Record Show Attendance (generally speaking)
AlGarth
353 Posts
So i've been thinkin' a lot about how the San Diego Record Show has seen a slight yet steady decrease in attendance since I started it in 2001. I have talked with a few other promoters and the consensus seems to be the same so far. I have also heard unconfirmed rumors that the buena park show is suffering as of lately. I'd like to hear peoples opinions on this. Do you still go? If not, why not? Did dildo take away all the DJ's and just leave the hardcore collectors? What, if anything can be done to reverse these trends and thereby save the shows from extinction? I was also curious to hear from the Night Owl guys too since I know they have a different vibe out there with the booze and party and stuff (sadly that is not an option for me). You guys keep a door count?Peace,Al
Comments
There are people not a 15 minute drive away that I still have to email/call to let them know I just got a nice batch in. I have lost some business because I don't squirrel records away for high-end clientele (read: hip-hop producers). I can't count how many great, rare records get snapped up by people who don't even live in this country yet hit my shop more often than cats in this very city.
Many people would rather shop online or with a private dealer who will go the extra mile and pull titles for them than spend time at a record shop or record show. That's my take, anyway.
From this buyer's perspective (and bear in mind, I am buying wholesale most of the time) record shows have become less and less worthwhile because dealers are either not scoring the goods or gripping so hard that rare/different titles never even make it into their boxes. I know of a good several dealers in these parts that only bring their "post-ebay" stock to shows. What's the point then?
I've got three stores within driving distance 30/45 mins two of which are rundown dirty old mom and pop shops with horrible lighting and unorganized chaotic piles of records everywhere. Having to spend my entire day in a unhealthy store looking thru uncleaned right out the basement pieces is not for me. One other is decent, but a tiny selection of only few hundred vinyls mostly $5 classic rock titles. Really though who has trouble getting rid of the dope raer's?? do you need to save them for the show?? prob not. Yet dealers at shows should respect that the people took time to come out and support!!! have some hot shit ready for the early birds and the late arrival guys! That's my opinion.
I went to a new recordfair last wednesday and it was leftovers all the way through and a couple of completely overpriced heat. even all the tepid leftovers were 10??? onwards each. one dude tried to sell a g-- Niagara s/t for 185???
however, it??s hit and miss. on the yearly jazz record fair in Hannover, there was one UK seller with a truckload of quality records for very reasonable prices. there is hope...
Buena Park (when it happens) is a great show. Usually as a ton of dealers with great items, and its held the week before the PCC show so its usually less picked through as well.
Unfortunately BP is held at a union hall and the last couple months the union hall has been used to hold a vote on a potential strike that has lasted the last 3 months
This sucks. It was good and plenty packed when I went there last summer. It was so nice to check out a well organized show. It is actually inspiring me and a few cats here to try to do our own record show in Vegas. Well, see you guys in July, plus i'm headed to SD this weekend so I should be digging there all day friday.
- spidey
I constantly get online orders from people who live 15 minutes from the store and want it mailed to them. ??????
i'd rather go out and have fun the night before than wake up crazy early* in the hopes that there'll be some decently priced worthwhile records at a show.
*really crazy early - i used to try to get to shows by 9 or 10 and even then it was not worth it... asking me to get up at 6 to arrive by 7 is a joke.
Easy solution: don't go to sleep.
I also think it's got a lot to do with digital music, blogs, torrents, etc.. In 2001 the ipod was just being born, myspace didn't exist, and MP3's were not nearly as accessible as they are today. Also with the economy being so bad who has $100+ to drop on medium rare/common records all the time? People are probably saving their $ for the real heat and downloading the rest. If they are DJ's, they probably use dildo to play their downloads.
Whatever the reason(s) may be, it seems to make logical sense why fewer people are attending these days. Unfortunately it doesn't look too good for the future of record shows. No attendance = no revenue = no vendors = no show.
I didn't go for about 3 years and decided to go a couple months back, same 'ol same.
JUNK, JUNK, JUNK...
If you are a dealer, bring your heat on hand to the show and name your price, at least that might
generate some excitement, if it doesn't sell no big on to Ebay it goes.
Shows like the Night Owl are the future, great vibe, great records, younger collectros/dealers who are up on current record trends and don't give a fuck about a cotdamn butcher cover!
I sold alot of hip hop at fair prices, people were stoked on seeing that believe me.
It's time to give the 'ol time record show a makeover in your town folks.
Shows are all about PROMOTION. You need to catch the attention of the 30-40 year old B.O. grippeurs.
Worst part of it is this: Word on the street says the show is toast because the promoter no longer wants to deal with it anymore. I guess after having three months with no show he realizes that it is not worth the hassel.
