Kansas City Music Blog

Last week, KISS announced that its new album, Sonic Boom, is to be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. Is this further evidence of what the Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro referred to as "the death of the record store"? Caro also asked if a rock band selling an album exclusively at a big box store counted as a sell-out.

​I think it's a valid question. The Tribune's Greg Kott and compatriot critic Jim Derogatis on the Sun-Times have discussed this sort of thing time and time again on their program Sound Opinions, and the point that they make is that regardless of who you're talking about -- be it KISS, AC/DC, or Prince -- this is an artist turning their back on the mom and pop record shops that allowed them their start.

Of course, the fact that everyone seems to be ignoring is that most artists today are making their way almost totally independent of any sort of traditional brick-and-mortar business. When you can release your album direct to iTunes, Rock Band and Guitar Hero, why invest any money in actual physical product? If the album tanks, that's all lost money. The point made by JG Mason of Gadgetell is most prescient:

"Album sales are off 45% since 2000. The answers why are pretty clear: we don't need to pay for stuff the bands made just to fill an album. Seriously, every album I own has a track I typically fast forward or choose not to download to my player. Some easy examples: REM's "Airplane" off their Accelerator; Depeche Mode's "Macro" off their Playing the Angel release. Surely, you know what I am talking about."

He goes on to describe the "iTunes effect," wherein programs like iTunes help their users "completely and happily miss the filler." You hear about the "death of the album" almost weekly anymore, but when one considers the hip-hop comedy skit, it starts to sound almost welcome (exemption granted to Eddie Griffin's "EDucation" from The Chronic 2001 -- that was bomb).

Here are the basic facts: Love Garden, much as it is the "local record store," isn't a mom and pop. Maybe a cool older brother, or an child-free aunt and uncle who spoil you, but not a mom and pop. When Kief's used to be on Iowa, it could've been a mom and pop. Penny Lane, Needmore -- both were mom and pops, certainly. Do we really have any left, though? Streetside's about your only option in Kansas City.

The real kind of store this is going to hurt barely exists anymore, however. The sort of store that carries everything from ICP to the Eagles to Skankin' Pickle doesn't really exist anywhere near here anymore...except in one place. Mike's CDs & Tapes in Leavenworth is the sort of store that a kid (myself) growing up in a small town (Lansing) needs. It carried Nirvana's albums with all the swears!

Seriously, this place was a mecca for me growing up. I found the first Specials album on cassette for a dollar, and nearly wore it out. I really started hanging out there when I tagged Mike's rear bumper when I popped the curb turning my truck out an alley, and had to get my first real job to pay him back. I'd have to go in there every two weeks and hand over part of my paycheck to pay off the body work to his Camaro, and I'd still drop another $15-20 when I was in there, ordering a Less Than Jake b-sides compilation or something.

While I was there, it wasn't unusual for there to be a dude in a feed cap picking up a Garth Brooks disc with a kid in baggy jeans right behind him to grab something from Too $hort. It brought people together, is what I guess I'm trying to say.

And now, that store -- the very store that would carry Kiss's new album, or AC/DC's new record, is getting shafted in favor of Wal-Mart. If that wasn't enough, Kiss is once again throwing a great big middle finger to the Midwest and not coming anywhere near the farm belt where the last of their die-hard fans live. I guess Saskatoon means more to the monied demon that is Gene Simmons than Kansas City, Omaha, or Des Moines.