# Wither Classical Music?



## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

I hadn't been in my local Barnes and Noble for several years. There used to be a long row of tightly packed CDs that wrapped around itself as well as a wall of box-sets. 

I just went in today and there was about a 9 ft sparsely populated section relegated to the corner. 

I didn't know interest had slipped that low. Is it the same in your locales?

Dave


----------



## Josiah (Feb 26, 2011)

Well if someone only comes in once every several years to purchase a classical CD.... Only joking 

I was in my local bookstore a couple days ago and they actually had a decent size collection of albums.


----------



## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Yes, I've noticed it too. Book stores are really hurting now due to competition from online sources, so they have to maximize the profitability of what space they have in their stores. Unfortunately, classical CD's just don't sell as well as other genres.
That's okay though, there are plenty of options for buying classical CD's online. In fact, I'd say the selection that is available to us all now via the Internet is better than it was when the bookstores could afford to have a well stocked classical music section.


----------



## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

people buy it online. some artists only release their music online.


----------



## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

Well, yes, I'm part of the problem! I buy 100% of my music online, usually Amazon where I can hear samples. I was just surprised at the big change in the store but I can see why.


----------



## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

The Barnes and Noble I used to go to had an almost halfway decent classical music section, but now it's almost entirely pop stuff, some Beethoven, Bach, Stravinsky (mostly for those curious about the Rite of Spring or the Firebird) etc. They used to have a disc of Barenboim conducting Schoenberg but now even that's gone.


----------



## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

LordBlackudder said:


> some artists only release their music online.


Who?


----------



## toucan (Sep 27, 2010)

emiellucifuge said:


> Who?


Considering the poster, these are probably not classical artists...


----------



## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

Well, I buy most of my music in a CD store. It's a lot of money to ship it from the US to here, but there's a pretty good CD store not very close to my home, but on occasions I get there so I buy some CDs. They have, I guess, couple of thousands of CDs and they can ship to me CDs they dont have.


----------



## Ralfy (Jul 19, 2010)

I think this has been going on for around a decade, and it's taking place worldwide. Given that, you are better off buying online or from any remaining specialty stores.


----------



## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

Ralfy said:


> I think this has been going on for around a decade, and it's taking place worldwide. Given that, you are better off buying online or from any remaining specialty stores.


In a store I can listen to every CD there is in it.


----------



## dmg (Sep 13, 2009)

Well, Barnes & Noble doesn't exactly have very competitive prices. My B&N still has a decent selection, albeit slightly smaller than last year's.


----------



## Toccata (Jun 13, 2009)

DTut said:


> I hadn't been in my local Barnes and Noble for several years. There used to be a long row of tightly packed CDs that wrapped around itself as well as a wall of box-sets.
> 
> I just went in today and there was about a 9 ft sparsely populated section relegated to the corner.
> 
> ...


I am surprised that you think this is "news". This decline has been going on for many years now, and has been well documented in the press and TV. It's common knowledge that record shops especially have been going bust for a long time, under pressure from strong competition from the likes of Amazon, downloads, etc. In my local town the only record shop we had folded about a year ago, with a sign in the window saying "Gone, blame it on Amazon."

At least in the UK, this phenomenon is not restricted to record shops, but has affected many other types of hight street retailer as well. It's part of a wider trend with one shop after another folding. In my local area the latest victim is a long-established chain of electrical retailers. There has been some replacement activity - for example, Costa Coffee shops which seem to be sprouting up everywhere, estate agents, Charity Shops, Building Societies, hair salons, nail bars - but the net position has been an increasing number of vacant premises. Part of of this decline may be cyclical, but there is long-term downward trend as well.

I'm surprised no-one has yet proposed a thread requesting views on the most under-rated or over-rated types of high street retailer. I bet we'd get lots of votes for record shops as being under-rated. The trouble is that the same people are probably busy eyeing up their next bunch of CDs from Amazon.


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

It's worse than that in our local Barnes and Noble. The CD section has disappeared completely -- along with the entire rest of the stores.


----------



## Igneous01 (Jan 27, 2011)

where I live (wait for it) - classical collections of cds are found at a dollar store (i have yet to purchase any from it yet - i fear they may be bad interpretations, but maybe ill dabble in it)

other than that, you have to go to a large mall and into an hmv or whatever to find naxos cds or decca (and generally these are the only labels that are there, apart form an occasional eloquence)

it feels like theres a boycott on a lot of the music here.


----------



## Tschaikowsky (Jan 21, 2011)

Where we live, all Borders Books are going out of business. Barnes & Noble has few Classical - sad but true. Seems people buy online, through iTunes, Amazon, etc.


----------



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Classical music sections have been dwindling for some time. I don't even bother to look for things at stores. I simply listen to pieces on Naxos Music Library and buy from Amazon (or other online retailers).

I recently learned that in the US a classical CD that sells over 1000 units in a week will likely be rated #1 in sales that week. To make the top 10 you only have to sell 200 or 300. The average CD sells 300 copies overall. I don't know how Naxos produces CDs for so many obscure composers.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Are we talking actual physical copies or overall including digital sales?


----------



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

That's a good question. I got those stats from a couple of articles, but the main one mentioned the Billboard charts. I think maybe they do only refer to physical copies, but I'm not sure.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Because I think the sales on iTunes are bigger than that, and I don't really think they would bother with even having a classical section at all. But 'tis all speculation.


----------



## Ralfy (Jul 19, 2010)

Pieck said:


> In a store I can listen to every CD there is in it.


The problem I think is that music stores have not been doing well, and the current economic crisis (which I think will be chronic and will be accompanied by peak oil and other problems) isn't helping.

Perhaps the best we can do for now is to listen to sample music streamed in some online stores or online radios and make choices from those.


----------

