line is that i will never meet anyone with a knowledge base wide enough back up any of the claims some of you made.

[randall814]

oh, you mean donate their $15K a year salary to charity and neglect their family? how about if the major corporations like best buy donated their proceeds to poverty, disease prevention, hunger, or anything that actually matters. think with your head out of your ass.

and the funny thing is, many record labels, stores, etc support causes like the ones you named. how many benefit comps come out every year?

i wish people like you would just keep your mouth shut. always.

at best buy, we have two groups. one called viewpoint, and the other called tagteam. the viewpoint at my store organizes all kinds of events, cancer walks, children's funds, etc. we offer whatever few bucks we have in our pockets in exchange to bend the dress code a little bit. its a fun way to give back.

best buy also gives 1.5% of pretax dollars to all kinds of funds like the ones you listed (yeah, its not a huge amount, but best buy wasnt created to be charitable, they are an organization that started strictly to make money). that isnt including the individual employees. at our pre-holiday meetings in november, we were enouraged to go through human resources to delegate a certain percentage of our paychecks from then on out to the united way and the red cross. all 112 employees at the store contributed. it may not be much, but our store alone donated enough to give some victim of hurricane katrina a new place to live. we have volunteers from both organizations that give speeches at our meetings all the time.

i dont agree with everything we do as a company, but fuck you AND your ignorance.

ps. visit bestbuy.com and go to community relations at the bottom left.

sorry for the double post. im argumentative.

[GRIFFARD]

the only place for me to get music is best buy and barnes and noble and the internet. we need an independent record store though. that would be sweet.

[Manbotisdead]

you mean despite the fact that corporations like best buy run local mom and pop stores out of business and then being able to price-fix goods? i guess if you don't really care about the community that you live in, or don't support small business, then it really doesn't matter.

and i won't even touch on the ethical rationale for why supporting local indie stores is far more important than supporting businesses that can market the latest trends and drop it as soon as it falls out of the mainstream.

Get your music where you want.

If its more convenient to buy it at an indie do it, but lets face it sometimes it just doesn't work that way.

[KetchupMan36]

lets start with this: i work for best buy's geek squad.

i browse the media section of best buy bi-weekly. our selection is amazing. for example, i was browsing through the "H" section the other day, and i found the pre-triple crown release of hit the lights ep, the higher's "Star is dead ep" released a few years ago on fiddler, and the entire home grown catalog, two hidden in plain view cds (ep and full length), the head automatica full length, and every other drive-thru release that starts with "h" in between. when i go into "threshold music" (our indie store), i cant find shit. it seems like all they sell is the stuff from polyvinyl and "the emo diaries" collection. this isnt the only indie store that ive been in that is like this. if there is someone to blame, dont blame best buy, blame the labels, they always say, "if you cant find what you're looking for in a certain store, email us the location, bla bla, this doesnt do shit. the labels and distro companies stock the stores, they are the ones who dont stock the indie stores with the right stuff.


ok stop for a minute. you're complaining you can't find drive-thru records at an indie store? no shit! indie stores don't carry drive-thru stuff for a reason. indie stores carry stuff that isn't always popular and in the mainstream. they give people with alternative tastes a place to find their records. i can name atleast 10 bands that i wouldn't be able to find at best buy and for that i thank indie record stores for having those bands.

[thesego211]

i buy all of my records at police auction.

[lackofcolour 13]

yeah. thats true that best buy gives them the shaft. Best buy has a surprisingly vast music selection, and its also cheaper.

[SuperJoe]

i wish people like you would just keep your mouth shut. always.

at best buy, we have two groups. one called viewpoint, and the other called tagteam. the viewpoint at my store organizes all kinds of events, cancer walks, children's funds, etc. we offer whatever few bucks we have in our pockets in exchange to bend the dress code a little bit. its a fun way to give back.

best buy also gives 1.5% of pretax dollars to all kinds of funds like the ones you listed (yeah, its not a huge amount, but best buy wasnt created to be charitable, they are an organization that started strictly to make money). that isnt including the individual employees. at our pre-holiday meetings in november, we were enouraged to go through human resources to delegate a certain percentage of our paychecks from then on out to the united way and the red cross. all 112 employees at the store contributed. it may not be much, but our store alone donated enough to give some victim of hurricane katrina a new place to live. we have volunteers from both organizations that give speeches at our meetings all the time.

i dont agree with everything we do as a company, but fuck you AND your ignorance.

ps. visit bestbuy.com and go to community relations at the bottom left.

sorry for the double post. im argumentative.

i wish people like you would just keep your mouth shut. always.

it's people like you who don't take the time to read the content before the post they are responding to. they see something that touches their no-no place and they get all defensive. so, thanks for not reading the initial post that i was responding to on that comment. i clearly wasn't blaming best buy for not donating to charity. if you took the 5 seconds to read what i was responding to, you might have seen that. in other words, fuck you and your uninformed assumptions.

oh, and fuck your store. best buy is like circuit city's retarded step-sister.

