Ottawa's best and one of Canada's elite vinyl shoppes is closing its doors

[Zanth]

I just called Organised Sound, an incredible indie vinyl shoppe located near downtown Ottawa, to enquire about the recent Liars release and whether they had it on vinyl yet. The proprietor indicated that he did not have it in stock nor would he as he was closing his doors. This outlet has been my primary spot for buying new and used vinyl, not only does it cater to those interested in indie rock, it also houses some of the rarest jazz, nu-jazz, and anything under the broad "electronica" umbrella. Though the shoppe itself is small, the volume of unique items was unmatched in all of Canada. Apparently, they are known to carry such rare items that folks from major metros in the US would contact them and have items shipped out.

Yet...here they are, closing. I have not been given the scoop yet on why it is so, but I'm thinking they just weren't selling as much as they needed to. With the iPod generation, there is a good chance that mp3's have really hurt lp sales, far more than CD sales. Even though it seems vinyl is more alive than ever before (in terms of selection of gear) the younger generation is not as interested as needed to really keep smaller stores like this alive, at least not with the music they sell.

There is however, conversely a new vinyl shoppe that took ownership of used vinyl store and has really turned it into a top audiophile store, bringing in new lines from great companies. The problem? His prices match the wallet size of his desired clientel. Still, it does lend hope that with Organised Sound's passing, perhaps their collection will be bought up by Vertigo Records and they can broaden their selection from mainly used vinyl with limited new indie items to a full scale vinyl shoppe that has something for everyone.

If not...I'm back to Ebay, which well sucks

 

[Homeless]

The biggest vinyl dealer here also closed about a month ago. Dr. Disc, here in London (ontario) closed shop, which is sad because it was always fun going in there to poke around the hundreds of thousands of choices. I don't know if I believe that the iPod generation really killed the vinyl stores off though. I mean, whenever I went in there it was an older crowd who were shopping. I don't think that the majority of people with mp3 players were looking to purchase vinyl in the first place...it's just that they have such a small clientele and really I can't see the retailers making enough money to even pay the rent on the store.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeless The biggest vinyl dealer here also closed about a month ago. Dr. Disc, here in London (ontario) closed shop, which is sad because it was always fun going in there to poke around the hundreds of thousands of choices. I don't know if I believe that the iPod generation really killed the vinyl stores off though. I mean, whenever I went in there it was an older crowd who were shopping. I don't think that the majority of people with mp3 players were looking to purchase vinyl in the first place...it's just that they have such a small clientele and really I can't see the retailers making enough money to even pay the rent on the store.

I'd agree for a major store, but this store targetted the late teen to late twenty demographic. Extremely rare indie rock to more mainstream indie rock, ridiculously off-beat beats

to mainstream electronica. I think the fact that electronica is in a down turn and has been for about 6 years compounded with the younger gen not getting into vinyl to get their obscure fix but rather doing the mp3...means small shoppes can't manage. At least that is my theory

Again though, the more mainstream vinyl shoppes are doing fine in Ottawa, so it seems, proving that the guys who want their vinyl will pay for it (jazz, classical, mainstream rock) but these places aren't stocking obscure indie titles, or much electronica, hip hop, etc, at least not on vinyl.

 

[Homeless]

No, I understand what you're saying. I think I painted Dr. Disc with the wrong brush, it sounds very similar to the store you mentioned. It also caters to a younger crowd and sells a lot of indie stuff, and it also sold a lot to local dj's. The basement was all hip hop and rap, along with instrumentals for mixing etc.

It's just when I think of all the indie rock kids that I've seen in there I didn't see them with iPods, or any other mp3 player for that matter. They were there for buying music, it just turns out there wasn't enough of them. Don't get me wrong, the digital music revolution most definetly contributed to the downfall, I just can't see it being the main reason because CD's have always been around as long as people in their mid twenties can remember. Do you think it was mostly downloading that hurt these type of places? people just downloading old Floyd and Zeppelin albums or newer indie stuff instead of maybe buying them on vinyl, or CD for that matter?

If it helps to illustrate what type of store Dr. Disc is, and what type of music they sold, even though they've been closed for a while there is still a big Belle and Sebastian poster hanging in the window in front of the brown paper they covered them in...

 

[s m @]

First, sorry to you guys about your best shops closing down. That sucks no matter how you look at it. You can make up for it a bit by going to other, bigger, cities and doing some shopping there when you're catching a show or whatever..... but you don't always have the chance to do that on weeks where your favourite bands are releasing albums. It's very surprising to me, since both of your cities are big university towns. It's weird that Dr. Disc in London is closed, but the one in Hamilton is still open. The London one was always supposed to be the best store in town (or close, depending), the one in the Hammer is one of the very worst. Add to that that it's located directly beside one great store and very close to another good one aimed at roughly the same demographic.... I thought it would close years ago.

Anyway, having said that, I really don't think it's MP3's in particular that have done in those stores. I don't think anyone can disagree that vinyl sales have been on a strong upswing in the past few years, and that younger people have been a huge part of that. So if it's survived all this time, and through the really lean years a decade ago.... I can't imagine that it's really anything but the overall situation in that area that did them in, format aside. Oh well, if you're ever in this area I can point you in the right direction, and these stores appear to be thriving, for whatever reason.

 

[Zanth]

I haven't had a chance to speak with them yet and get a clear idea of what went wrong. Mismanagement of funds? Not enough folks coming in?

