Bleecker Bob's Golden Oldies at 118 West 3rd Street in the Village is a destination for buyers and sellers of vinyl LPs. Click here for more photos. It has had several different shop locations in the immediate neighborhood. Bob Plotnik (still the current owner) opened the original store on Bleecker Street in 1967. I have no real opinion of this shop regarding pricing, inventory or service - I am not a current buyer or seller of vinyl LPs and my visits there are few. But it is a landmark with its distinctive, homey, funky New York style decor and ambiance. With vinyl experiencing a niche renaissance and the decline of physical CDs due to digital downloads, I believe their chances of survival are much better than stores selling CDs, many of which have closed. While CDs are in decline and catering more and more to a graying market, the market for new vinyl is actually growing. DJs in electronic dance or hip hop music prefer LPs for the direct manipulation of the disc (slip-cueing, beatmatching and scratching). In the used market, many covet vinyl LPs for their cover art. And there are still some audiophiles who prefer vinyl and claim a sonic superiority over the CD - this is a debate that has raged since the beginning of CD production. There are also nostalgia and cult factors at work here. In the case of Bleecker Bob's, I'm sure all of these factors drive customers to them and I would imagine many of their customers are looking for music which is not available on CD and perhaps never will be ...
Friday, April 13, 2007
Bleecker Bob's
Bleecker Bob's Golden Oldies at 118 West 3rd Street in the Village is a destination for buyers and sellers of vinyl LPs. Click here for more photos. It has had several different shop locations in the immediate neighborhood. Bob Plotnik (still the current owner) opened the original store on Bleecker Street in 1967. I have no real opinion of this shop regarding pricing, inventory or service - I am not a current buyer or seller of vinyl LPs and my visits there are few. But it is a landmark with its distinctive, homey, funky New York style decor and ambiance. With vinyl experiencing a niche renaissance and the decline of physical CDs due to digital downloads, I believe their chances of survival are much better than stores selling CDs, many of which have closed. While CDs are in decline and catering more and more to a graying market, the market for new vinyl is actually growing. DJs in electronic dance or hip hop music prefer LPs for the direct manipulation of the disc (slip-cueing, beatmatching and scratching). In the used market, many covet vinyl LPs for their cover art. And there are still some audiophiles who prefer vinyl and claim a sonic superiority over the CD - this is a debate that has raged since the beginning of CD production. There are also nostalgia and cult factors at work here. In the case of Bleecker Bob's, I'm sure all of these factors drive customers to them and I would imagine many of their customers are looking for music which is not available on CD and perhaps never will be ...
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8 comments:
It's true that vinyl has a rounder, deeper sound... at least when records are brand new.
They don't have the tinniness of CD's and the absurd range of volume, that I find can be irritating. Quiet one minute and thundering the next.
But... the problem with records is they SCRATCH and HISS and SKIP and all the other awful things.
The vinyl record does allow more room for cover art however... there's no denying that!
a lot of electronic music (trance, house, drum and bass, break, etc) is never published on CD :(
Just vynils with 1-3 tracks (original and some different mixes)
But who has devices to listen them? I don't have vynil reader, so i need to download them :( So i'm passive theft :)
DJ's are making mistake not publishing their creative on CDs.
"DJs in electronic dance or hip hop music prefer LPs for the direct manipulation of the disc (slip-cueing, beatmatching and scratching)"...there is still a big debate over dj-ing with vinyl, vs. using cd turntables or digital sources. One thing that has fueled the debate is a computer program called Serato Scratch Live that allows the user to manipulate digital music as though it were on vinyl through the program and a special Serato record that you use on a traditional turntable. It's pretty interesting.
Also, I really like the photos you posted of the store. They really capture what it's like in there and what it's all about. I also like the angle from which you took the first one.
showtrotta;
Thanks for the info regarding manipulating CDs - fascinating. I did think the long views were good for conveying the feel of the store.
Brian
Devia ser mesmo aqui ao lado..
Passava o meu final de tarde a dedilhar descoberta atrás de descoberta, ambiente atrás de ambiente.
Superas-te.
E isso agrada-me.
Volto sempre,
Vira Vento.
Interestingly I read in the paper here the other day that CD sales are actually INCREASING in Australia, alongside downloads.
I have several vinyl LPs from the new age / punk era I keep meanign to sell...
It looks like the store that was in the movie "High Fidelity" with John Cusack.
I could never get rid of my albums...they are almost sacred to me...isn't that funny?
I agree, their chances are FAR better than a store selling CD's. I think people are sick of the big businesses and their products that break within a year. I think people will really get back into old school collectables. I love LP's
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