Brian Feldman pointed me to this article Orlando Weekly writer Justin Strout wrote which echoes my stance on the desperate Record Store Day event. To sum Strout's stance up...
"What do record stores offer consumers that they can’t get elsewhere for less money?When you look at it from a customer's standpoint, the best thing for the customer... is the best thing! Record stores could have provided that, but they focused on what was best for them: same ol, same ol. Listen to what Sandy Bitman, owner of Park Avaenue cds says:
Nothing."
“It benefits the corporations to say [physical media] is dead because they’ve brought in these golden boys who are all about digital and make that the new model. So it’s their jobs on the line if digital’s not the only future..."So like, if record store owners "jobs" were on the line, then they'd say record stores are the future, as well. And they ARE.
I don't think anyone's livelihood should be taken away from them. I do think those who don't have customers' best interest in mind should not be dominating an industry and should not be whining about what amounts to their lack of creativity and ingenuity.