BY MICHAEL OSSORGUINE | The “music died” two more times Downtown, as a pair of local record stores recently succumbed to industry trends and pulled the plug.
Rebel Rebel’s windows at 319 Bleecker St. were newspapered over at the end of June, while beloved indie and electronica-themed music shop Other Music, at 15 E. Fourth St., also shuttered its doors for the last time at the end of last month.
“The landlord did not give me an option, He called and said, ‘I rented your store,’ ” David Shebiro, Rebel Rebel’s owner, said. “I later found out that our new neighbors next door [Scotch and Soda clothing boutique] had already paid him six months security.”
Rebel Rebel opened in 1988. Left on its window after its closing were lyrics from David Bowie’s song “Future Legend,” with a final message at the bottom of the page: “BEWARE OF CORPORATIONS.”
Steep drops in CD and record sales helped seal the fate of these two shops, despite a resurgence in record sales in recent years. Thanks to Record Store Day in April, there was a brief 131 percent jump in U.S. weekly vinyl sales. At Other Music, record sales made up 60 percent of revenue in its final days. However, the owners had to accept that there is no longer enough interest in physical copies of albums to justify their stores’ existence.
“Despite massive growth in the past 10 years, vinyl still accounts for less than 5 percent of overall music consumption,” Josh Madell, a former owner of Other Music, said. “I think that many people buying LP’s still spend a lot more time streaming music than spinning records.”
“Downloading and streaming is definitely killing CD sales,” Shebiro said. “But it’s also killing the artist and primarily only making money for record companies and the services.”
However, these store owners can be proud that their businesses outlived Tower Records and Virgin Megastore, far larger and older venues in the same neighborhood, which closed in 2006 and 2009, respectively.
With these latest casualties of a contracting industry, Madell believes the city’s indie culture has shifted to Williamsburg, with Rough Trade, at 64 N. Ninth St., being fans’ “best bet” for a good selection of records and CDs.
Other Music was keenly aware of interesting indie acts before their rise to fame. The store famously hosted performances at the shop by Vampire Weekend, Interpol and other top bands and artists before they were rising on Billboard charts. The store was a hub for collectors.
On June 28, several hundred of Other Music’s fans, including 40 musicians, took part in a two-line musical parade that began at the shop, and ended at the Bowery Ballroom, at 6 Delancey St.
“The very large crowd was very upset. Yet another iconic store bites the dust,” Villager Sharon Woolums, who witnessed the street party, reported.
Later that night, Other Music hosted a concert at Bowery Ballroom that featured several of the “greats,” as Madell described it. The setlist included Yoko Ono, Sharon Van Etten and Yo La Tengo.
“It was a beautiful way to honor both our many years in Manhattan, and the fading arts culture of the area,” Madell said.
He said the industry’s economics, coupled with a rent that had more than doubled since their opening in 1995, forced them to cease both their in-store and mail-order operation.
“We just couldn’t make ends meet,” he said.
Other Music peaked in 2000, according to The New York Times, when the store generated about $3.1 million in sales revenue. But revenue had dropped by half since then, Madell said. Meanwhile, the monthly rent was around $12,000.
Other Music has not completely finished leaving its mark on the music industry, though, as the store’s independent label, Other Music Recording Co., is still going, with signed bands such as the Boogarins on tour this summer. Other Music’s owners founded the recording company in 2011, and were previously managing the label through the store location. Madell is temporarily running the operation from his Brooklyn apartment.
Madell remains optimistic.
“New York City is definitely getting tougher every day for developing artists,” he said. “But there is still a vibrant music scene here for sure — check out Helado Negro.”
