The practice may not be illegal but it is unethical.
Best Buy uses these records as "teasers" to get people in the door. The records also may very well help draw attention to groups many shoppers might never have heard of.
BUT Best Buy can afford to sell these "indie" records at or below cost. The independent record stores around the country cannot.
It's the same way Walmart and Target can undercut any small business on Main Street, USA.
It's the big fish eating the little fish. The large agribusiness gobbles up the family farm. The large retail corporations like Walmart and Target helping ship American jobs overseas.
It's completely antitheitcal to the whole "indie" ethic, if there is such a thing. I will not ever shop at Best Buy for one of these records.
i have to say that i think the outrage against this is a little forced... if you look at the titles they're selling, its the cds that most of us indie fans bought long ago at an indie store. i don't know about everyone else, but if i want a cd by mi and l'au i have to go to other music. however, if i want broken social scene, and its only 8 bucks, i'm not going to feel guilty for going to best buy...
does the average consumer even know about indie shops like saki or other music? will they know about the shops later when they find out that feist is similar to bss, and that they can not find feist at best buy? honestly, i think having people buy indie music is a good thing, even if its from the man incarnate.
anything to raise people's standards or perceptions of music (and any kind of mass art) is needed desperately right now.
nate...the feist cd is on dow chemical/polysutra/universal overlord/interscope, which is not a comment on the music at all, only that this is exactly the type of title that should be at Best Buy.
thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe practice may not be illegal but it is unethical.
ReplyDeleteBest Buy uses these records as "teasers" to get people in the door. The records also may very well help draw attention to groups many shoppers might never have heard of.
BUT Best Buy can afford to sell these "indie" records at or below cost. The independent record stores around the country cannot.
It's the same way Walmart and Target can undercut any small business on Main Street, USA.
It's the big fish eating the little fish. The large agribusiness gobbles up the family farm. The large retail corporations like Walmart and Target helping ship American jobs overseas.
It's completely antitheitcal to the whole "indie" ethic, if there is such a thing. I will not ever shop at Best Buy for one of these records.
i have to say that i think the outrage against this is a little forced... if you look at the titles they're selling, its the cds that most of us indie fans bought long ago at an indie store. i don't know about everyone else, but if i want a cd by mi and l'au i have to go to other music. however, if i want broken social scene, and its only 8 bucks, i'm not going to feel guilty for going to best buy...
ReplyDeletedoes the average consumer even know about indie shops like saki or other music? will they know about the shops later when they find out that feist is similar to bss, and that they can not find feist at best buy? honestly, i think having people buy indie music is a good thing, even if its from the man incarnate.
anything to raise people's standards or perceptions of music (and any kind of mass art) is needed desperately right now.
nate...the feist cd is on dow chemical/polysutra/universal overlord/interscope, which is not a comment on the music at all, only that this is exactly the type of title that should be at Best Buy.
ReplyDelete