[azlisa]

i work at best buy in the cd section (media). i take a lot of pride in my store and in my department. i could very well be the queen of media and all things music related. ive almost been there for a year and i've seen so many cds from bands that no one has even heard of. lots of independent music. i could name SO many hardcore/indie/emo/metal/screamo/blah/punk/whatever cds that we carry. we also carry a big selection. for example, we carry every copeland cd including the copeland ep. chariot ep. and more. we have lots of new AND old eps that you may not be able to find at your local record store. we carry good stuff. sometimes i'm very surprised by some of the stuff we have. and yes, it sells. cartel, hellogoodbye, acceptance, jacks mannequin...always sells out.

even though i work at best buy, I DO sometimes buy cds from my local record store. a lot of people here agree that 7.99 is a great price for a cd. quit complaining. you can go pay 18 dollars for a cd at sam goody and get totally ripped off. theres so many times where ive been to my local record store and ive said, "i can get that cheaper at work." i understand the companies need to make money, but they sell major label cds as well. best buy is the biggest electronics retailer and as far as music in concerned, we have an excellent selection. i always see people coming in for bands like bleeding through to hellogoodbye. CONSIDERING best buy is the biggest electronics retailer and a lot of people go to best buy for cds, maybe this is helping those bands out a little bit, dont you think!? if best buy didnt carry any of that stuff, only mainstream shit, a lot of people wouldn't even know about bands or even have the chance to hear these cds. if you don't agree, i dont give a shit. that article was futile and stupid. i dont need to justify anything else. not everyone lives in a place with a local record store.

come into my best buy. i'll help you find some sweet shit.

[GAD_guy]

i work at best buy in the cd section (media). i take a lot of pride in my store and in my department. i could very well be the queen of media and all things music related. ive almost been there for a year and i've seen so many cds from bands that no one has even heard of. lots of independent music. i could name SO many hardcore/indie/emo/metal/screamo/blah/punk/whatever cds that we carry. we also carry a big selection. for example, we carry every copeland cd including the copeland ep. chariot ep. and more. we have lots of new AND old eps that you may not be able to find at your local record store. we carry good stuff. sometimes i'm very surprised by some of the stuff we have. and yes, it sells. cartel, hellogoodbye, acceptance, jacks mannequin...always sells out.

even though i work at best buy, I DO sometimes buy cds from my local record store. a lot of people here agree that 7.99 is a great price for a cd. quit complaining. you can go pay 18 dollars for a cd at sam goody and get totally ripped off. theres so many times where ive been to my local record store and ive said, "i can get that cheaper at work." i understand the companies need to make money, but they sell major label cds as well. best buy is the biggest electronics retailer and as far as music in concerned, we have an excellent selection. i always see people coming in for bands like bleeding through to hellogoodbye. CONSIDERING best buy is the biggest electronics retailer and a lot of people go to best buy for cds, maybe this is helping those bands out a little bit, dont you think!? if best buy didnt carry any of that stuff, only mainstream shit, a lot of people wouldn't even know about bands or even have the chance to hear these cds. if you don't agree, i dont give a shit. that article was futile and stupid. i dont need to justify anything else. not everyone lives in a place with a local record store.

come into my best buy. i'll help you find some sweet shit.

why is everyone attacking the article? it is fact. does it really bother you that much to hear the truth? you may not feel bad about killing indie music stores, but that's what best buy is trying to do. and once that happens, best buy will have no reason to keep prices low.

[justanact]

I think we as a society are just getting way too lazy and are giving into this foggy and thoughtless craving for complete convenience. All that matters now is the best deal without any care whatsoever of the ramifications. It's a selfish way of thought, but I guess thats how the American culture works. That's why we have Wal*mart and Best Buy and other mega-stores.

There's a Best Buy moving in right across the street from our local record shop. I'm still going to stay indie at all costs unless it's something they absolutely can't get, which is rare. And even then, I'll just order the cd online from interpunk or something.

I don't know. Independent record stores aren't dying out. But I'm not about to support a corporate chain just because I want a better deal. I just find them annoying. Saving a few dollars doesn't encompass my entire life.

[hippieocracy]

oh, you mean donate their $15K a year salary to charity and neglect their family? how about if the major corporations like best buy donated their proceeds to poverty, disease prevention, hunger, or anything that actually matters. think with your head out of your ass.

and the funny thing is, many record labels, stores, etc support causes like the ones you named. how many benefit comps come out every year?

best buy does donate thousands to the communities they're in. everytime a new one opens, they got an allotted dollar amount to give back to that community.

educate your head before you pull it out of your ass.