See, the strange this is that this is on what is likely the busiest shopping street in the city (Bank St. for anyone who cares). It is bloody long and is pretty well entirely commercial, running from the tip of the Parliament sector (which is the border of Ontario, all the way outside of Ottawa, through downtown, through the lucrative Glebe area (think rich yuppy hippies

out into the more industrially focused commercial area, back to mall zone out to the highway.

This store is also right next door to another vinyl shoppe, one that is pretty well only punk, hardcore, rock and some jazz and blues. It is doing fine and is the top selling vinyl store in Ottawa apparently. Ottawa, with 1 million+ with surrounding burbs, should be able to handle a few tiny locals. This store though...just couldn't do it, with much regret. It seems those buying lp's tend to be in their 30's+ and maybe these guys (of which I will be among soon) don't want indie or electronica? (which I love).

Whether it's just that DJ's aren't high in demand anymore so the beats/electronica/hip hop sales were in the toilet, or that the new hipsters doing the indie thing were downloading instead of buying ("fight the man man!") or well..simply mismanagement or perhaps hey, they are moving on? Not sure yet, just sad

Does Dr. Disc mail order? Are they really trustworthy?

 

[dabblerblue]

I really liked that store, too. It's pissing me off that a lot of places like that are shutting down in Ottawa, and then being replaced with condominiums for yuppies!

I suppose Record Runner is being spiritually succeeded by End Hits...

Perhaps End Hits or Vertigo will help fill in the void left by Organised Sound.

 

[s m @]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth Does Dr. Disc mail order? Are they really trustworthy?

Well, since the London one is closed, and the Hamilton one isn't a good store (esp. for indie rock vinyl), that would leave you with the Windsor one, which I don't know anything about. I did know a guy in Detroit that mail ordered from there a while ago, but his tastes were not yours. You might do better here: http://www.sonicunyon.com/indexok But they may even be too 'indie' for you. . Another, possibly better, idea is to look to the US by searching http://www.gemm.com/ for some of the LP's you're interested in, and then go to the bigger places' sites which will be linked there. I hate the uncertainty of duty, but that and the shipping fees would probably be more than offset by the strong exchange rate at the moment (and the lack of tax), and then you could shop once in a while at one of the truly great record stores of N. America. Like http://www.aquariusrecords.org/ Any place you go to via mailorder, I highly recommend you actually call them to confirm they have at that moment what you want.

This and shopping when you travel should dull the pain. Good luck.

 

[Homeless]

Dr. Disc does have an eBay account, but I don't know if it will continue to operate. There's nothing on there right now, but maybe keep an eye on it...

Dr.Disc

 

[Zanth]

Thanks for the info guys. I will look them up. I went this morning and got the scoop. Basically...it is everything I feared and then some. Apparently the majority of their sales were to local DJ's and some from Montreal who would drive down. They did a good amount of internet sales but even those are declining now that Amazon has the other sellers linked to it. Apparently many DJ's are moving away from vinyl and in turn do much digitally via Redbook ripped, or mp3s etc...with a Powerbook. I have been away from the club scene for quite a few years, I had no idea this was as popular as they indicated.

Another bit is the internet in general. Many kids who would be moved to buy their indie vinyl or CD's have downloaded them reducing sales further. No new blood means less sales.

The bad news is that the end of the month is it for them. I picked up an LP of Loveless, a recent Silver Mt. Zion release on vinyl and the Boredoms Seadrum/House of Sun CD. I'll pop back in later this month and see what I can grab when they are really discounting.

The good news?? Rumors (well, more than a rumor but nothing concrete yet) that the owner will set up a little kiosc in another local venue are flying. The gent who was at the store today said that the owner didn't want to sell off his entire inventory to somebody and have to get out of the biz completely, so he is thinking about setting up in another independent store in town and just opening on the weekends. Basically, he will sell what he has now and do special orders, but as for new stuff in stock...I think he is done with all that now.

So there is still hope. I'm very pleased about this because I have a varied collection and when my tastes get eclectic they REALLY do and this guy is the only guy I know of anywhere in Canada that can source the stuff I want in a timely manner and on the cheap.

 

[JimmyD]

As a 16 year old living in Ottawa, I do agree that the majority of youth, including myself, have a lack of interest in vinyl. I do however, purchase quite a few cd's from Compact Music, a music store a stones throw away from OS, on a regular basis. I think if we are going to buy anything, its going to be a cd.

 

[Zanth]

I don't mind Compact Music, particularly for classical and jazz, but their prices are quite a bit higher than nearly anyone in the city...at least their back catelogue. I do buy my cd's from indie stores though in and around Ottawa, I only hit HMV or Music World when they have their 3 for 30 sales.

 

[JimmyD]

I find compact music's prices to be awesome. I picked up a set of 8 david wilcox cd's for 20 bucks once, that was a sweet find. Also I got quite a few gentle giant albums from them for 12 bucks a pop.

 

[stolencar]

Well, I hope it survives in some form. They sent out an email last week with all the details listed above. Their lease is expiring and they cannot justify renewing it. Too bad. We used to buy a lot of music from them. But since my office relocated away from downtown, to across the river, I just neve got down there anymore. I miss easy access to Compact Music, too. If you think Compact Music is expensive (I personally do not) try Archambault in Gatineau! Nothing under $18.99 for new releases. I don't know how that location stays in business (although the flagship Montreal store is great).