Long Beach V.I.P. Records Threatens Store Closing

[BigNeckBone]

Sad to hear this, but unfortunally there is no other way out. But physical cd's are still the shit compared to mp3.
This is a lost for the West, VIP Records is legendary and inextricably connected as a representation of the Westcoast

[Tutlock]

Fuck buyin' MP3's.

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

It's a shame that nobody is buyin' CD's these days. Fuck buyin' MP3's.

The problem is not people buying mp3's, it's downloading for free. The thing is, I want to buy mp3's if they are CD quality (or near-cd, like 320 kbps mp3's), but for most rap albums that is not possible. They expect you to pay 10 bucks for an mp3 album ripped at 192 kbps. I'm not buying that.

exactly. I don't get why they don't at least offer the higher qualities. But a teenth is way to much for 192kbps mp3 files without artwork and shit.

Amazon is 256kbit.

[Al Bundy]

very sad news. i have a lot of memories buying records there and then hitting up roscoes

[Spoonie Luv]

This record store wasnt even all that, the only reason why its even famous is cuz Snoop put it on the map and its in the heart of East Side Long Beach. P.C.H. And M.L.K. where your favorite rappers are from. Sure it had memorable moments there when LBC was getting put on the map and recently a tribute to nate dogg was there but other than that, it was just another record store with LBC t-shirts. The cd's there all cost $15-17 bucks and they didnt have anything rare there. Same shit you would find in any record store.
One more thing, why are all you euros getting sad about a record store you never even visited? lol

[KrazySumwhat]

^iam not sad but not euro either(OZ) but it reminds me of the same shit thats happening here(and prolly everywhere), no famous record stores here but all the good ones from back in the day that i used to shop at that had all the good hip hop are gone and more and more cd stores and chains are disappearing all over the place.

 Anyways i just ordered 5 cds last night anyways. Aussie $ high and USA cds are cheap! ha used to pay $50 for some cds from America when i was a teenager..

 

[G-Bee]

Amazon is 256kbit.

Hmm that's weird, why take 256 and not go straight to 320?

[kuruptlon]

Sad News. He should just turn the place into a recording studio. Seems like an obvious transition.

[Lunatic]

Honestly though; physical still sells more than digital.

[Jimmy H.]

if he is waiting on snoop to help, then good luck with that

Why should he wait on Snoop to help?

[Spoonie Luv]

Honestly though; physical still sells more than digital.

mom and pop stores cant compete with bestbuy or target prices. I dont even remember when is the last time i  bought a cd from my mom and pop record store. I buy my cd's from amazon.

[Mr. O]

motherfucker....that sucks...that's where I bought my DAZ's RAW album..st8 underground.

[Smackdog]

if he is waiting on snoop to help, then good luck with that

Why should he wait on Snoop to help?

Read the article.........

[B.A.]

Sad News. He should just turn the place into a recording studio. Seems like an obvious transition.

Yeah, I think they should expand instead of close, the owner Kelvin Anderson said it himself, they need to provide something that people can't get from the internet.

Out here in Phoenix we use to have a moms an pops spot that was similar to V.I.P. called Circles Records & Tapes, they were around for 38 years and they had to close at the beginning of the year last year; all Circles Records & Tapes sold were brand new cds, some records, cd cases and stuff like that. On the flipside, we also have Zia Record Exchange (there's a couple of them), they sell new and used. I've been going to Zia's ever since I moved out here from L.A. and they've always switched things up. Way back in the day they sold mostly music in form of records, tapes and cds then they started adding movies (vhs then dvd, now blu-ray) then video games and just in the last year or so the location down the street from me expanded and is now selling new and used books too. Besides that, they sell all kinds of posters, cups, shirts, magnets, etc. having to do with movies or music and local artist even sell art work there too; they also have an Amazon store. They'll even re-surface your scratched cds for a buck or two and they're open til like midnight or 1 am unlike best buy that closes at 9 pm. So Zia they went from just a new and used record store to giving people way more.

There are a few other spots out here that are similar to Zia Record Exchange, like Bookmans (which is more of a new and used book store but also have a grip of used cd's, movies, video games, some electronics and I've even started seeing music equipment) and a few other places that are are still open and from what I can see they're keepin busy. But you have to offer something more than just selling new cds or just new movies or just new books because all these things can be purchased digitally now or even downloaded for free. We used to have the Wherehouse, Tower Records, Sam Goody, etc. out here and they all closed. I could see V.I.P. expanding and adding other things to their store and being successful, maybe adding a real recording studio and giving people something totally unique and not just a regular record shop that is having trouble selling new cds. It sucks for places like V.I.P. to have to closed because we do need those moms and pops stores but they have to adapt and come up with more than just one way to get that money, hopefully it's not too late for V.I.P. to figure it out.

[KrazySumwhat]

Honestly though; physical still sells more than digital.

mom and pop stores cant compete with bestbuy or target prices. I dont even remember when is the last time i  bought a cd from my mom and pop record store. I buy my cd's from amazon.

Yeah i dont exactly support the small cd stores i buy from amazon to.