[azlisa]

best buy does donate thousands to the communities they're in. everytime a new one opens, they got an allotted dollar amount to give back to that community.

educate your head before you pull it out of your ass.

this is 100 percent true. they donate to charities and help out in the community. they even have scholarships for college students. i donated some money over the holidays, as well as some other employees.

[Melie]

the only plus about the independent music store here is that they let local bands play shows there. best buy would never do that. but at the same time, there are like 20 other places they can play. that music store hasn't taken in any profits in the entire time it's been in business, so next year if it doesn't take profits, it has to close.
but then, i buy my cds at borders.

[SuperJoe]

best buy does donate thousands to the communities they're in. everytime a new one opens, they got an allotted dollar amount to give back to that community.

educate your head before you pull it out of your ass.

i never said they didn't. maybe if you read the previous posts you would have realized what i was saying instead of randomly shooting your mouth off like you know what the fuck you are talking about. christ i hate new jersey.

basically, to all the kids on this site, you probably shouldn't be discussing this topic until you've had at least one economics class in college. every time you find a good *deal*, there is always a counter action to offset that. and nobody is saying that paying 7.99 for a cd is a bad thing. we're saying that there are plenty of alternatives, such as:

buy cd's the week they are released (almost always the cheapest you will find most cd's)
buy cd's from going to shows (usually $10 or less)
buy cd's direct from labels (asian man records sells cd's for $8 and has no shipping. you can get 3 of the best alkaline trio albums for $24 and it will be cheaper than best buy, all while feeling good about yourself)
buy used cd's from indie storesmaybe if you all stopped buying fall out boy t-shirts from hot topic every month, you'd have a little more to spend on cd's.

[Oeightyfour]

Best Buy can kiss my ass.
Not even for this fact, but just for the fact I never have a good experience there.

The people that work there are morons.
The people in their corporate offices are morons.
And half the time they advertise as having stuff that they never have.

And where I live, they carry about a million and one rap cds even I have never heard of
but god forbid they even carry 1 single copy of some "unknown" rock record.

So really best buy can kiss my ass.

But also on the topic of the indie record stores, where I live there really isn't any independent record stores.
Unless I make the travel down into the city, and even then - there's Criminal Records which is ehh, i guess on being independent.
Then there's also Tower Records but they are far from independent also and I was there last night
and cds are pretty ridiculous prices there.
(i.e.) I was looking at the Loved One cds theres. The new full length that just came out was 14.99, the 5 song ep was 12.99, and then also the Kid Dynamite DVD was 19.99.

So yeah if Best Buy actually carries something and they can charge cheaper for it, I'm alll for indie things but why am I gonna spend 5 or more bucks on a cd I can get cheaper?
I'm always broke as shit.
just because I'm white and live in the suburbs doesn't mean I'm made of money.

<3
aaron

[TheUntitled]

Indie stores are cool.

Best Buy have cheaper CD's

I'm not going to pay more money for a CD, just for the atmosphere of an indie store. I'm going to buy it where it's the cheapest.

It's all about business.

This happens with everything in the business world everyday.

WAH. Stop crying like a little girl.

[1000shadesofred]

My Bestbuy never has anything that I want. I have to go to FYE and pay a premium price, but atleast they have it.

well your best buy is freaking gay, cause FYE never has shit, and they freakin overcharge... and people lets take into account the "accountability" of this article... its from a blog!!! that means any schmo on the internet could have written it... did you ever just think that best buy is just selling cds for cheap becuase record sales are down and they want to keep selling cds at a decent pace... how can they be screwing over a company when they selling cds for 7.99? how do they make money off cds that cheap? think about it

[1000shadesofred]

indie record shops are pretentious and charge 15.99 for a cd i can buy for 9.99 at best buy. being a college student, i dont give a shit where i buy it from, as long as its the cheapest. i dont really care to hear the other side of the story (indie shop side) cause its always the same story. lower your damn prices, maybe ill buy it.

amen brotha! im in college to.. the only way i afford cds is from stores like best buy

[floz2323]

Sorry, that is just business. Also, consider the fact that this helps the artist.

[hippieocracy]

i never said they didn't. maybe if you read the previous posts you would have realized what i was saying instead of randomly shooting your mouth off like you know what the fuck you are talking about. christ i hate new jersey.

basically, to all the kids on this site, you probably shouldn't be discussing this topic until you've had at least one economics class in college. every time you find a good *deal*, there is always a counter action to offset that. and nobody is saying that paying 7.99 for a cd is a bad thing. we're saying that there are plenty of alternatives, such as:
buy cd's the week they are released (almost always the cheapest you will find most cd's)
buy cd's from going to shows (usually $10 or less)
buy cd's direct from labels (asian man records sells cd's for $8 and has no shipping. you can get 3 of the best alkaline trio albums for $24 and it will be cheaper than best buy, all while feeling good about yourself)
buy used cd's from indie storesmaybe if you all stopped buying fall out boy t-shirts from hot topic every month, you'd have a little more to spend on cd's.

so was econ class before or after "indie elitist" class?

