Millennium Music has last hurrah
Brick-and-mortar store gives way to online venture
By Schuyler Kropf
The Post and Courier
Mathew Schrock of Charleston checks out some vinyl Saturday at Millennium Music's farewell party. The party featured live music and sale prices. The store's last day of operation at its Marion Square location is Monday.
In the 1980s, it was "video killed the radio star."
Flash forward to 2008, and the Internet might be killing the traditional record store as well.
After 15 years of business, the downtown Charleston music mecca known as Millennium Music held its goodbye party Saturday as it prepares to close its brick-and-mortar operation to specialize in online sales. High rent and a changing retail market are largely behind the newly dead air.
As a sound-off, the store at King and Calhoun streets sponsored a day of live music and sale prices. The actual last day of operation is Monday.
"The music industry has been under pressure for a decade," operating manager Kent Wagner said as he offered a glass of farewell champagne. "The final straw was everyone going virtual."
By "virtual" he means computerized downloading of music for today's easier and more portable electronics.
Signs of decline in the traditional music sales business have been growing for years. Big box stores such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy are doing well, and so is the online leader iTunes. But the pure CD, record or cassette sellers are getting hit hard.
For proof, the Recording Industry Association of America says the number of CDs shipped in 2007 dropped nearly 20 percent from the previous year, continuing an eight-year decline.
On the flip side, the frequency of downloaded albums jumped significantly, amping up to nearly 55 percent over 2006's numbers.
Charleston's high rents also played a role in Millennium's demise. Earlier reports listed the lease at $30,000 per month for their site just off Marion Square.
Millennium's owners now will focus on their online business, FeedYourPlayer.com, which will continue to buy and sell used CDs and DVDs and will allow customers to swap their music and video discs for credit that can be applied toward electronic purchases. It also digitizes CD collections so the songs can be played on a computer or portable player.
But Wagner acknowledged that closing a physical store presence illustrates how traditional ways of enjoying music are changing.
"We're losing our community centers and meeting centers," he said. "It's part of the bad that comes with the good with the Internet."
North of Millennium, on Upper King Street, Clay Scales, president of the off-beat music store 52.5, said the word is out that music sellers have to change with the times to prosper, especially as they battle rising gas costs, rents, overhead and the faltering economy.
"Stores that are going to survive are going to be smaller," he said, echoing the notion that the end of 20,000-square-foot stores is coming.
Scales recently joined the Alliance of Independent Media Stores, a national effort of smaller record stores that are banding together to search for ways to best deliver music that doesn't necessarily come from the mainstream to a steady market of buyers.
Meanwhile, Millennium customers said Saturday they weren't all happy with the changes that have come in music buying. John Jordan went to college in Athens, Ga., where bands like REM and the B-52s fueled the local music scene and the offshoots of funky music stores. "It's kinds of sad to see them go," he said, adding he'll have to stay concentrated on the Internet.
Lara Pontiff of Mount Pleasant, said she is starting to miss the clean sound of CDs because Internet music does sound different, she said. Plus, she added, browsing the racks for used music is easier in person, and it's a lot cheaper on her purse.
Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551, or skropf@postandcourier.com.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly versionComments
dave3719 (anonymous) says...
Now thats funny!
June 8, 2008 at 6:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Slick50 (anonymous) says...
But Wagner acknowledged that closing a physical store presence illustrates how traditional ways of enjoying music are changing.
In my neighborhood, the traditional way of enjoying music is to listen to what is paying on everyone's car stereo as they drive by.
June 8, 2008 at 7:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mnbvcxz (anonymous) says...
Slick you must live in the ghetto.
June 8, 2008 at 7:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
The best record store ever was The Sunloft, east of Durant on Rivers Avenue back in the 70s. You could get your big LPs for $3.96, your 8 tracks and cassettes, your posters, your paraphernalia, your incense, your black lights and lava lamps, etc., all in one place. What a magical place to visit each week after a hard day at our un-airconditioned-no-free-breakfast high school to see the latest Led Zep, Yes, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult record.
June 8, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jmw29410 (anonymous) says...
I'm with you, KidYendor. I drive past that location a lot. Last year the light hit the south wall just rightone day and and you could still faintly see the lettering and mural on the side of the building. And when I got home, my eyes immediately focused on the Rory Gallagher "Irish Tour '74" CD.... which I first bought in LP form from Steve Griffin at Sunloft.
I really think Millenium screwed up by moving to Downtown YuppieChuck. What a shame!
June 8, 2008 at 6:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
acharlestongirl (anonymous) says...
Oh the days of Record Bar! There is NOTHING like holding an album in your hand and reading the liner notes. I have never gotten the same thrill from CD's.
Those were the good ole days! :)
June 8, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
Hello jmw29410, I will stop by the parking lot sometime and see if I can make out the Sunloft logo on the side of the building.
Was Steve Griffin the owner? I have a nice Lynyrd Skynyrd advertising flyer I saved from the original Record Bar near Sears in Northwoods Mall when they had the nice fountain in the middle from 1974. Lynyrd Skynyrd at Gaillard Auditorium tickets $4. That was a great show.
June 8, 2008 at 10:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
Millenium Music for me was always pretty neat to go into but man were they expensive! I am all about supporting the little guy and buying local but I just could not see paying twice as much for a CD there as I would elsewhere.
June 8, 2008 at 10:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
My experience at MM was that the cds that I would look at were typically $17-$20 for the same thing that I could get from Best Buy for $13 or on the internet for a buck or two less. They were, from my experience, the same price as Barnes and Noble who are also ridiculously overpriced.
June 8, 2008 at 11:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Weeeee (anonymous) says...
I buy my music from Amazon and that's only if I REALLY like the album.
June 9, 2008 at 8:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tammie (anonymous) says...
Tripsa, I still have my 8 track player (and it still works!) and my record player (which also still works!). Times were simple then, you were cool if you had a walkman back then! Jeez..I'm old.
June 9, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Larz13 (anonymous) says...
I was at the Hungreyneck antique mall over the weekend in Mt.P and one of the vendors had 8-tracks for $1. Two selections that came to mind were...
John Denver's Greatest Hits and
The J. Giles Band Greatest Hits.
I am sure that there are some JD fans out there for the older bloggers here but JGB--did they have enough "hits" to create a Greatest Hits collection????
June 9, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
redman1959 (anonymous) says...
The thing about MM was you could find stuff that wasn't mainstream and older albums, Manfred Man, ELO, things not on the shelves at Best Buy
June 9, 2008 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
I always hated that Blinded by The Light song and I still do. That's why I don't listen to light weight oldies stations for fear they will play it. "Blinded by the light wrapped up liked a douche another runner in the night." What a dumb song. And that "Chopsticks" playing in the middle....how dreadful!
June 9, 2008 at 11:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bpwnz (anonymous) says...
Downloaded music sounds worse then cd's, that a fact?
Support Clay @ 52.5
June 10, 2008 at 1:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rjs2005 (anonymous) says...
Harbour in West Ashley was awesome. To me, it was never the same after the West Ashley store closed and they moved the Rivers store to where Colortyme wheel rental is now. I still have vinyl with the Harbour price tag on them, and a couple of books of the stamps.
August 8, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
Thank you for your interest in this story. The comment thread for this article has been closed.
- Most Commented
- Most Emailed
- Francis Marion has hidden cameras
- SLED reviews records for signs of negligence
- Protesters coming here
- Mercury staying in port awhile
- Death Zones
- L.A. company announces Clements Ferry warehouse
- Plane kills man on beach
- REBIRTH
- Temporary duty
- Mercury cruise ship returning early after passengers again fall ill
