By Elena Buckley | SDUN Reporter
From Mission Hills to Normal Heights and everywhere in between, there are record stores alongside coffee shops and thrift stores, thriving and making customers excited about music—despite the lure of purchasing and downloading via the Internet.
And Rick Tyner, manager of M-Theory Music of Mission Hills, boils it down to simple physics.
“Analog is just by far superior. You’re not compressing any wavelengths so you’re getting the most natural, pure sound you can get,” he said.
The act of taking a record out of the sleeve, lowering the needle and waiting for the music to start is a memorable experience. This ritualistic feeling just isn’t the same when listening to CDs or digital copies of albums. The power of vinyl is unanimously and simply described by each of these store managers as a result of sound quality that is incomparable to anything one can find online.
“It is like comparing a DVD to the big screen,” Curtis Casella, owner of Taang! Records located at 3830 5th Ave. in Hillcrest, said. “Or in the case of an iPod, watching a movie on your computer compared to going to a drive-in.”
Around the corner is Thirsty Moon Records at 525 Evans Pl. Small and tucked away on a side street, it carries a distinct collection, offering a sampling of power pop, punk, psychedelic and more.
“There’s a great sense of community that evolves around a little record store,” Tyner said. “We love that aspect of it here.”
M-Theory Music also sells a mix of new and used vinyl and CDs, specializing in indie-rock music. You can pre-listen to any of the used LPs or CDs at a variety of listening stations in the store. This experience allows listeners to take their time and explore the music offered first-hand.
Tyner emphasizes that the store embraces an at-home feeling. It organizes in-store, all-ages shows “for kids that can’t get into The Casbah and other venues that are 21 and up.” M-Theory also hosts listening parties for new albums the day before they’re released and have discounted sidewalk sales with 50 cent LPs, dollar CDs and pizza donated from Lefty’s down the street. This store gets involved in its customers’ lives.
“I think I’m friends with at least half of our customers,” Tyner said. “We care about our customers and we’re small enough that we can get to know [them].”
Even at a time when computers and the digital age are changing the face of music and its accessibility, new artists from a variety of musical genres are still producing LPs.
“I think it’s great [that] the artists are really pushing for it,” Tyner said. “One of the greatest parts of the new vinyl that I think every label should do is putting the digital download card with it. If you wanted the convenience of throwing it on your iPod and jumping on the bus and going to school, you got that. At the same time you have your vinyl, so you can sit at home and actually listen to your record and get the experience and sound quality of it.”
Nickelodeon Records at 3335 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights has been co-owned by Ruth Bible and Elizabeth Scarborough for twenty-six years and they pride themselves on having something for everyone. The walls of the store are covered in obscure LPs and memorabilia from San Diego high schools, drive-ins and drive-throughs. They only sell used LPs—no CDs or tapes.
“A lot of people like vinyl because they like the artwork,” Scarborough said. “This is an art form you’ll never see on a CD.”
While emphasizing that they only carry records, both women passionately describe the charm and excitement that comes from unearthing and stumbling upon new and old records.
“Vinyl was made for so long some stuff will never be on CD,” Scarborough said.
“And that’s what we want!” Bible said. “Somebody calls and says they had an aunt in 1952 that made one record. God, how exciting to find it! And we do!”
These stores are a big part of the communities that they’re located in, yet Bible and Scarborough admit that when CDs came out it was difficult to keep up with the business.
“It really took a lot to be tenacious and stay with it,” Bible said. “People yelling at the door ‘Vinyl’s dead, haven’t you heard?’ They’d say, ‘What are you really doing for business in here? You can’t be paying the rent selling records!’” Bible laughed, “You know, I don’t think we look like call girls.”
Paul Russe, manager of Off the Record at 2912 University Ave. in North Park explained that vinyl will always matter to those who truly love music.
“Records never really went away. People think that 20 to 25 years ago CDs came in and made records go away,” Russe said. “But they never did. People that listen to vinyl always listen to vinyl.”