[randall814]

i wish people like you would just keep your mouth shut. always.

it's people like you who don't take the time to read the content before the post they are responding to. they see something that touches their no-no place and they get all defensive. so, thanks for not reading the initial post that i was responding to on that comment. i clearly wasn't blaming best buy for not donating to charity. if you took the 5 seconds to read what i was responding to, you might have seen that. in other words, fuck you and your uninformed assumptions.

oh, and fuck your store. best buy is like circuit city's retarded step-sister.

mmm. that must thoroughly explain why circuit city is going out of business, mr. econ class.

i read every word of every post from every user up to this point. i am right and thats that. this shouldnt even be open to discussion.

not everyone has the time, money, or desire to make it to ANY store the week a record comes out. perhaps they wish to hold off until the time is right for them. same goes for attending shows.

buying cds direct from labels isnt a great solution either. over 50% of the children on this site do not even have a card with a visa/mastercard logo on it.

as for alternative number 4, how the fuck do you get new music out of a used cd selection?

maybe if we all started buying the same band t-shirts as you and utilizing your alternatives, bands might see an extra 15 dollars in revenue. lets face it, bands that make 15k a year (if that) are still making more money that 95% of the people visiting this website.

would you ever pay an extra 5 grand for a car cause it meant that delphi wasnt going to go bankrupt? face the economic principles you seem to have such extensive knowledge of...supply and demand are directly proportionate to each other. nobody is demanding to pay extra money for ANYTHING, no matter when OR where you fucking buy them.

as for Oeightyfour, youre a god damn tool. you cant say everyone that works there is an idiot. im sure as fuck not. i am one of the most knowledgable people in my department (computers), and im not saying that to speak highly of myself, i just agree that there are a lot of morons there. people at the corporate offices are definitely not morons... they are running the best consumer electronics retailer on this planet and its obviously no accident.

also, our advertisements are not our decisions. we do decide what SALE items go into the paper, however, we do not determine which items go on sale OR what price those items will be available at. our stock is not our fault, we can only stock what the manufacturer ships to us. we have 733 stores to fill and the manufacturer cant keep up with every single one.

god damnit, people thrive on their own ignorance. its disgusting.

[hippieocracy]

they are running the best consumer electronics retailer on this planet and its obviously no accident.

actually best buy is number one consumer electronics retailer on the planet.

and yeah. gotta love the elitists. 10 to 1 he bought his last cd on kazaa anyway.

[azlisa]

mmm. that must thoroughly explain why circuit city is going out of business, mr. econ class.

i read every word of every post from every user up to this point. i am right and thats that. this shouldnt even be open to discussion.

not everyone has the time, money, or desire to make it to ANY store the week a record comes out. perhaps they wish to hold off until the time is right for them. same goes for attending shows.

buying cds direct from labels isnt a great solution either. over 50% of the children on this site do not even have a card with a visa/mastercard logo on it.

as for alternative number 4, how the fuck do you get new music out of a used cd selection?

maybe if we all started buying the same band t-shirts as you and utilizing your alternatives, bands might see an extra 15 dollars in revenue. lets face it, bands that make 15k a year (if that) are still making more money that 95% of the people visiting this website.

would you ever pay an extra 5 grand for a car cause it meant that delphi wasnt going to go bankrupt? face the economic principles you seem to have such extensive knowledge of...supply and demand are directly proportionate to each other. nobody is demanding to pay extra money for ANYTHING, no matter when OR where you fucking buy them.

as for Oeightyfour, youre a god damn tool. you cant say everyone that works there is an idiot. im sure as fuck not. i am one of the most knowledgable people in my department (computers), and im not saying that to speak highly of myself, i just agree that there are a lot of morons there. people at the corporate offices are definitely not morons... they are running the best consumer electronics retailer on this planet and its obviously no accident.

also, our advertisements are not our decisions. we do decide what SALE items go into the paper, however, we do not determine which items go on sale OR what price those items will be available at. our stock is not our fault, we can only stock what the manufacturer ships to us. we have 733 stores to fill and the manufacturer cant keep up with every single one.

god damnit, people thrive on their own ignorance. its disgusting.



THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This needed to be said. My store takes a lot of pride in actually knowing about our products and what we sell. People in every department are knowledgable and our mission is to let the customer leave happy. Its fucking ridiculous that people have to be so closed minded and stupid. I know a lot about my department too and Ive seen others that know a lot as well.