…Fine Groove for audio quality, that is…

I read another article in the Strib today (December 14th). Apparently, I have too much time on my hands.

Titled “Fighting the Tide of iTunes”, the article chronicled the competition between independent record stores and electronic downloading. As in the struggle raised yesterday, some indies are finding ways to survive.

Much like the owners of independent coffeehouses, the record stores offer exceptional service, a wide range of specialized products and an atmosphere that can’t be found in front of a computer or in a large chain. As the owner of an independent in Minneapolis said, “there’s still a social aspect to being in a record store”.

Perhaps the greatest competitive advantage for disk versus downloads is sound quality, a point explained to me recently (and technically) by Carleton College ITS Guy and fellow bass player Joel Cooper. The article summarizes the issue: “store-bought CDs have audio quality that’s superior to compressed files available on the web.”

Northfield is extremely fortunate to have an independent record store (and enjoys a rare asset in attracting and retaining the workforce of the future, I might add). So stop on in at Fine Groove for some of your holiday shopping. If they don’t have it, Brian Kenknight will order it for you and you’ll get it faster than through the web with no shipping charges.

…the other day I scooped up a used copy of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, complete with 24-page, full color booklet including photos and lyrics, for $2 less than the cost of a download. Ya snooze, ya lose, Griff…