Is iTunes Killing a Community?
December 28, 2009 by Angela Stefano · 1 Comment
Describe your pitch being as SPECIFIC as possible:: Record stores are about community. Visits are for more than browsing and buying; they were about the music — listening to it, talking about it and, sometimes, hearing it live and meeting the music makers.
But the advent of the Internet, iTunes and digital downloading both legal and illegal has changed the way the music business works. We find out about bands from Facebook and MySpace, not the record store clerk. Buying your favorite band’s new CD is as easy as clicking a button; there’s no more waiting in line with other eager fans. Virgin Megastore and Tower Records have shut the doors to even their busiest outlets; locally, we had to bid a fond farewell to New World Records.
How has the climate of the music business has affected the community of music buyers and store owners? Has the digital age made record stores obsolete not just in their wares but in their social purpose? Or do clients miss the opportunity to socialize with other audiophiles, making friends and finding new music at the same time?
What Do You Hope to Accomplish with this Story?: This story will explore how the social aspect of record stores has evolved, changed and/or died as digital downloading and social networking have come to prominence.
How Much Money Do You Need: $300
What Will the Finished Project Look Like:: The finished project will include an approximately 1,000-word story, plus an audio piece and pictures.
What is your proposed Deadline?: Spring 2010
Tell us about you and why you can tell this story:: I am a 2009 Boston University College of Communication graduate interested in, among other things, music and sociology, key elements in this idea. I also spent many an afternoon during high school in New World Records and miss it quite a bit.
Excellent topic. I really miss Home of the Hits, as it was the gateway into the world I still spend time in (Buffalo’s hardcore punk scene). I feel bad for the kids coming up who will not have the experience of buying an album at a store, and the excitement of putting it on for the first time. I’m very interested in seeing the final product.