I hope someone revives the Orange County show. It is so much fun! Buying private issue all morning long and baking one in the parking lot. I have not even hung with some of my records friends in months because of the death of this show.
A side note is the fact that the Pasadena show now takes place in an underground parking garage. Give me a break.
These two Los Angeles shows were the best monthly shows in the country without a doubt. Now they are hanging on by a thread.
RIP
ap
Saw this chick at the last Seattle show in white jeans with rainbow Beatles logos ALL OVER THEM.
Their must been a hundred of them shits!
I was super glad I didn't wear mine with the matching jean jacket.
I feel that the SD show has everything you mentioned.
BTW.. here is a photo from the SD show of a dude who buys ONLY Beatles shit. If you look closely you can see that he is wearing a headlamp and using a magnifier to carefully inspect any Beatles record he might come across. Ironically, this was the same show where some home boy scored Jade (Pesante' label) for $3 at about 9:00am.
Also, I haven't bought a record at my local shop in months. It's getting pretty bad.
I did however, buy Johnnie Taylor- Who's Making Love for 3bucks on ebay.
besides the BIG shows, which except for wfmu, have also seen a big drop customerwise
(the ARC shows on either side of the atlantic)
the only shows with a "buzz" have been the night owl style swaps
& the events tied into greater events,
nyc mod weekender,cbgb punk flea market, u of md radio station swap, etc
&
a common thread among these young turk shows is =
#1 not early am/snooze ya looze modus operendi,
#2 they do not take place in a hotel ballroom, which may be located
off mass transit lines or near the mall/airport/stadium
#3 they don't depend on goldmine free listings to "get the word out",
many are off the radar of g-mine all together & maybe loose a customer
because of it, but they bring in tons of folks due to on line ads/announcements
also getting a buzz among local deejays & wannabees
(people who don't wake untill after noon)
+ working with local store & clubs
i could write a book about some of the stuff i've seen
b/w
how can there be a monthly show in nyc that sucks so badly
while there is a monthly practically in the middle of a cornfield in pa
that is red hot with diggers (atleast untill 9:30 am
I am gonna assume that there is still consistent heat turning up at that monthly PA/Baltimore show well under market value ...right?
those holiday inn fred fuck NYC shows are the same dudes over and over with high priced stuff.Hell the only time i EVER hit those shows was to TRADE with you.
Wayne is good if I am loading up on common 45s for .50/dolla to flip in europe.
But other than that ...i do better elsewhere on the DL.
I also thought all the action at wfmu is on the street on Fri morn pre show
I make it a point that weekend to go extra hard on the obvious fleas because all the heads are at the show.
I would like to hit utrecht and austin someday just for fun.
yeah, but the sharp elbows feeding frenzy is unrelenting
but you can always hit a few crates "first", pa is nicer cause it is much bigger
but balto always has more better stuff
it is a scene, but i always thought it was over rated (more than half of the dealers in line don't open early & a load of friday dealers arrive from noon-5)
sunday morning is my fave time to dig @ fmu
I would surmise that the folks who set up @ the NYC shows are hard to get over on... they consist of people who know their shit and are going to bring eBay leftovers. Cornfield show always has one or two dealers with heat for cheap. That is what diggers thrive on! WE WANT HEAT FOR CHEAP!
I myself have had it with record shows for awhile. I would much rather enjoy a nice cup of coffee and spend time with my kids than wake up at 4:30 AM and drive 70 miles for a few raers. I'll leave that to the hungrier youngins.
As always I'm just trying to have the best show possible.
Your input is appreciated. Also I hope nobody minds that I may pass some of this info along to my vendors. Thanks.
-a
You know, I find there's a big difference between those that want $75 records for $5, and those that are real happy to get that record for, say, $40. I can totally understand why a dealer might say "well hell, I can get almost double on ebay" but I sell on ebay too, and I would often rather take a bit less and deal with far less hassle. There are a fair number of dealers up and down the east coast who are really fair, score great shit, and are a pleasure to deal with. It's just a shame that most of them won't come up to NYC anymore.
As for the NYC shows, it's not even like that. It's worse. The same stock, from the same guys. In a small room, with the same buyers. Month in, month out. Occasionally, you'll snag a mistake... but why should I trek halfway uptown, damn near over the west side highway, hoping to catch someone's mistake? Early admission is 25 DOLLARS.[/b] Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
There's really only one cat who brings in consistently interesting stock, he sets up after regular admission starts, and you're elbow to elbow with the same dealers who just set up there! THEY are trying to gripp it and flipp it because their shit is sitting. It is a bad scene to say the least.