I got the “breaking news” email from Billboard yesterday that two more Virgin Records locations are slated to close, and I opened it with a little trepidation, because I didn’t want to see Denver listed.
Last Saturday, I got to stop in and browse a little bit, which hasn’t happened much recently, and it seemed like every catalog item was on sale. I didn’t buy much (Alison Moyet’s “Singles” for $5), but in a weird way, it was comforting to wander around the store, listen to Snow Patrol on the overhead, and check out all of the listening stations with music that most people will never care about. I have always coveted the time I’ve spent in record stores, even after I escaped the retail rat race, and to see that opportunity go away is not a pleasant thought to me. The whole “world of music at your fingertips digitally” is great when I know what I’m looking for, but for me, there will always be a longing for a more tangible music experience.
As I checked out, I couldn’t help myself, and I asked the woman “you all aren’t going anywhere any time soon, are you?” Her response was a bit awkward, as if I’d asked a question she hadn’t heard before. “We never find out about these things until it’s too late.”
Yeah…I know the feeling. The store was actually pretty busy, as it is located in a great area for tourists to shop, and I wonder if that’s the only reason the store has survived as long as it has.
I’ve said it once, and I will say it again. If you will miss this type of experience, please make sure that you support your musically-oriented brick-and-mortar record shops. Through an acquaintance, I’ve heard that one of the granddaddies of the Denver music scene will probably be going out of business soon as well, and it’s probably inevitable. The only way a music store will remain viable is if they become destinations for more than just CDs. They’ve tried…oh, trust me, they have. Video games, DVDs, t-shirts, electronics, incense, books…you walk into some music stores, and sometimes it’s hard to locate the music. However, with sales of CDs slipping double-digits every year, we’re going to see music sales go back to just being a department in a bigger store, and even that is slipping away as well.
Here’s a prediction you can count on: by the end of 2011, a well-known record company will announce that they are going to stop producing physical CDs. I don’t think you will see wholesale defections from the format for a few more years, but some labels that cater to demographics with high digital-sales figures would be more inclined to do this (someone like Tommy Boy or Astralwerks comes to mind). It’s a vision I would rather not see come true, but it’s time has come.
Based on the horrible quality of last night’s contestants, Nick Mitchell, aka Norman Gentle, will get through to the Final 12 tonight. And yes, I voted for him. He was far and away the best part of last night’s show. Stay tuned…
– How about America’s Next Top Drama Queen, Tatiana! If VH1 can hand out the title of Best Week Ever, then maybe we should award the Worst Week Ever to Ms. Del Toro. Despite the fact that she had moments of brilliance on Tuesday night (mixed in with moments of mediocrity), the judges who supposedly put her through to this round were completely SHOCKED that she could sing. She’s delusional enough to work around that, though. Tonight, on the other hand, was just downright cruel. American Idol truly slipped to a new low, as the producers held Tatiana out for the final judgment against Danny Gokey, who most have already pegged to make it to the top 2. The news had to be broken to her at some point, but the true cruelty was in following her emotional breakdown all through Danny’s repeat performance of “Hero”. It was just downright evil. Speaking of evil…
– America gets the whole picture. While there was talk that Anoop Desai was destined for Top 12 greatness, a buzz was also building for Michael (formerly Jeremy) Sarver. The fact that the vote was so close between the two of them shows that folks took into account the full history of their performances, because if the viewers hadn’t taken that into account, Ricky Braddy should have easily had Michael’s spot in the top 3. Chances are good that both Desai and Braddy will be back for the Wildcard round.
– You only get one shot. Jackie Tohn, Anne Marie Boskovich, and Brian Keith…it’s been nice knowing you. Anne Marie might make it back to the Wildcard round, but all three took major falls from contenders to also-rans based on one performance. And let’s not even get into the rest of the ladies. The guys really do have the upper hand this year, with the exception of Alexis Grace, who was miles away from her female counterparts.
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of being introduced to the Cast Recording of 
So Hollywood Week, with all of its drama, wrapped up this week on American Idol, and it’s hard to know where we stand, since it’s been a bit of a cluster this season so far. However, I do think we have some clear answers on certain aspects:
– Talent can shine through – I will, begrudgingly, use Von Smith as an example. Up until Wednesday night, I was extremely opposed to Von going on to the Top 36, based on some of the most bombastic performances ever seen on Idol. Problem was, boy actually can sing, and he apparently took Simon’s criticism to heart the final day of Hollywood Week, performing a much more subdued song in his final audition. Well played, Von…well played.
There are some pretty cool things going on here in the non-virtual world, so updates won’t be coming quite as regularly for the next week. Without going into too much detail, there are a couple of cool professional/academic challenges that need to be met, along with a top-secret mission in the personal life that will be accomplished by Sunday night. I’m hoping that I can fill y’all in next week. [BTW, the clock is in tribute to PSB, who are now up for pre-orders for their upcoming CD. It’s a good time to be a fan of pop music.]
What I would like to mention really quick is that, while folks were initially talking about Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Jennifer Hudson, and Sugarland being the recipients of bumps, it looks like Adele really came out the big winner. Krauss & Plant’s current #1 is a given, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Best New Artist pick up this much momentum off of a Grammy win without having significant success prior to the show. After having been blown away by the response that she received off of the Saturday Night Live performance, it looks like the record company did a perfect job of positioning her to peak at just the right time. The challenge at this point is how do you capitalize on this, because I’ve felt all along that “Chasing Pavements” was the only song that really stood a chance on pop radio here in America. Could “Hometown Glory” be a hit? I hope so, but I just don’t know.
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 