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With the industry changing more and more every day, each one of us is affected in different ways by the aftershocks of the current technological overhaul.

For me, the tremors have literally hit home.

The picture above is of what used to be the best record store around my ‘hood. Record Time. It was located in Ferndale on 9 Mile and was one of the few remaining mom and pop shops of its kind left around the area.

Each time I walked in there, it was like walking into a room full of zombies. Everyone was always on their own mission. Between their new and used selections, customers could just zone out for hours sifting through their vast selection of material. It was the kind of place you’d leave with carpel tunnel. From Paradime and Segar, to Debarge and Daft Punk, they usually had everything you were looking for. If it wasn’t in stock, the thick dude with the dreads behind the counter would happily make a few phone calls to make it right. Sticking to the small business mantra, Record Time knew how to keep their customers happy, to say the least.

However, like I told the inquiring soul who saw me taking these pictures, everything must come to an end at some point.

Last month, I happened to be cruising down 9 and saw the imposing “Going Out of Business Sale” signs. I didn’t think much of ‘em at first because this is MI and a company’s status can fluctuate much as the weather (Case in point – Little Caesars). I was going to stop, since moms raised me to be a sucker for a deal. But of course, my pockets were about as right as my Stats tests in college.

Next time I drove by, empty. Kaput. Dunzo.

full store

The needle was up, and the record had stopped spinning.

The only thing moving in what was one of the most frequented establishments in budding downtown Ferndale were the cars that zoomed by. No longer could you hear the DJ spinning the 1s and 2s from the inside back left corner, only the soft sound of small-talk coming from the nearby SMART bus-stop. Instead of the huge promo flats for the month’s latest releases, the only sign that glared through the window was the cold one below.

window sign

It’s astounding to see someone’s shattered dreams expressed in one sentence.

What was once probably the height of the Record Time owner Mike Himes’ livelihood is now reduced to a single sign. A crude one, at that. All because, we, the consumers, literally stopped buying into the system.

In our new-improved online society, we have no need to give anyone our business when it comes to music, citing everything we can as a reason to get our pirate on. We get mad when stores overcharge us for CDs, using the stereotypical “too much filler” call as justification, even though they’re a measly ten bucks a pop now. Most people I know, especially those of us on TSS, won’t even think twice about dropping a dollar for a hot track on online marketplaces like iTunes and Amazon, simply because of the ease of FREE.

We’ve gone from the hassle of bulky records, cheap cassettes, and scratched CDs, to having our music any which way we choose. Yet, the majority of us take them all for granted…and pay nothing.

Actually, the more I think about that sign showcased in the hollow shell of Record Time, I realize that ‘Technology’ didn’t steal shit.

I did, and so did you.

With every Limewire download or Loosies upload, each one of us is stealing straight out of these business owners’ pockets. We’re taking away that money they desperately need to pay rent, to keep their shop alive, and putting it towards new gizmos that’ll become obsolete in a year. That, or we’re supporting huge chains that make billions of dollars based off their brand name alone.

It’s a damn shame, too, because cookie-cutter box stores like Best Buy will never be able to match certain aspects of the quality, and personality that mom and pop shops deliver on the daily.

No, technology didn’t remove Record Time from Ferndale. All it did was follow its course.

We’re the ones who are responsible. Not only for Record Time, but for the impending death of the modern neighborhood record shop in general.

small sign

If you really love music, like Mike Himes and every other owner of a starving local music retailer, go out and match their effort. For once, say fuck a download, and go cop a CD, a 33 and 1/3, or even a poster or t-shirt. Show them you see ‘em, and that you care about and appreciate their well-being.

If it doesn’t happen soon, we might never get the chance.

RIAA Admits Vinyl Sales Are Climbing [Wired]

iTunes Store May Capture One-Quarter of Worldwide Music by 2012 [Wired]

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