The beggining of the end of local cd stores?

[shioks76]

Itunes store just released in singapore!

 

[centralcatchment]

What do you mean?

Song Ching - dead.
Chua Joo Huat - dead.
Tower Records - dead.
Da Da records - dead.
Supreme records - dead.
Sembawang - dead.
HMV - still alive, but how much longer?
Music Junction, ThatCDShop, Gramophone - ditto.

The only surviving stores are used CD stores. People often talk about iTunes and piracy killing record shops, but funnily nobody talks about eBay, second hand CDs, or even soft.com.sg.

 

[guitarsan]

What do you mean?

Song Ching - dead.
Chua Joo Huat - dead.
Tower Records - dead.
Da Da records - dead.
Supreme records - dead.
Sembawang - dead.
HMV - still alive, but how much longer?
Music Junction, ThatCDShop, Gramophone - ditto.

The only surviving stores are used CD stores. People often talk about iTunes and piracy killing record shops, but funnily nobody talks about eBay, second hand CDs, or even soft.com.sg.

What a nostalgia trip. I used to buy cassette tapes, LP's and CD's from Da Da and Supreme when I was younger. I also used to buy bootleg or "pre-dubbed" cassette tapes (for 1/3 the price of the originals) from smaller music shops back then. Later on it's CD's and music VCD/DVD from Sembawang. Times have changed indeed.

 

[Likui]

Well I guess those cd shops at adelphi will still be there, because audiophilles love cd more than downloading of music.

 

[Cheez]

Audiophile CDs is a very small niche. But for the general listening population, iTunes is certainly going to kill off whatever is left of CDs. I noticed that not all albums are available in the Singapore iTunes yet - some only available in the US iTunes store. But I'm pretty sure it's a matter of time before that changes. It wouldn't be long before the traditional CD and DVD players start to lose demand, while players with integrated HD will probably start to rise in response to the market change.

 

[centralcatchment]

If I had to choose between paying > $10 for a download, and buying a used copy of a CD for < $10, I know which one I'd choose. Plus MP3s have no resale value.

 

[carboxymoron]

If you want international, popular music, there is no need to worry about the death of one or another channel. The whole world will be way ahead of you. But if you're talking about local CD stores, ever heard of Straits Records? Roxy? Even Gramaphone making a (small) effort to stock local CDs.

And as a content owner, I will always choose to sell direct or through tools like Bandcamp instead of iTunes.

 

[centralcatchment]

I purposely left Straits and Roxy off my list of dead or dying record stores. I don't know them well but I know there has to be a reason why they seem to be alive and kicking. Myself, I'm the sort of guy who will go to that garang guni a few stalls away from Roxy and literally get my hands dirty digging through other peoples' trash.