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Hi, Kevin Coupe here and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.
Last Saturday morning I was out for my usual four-mile run, and while making my way through town I noticed that there was a long line at Johnnie’s, the local record store. Now, to be honest, I’ve lived in this town for 35 years and I don’t think I’ve ever been into Johnnie’s … they sell records, and I don’t have a record player. But I’ve also never seen a line there, and so I stopped running and inquired…
It ended up that last Saturday was global Record Store Day, a day on which “the culture of the independent record store” is celebrated around the world.
Apparently - and I didn’t know any of this - Record Store Day has been celebrated since 2008. It has grown to the point that not only are record stores all over the world being celebrated by customers who love them, but albums and limited releases are put out in conjunction with the celebration as a way of drawing people into the stores. This year, for example, there were albums from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Elton John … and from a lot of musical acts with which I am unfamiliar.
I couldn’t help but think as I chatted with people on the line - who were very nice to me considering that I was sweaty after a four-mile run - that this is what stores have to do. They have to find reasons to celebrate their existence, their differential advantages, and the products they have that nobody else carries.
That’s what competition is all about - standing out in a crowd and drawing attention to what makes you different.
Now, I left Johnny’s with no intention of returning. After all, I still don’t have a record player. But the passion of the people standing in line, not to mention some of the research I did when I got home, made me think that maybe, just maybe, it is time to invest in a turntable.
Maybe.
And then next year, I could be on line, instead of just online, too.
That’;s what is on my mind this morning, and as always, I want to hear what is on your mind.
- KC's View:
