Frame-Dragging
It had just occurred to me for the first time last night that I am the last person at my job that is still, I guess technically, working.
I knew things have slacked off considerably since my boss left a few months ago. But I've been carrying on like I always have: Rushing around the store for customers. Coming in early to get projects done before opening hours. Taking on Herculean tasks of reorganizing the entire music section by myself to make product easier to find. And I'm looking around and seeing fewer and few people not only not doing their work, slipping off the sales floor to watch movies in the back room, not even attempting to keep the store clean -- but I'm seeing management either doing the very same thing, or even enabling the associates to slack off along with them. And here I've been dressing down goldbricking staff nearly constantly because, well, in the past, that was my job -- to make sure people were doing their job. We had a higher boss we all had to answer to. And I release that she's gone, but it was inevitable that we'd be getting a new one about this time, or any day now. Isn't it? Isn't it?
It just dawned on me last night, for he first time, that maybe everybody knows something that I don't. Which is typical of how things go around there -- I'm commonly the last to know anything, despite my position. Has everybody ceased working because they have no one to answer to? Or are they aware of something I'm not?
This month we are going to start selling the Musicpass in our store, and I guess depending on how well they sell it will be the "first wave" of these things coming through our doors -- but at the same time, it could be the final nail in our industry's coffin if it doesn't succeed. Probably will also be determined by how much they plan to sell them, because if they get priced as high as our CDs already are then it's all useless, I'm convinced. People are downloading their music because they don't want to pay $20 for a CD, not because they'd have more fun downloading albums for $20 apiece. And the industry shoots itself in the proverbial foot continuously with their latest trend in delaying CD releases, especially on a scale these days the likes of which I haven't seen in all my years in the music retail business. There's this song called "Low" by a hip-hop artist named Flo Rida that simply every kid wants, but the album which was due out in October has been pushed back indefinitely and will no doubt be released long after the hit single has come and gone off the radio rotation radar. There was also this song called "Lip Gloss" by a new young artist named Lil' Mama that was highly sought after this past summer, and the video was all over the music channels and people were coming in nearly every day begging for it, and that CD was never released. However, you can download both Lil' Mama's and Flo Rida's singles off of iTunes right now. And for a cent less than a dollar. No wonder all our customers are middle-aged and older, looking for their Andrea Bocelli or their Michael Buble. And you can still them on iTunes if they wanted them as well, if they were about as techno-savvy as the Flo Rida Generation these days.
In fact, that's where I tell people to go if there's no possible way for me to procure the CD on hand. And in essence, that's why I still work as hard as I do. Do I care about the company anymore? In a sense no. They screwed us over so many times that I'm not in the mindframe of doing them any favors, since that's about all I'd be doing for them considering the chicken-scratch they laughingly pay me.
But I do care about the store. And I care about people finding the music (or the movie) that they want. Because first and foremost, that's what I do. And what I have always done. It's why I used to make mix tapes back in high school and toss them into open car windows or tuck them into pants pockets in department stores. It's why I was a DJ in college, or worked diligently in night club and concert promotions back in the 90's. I care about people's access to music. And I care about people finding the music that they want. I do this because I love my job. And I don't care if that one CD I was scrambling around for like a maniac, calling local stores to check and see if they have it in stock, or special ordering it to ensure they get what they're looking for seems like a waste of time and energy for a company who won't even send a service repairman when our heater conks out in the middle of winter, or pay a long-time, valued associate sick leave when he was laid up with his spine surgery a few months ago, or even send someone to clean the dysentery out of our filthy, septic tank-leaking carpets. Maybe it is all useless in the end. But I simply don't want to become useless myself. I know this sounds hella corny, but if I'm not striving to help get the music to the people, then I'm not being what I am. God, somebody shoot me for saying that, but it's true.
Anyway, I have the weekend off for a change, so I'm going to spend some time thinking about my future. And it's about time I did, too, don't you think?
I knew things have slacked off considerably since my boss left a few months ago. But I've been carrying on like I always have: Rushing around the store for customers. Coming in early to get projects done before opening hours. Taking on Herculean tasks of reorganizing the entire music section by myself to make product easier to find. And I'm looking around and seeing fewer and few people not only not doing their work, slipping off the sales floor to watch movies in the back room, not even attempting to keep the store clean -- but I'm seeing management either doing the very same thing, or even enabling the associates to slack off along with them. And here I've been dressing down goldbricking staff nearly constantly because, well, in the past, that was my job -- to make sure people were doing their job. We had a higher boss we all had to answer to. And I release that she's gone, but it was inevitable that we'd be getting a new one about this time, or any day now. Isn't it? Isn't it?
It just dawned on me last night, for he first time, that maybe everybody knows something that I don't. Which is typical of how things go around there -- I'm commonly the last to know anything, despite my position. Has everybody ceased working because they have no one to answer to? Or are they aware of something I'm not?
This month we are going to start selling the Musicpass in our store, and I guess depending on how well they sell it will be the "first wave" of these things coming through our doors -- but at the same time, it could be the final nail in our industry's coffin if it doesn't succeed. Probably will also be determined by how much they plan to sell them, because if they get priced as high as our CDs already are then it's all useless, I'm convinced. People are downloading their music because they don't want to pay $20 for a CD, not because they'd have more fun downloading albums for $20 apiece. And the industry shoots itself in the proverbial foot continuously with their latest trend in delaying CD releases, especially on a scale these days the likes of which I haven't seen in all my years in the music retail business. There's this song called "Low" by a hip-hop artist named Flo Rida that simply every kid wants, but the album which was due out in October has been pushed back indefinitely and will no doubt be released long after the hit single has come and gone off the radio rotation radar. There was also this song called "Lip Gloss" by a new young artist named Lil' Mama that was highly sought after this past summer, and the video was all over the music channels and people were coming in nearly every day begging for it, and that CD was never released. However, you can download both Lil' Mama's and Flo Rida's singles off of iTunes right now. And for a cent less than a dollar. No wonder all our customers are middle-aged and older, looking for their Andrea Bocelli or their Michael Buble. And you can still them on iTunes if they wanted them as well, if they were about as techno-savvy as the Flo Rida Generation these days.
In fact, that's where I tell people to go if there's no possible way for me to procure the CD on hand. And in essence, that's why I still work as hard as I do. Do I care about the company anymore? In a sense no. They screwed us over so many times that I'm not in the mindframe of doing them any favors, since that's about all I'd be doing for them considering the chicken-scratch they laughingly pay me.
But I do care about the store. And I care about people finding the music (or the movie) that they want. Because first and foremost, that's what I do. And what I have always done. It's why I used to make mix tapes back in high school and toss them into open car windows or tuck them into pants pockets in department stores. It's why I was a DJ in college, or worked diligently in night club and concert promotions back in the 90's. I care about people's access to music. And I care about people finding the music that they want. I do this because I love my job. And I don't care if that one CD I was scrambling around for like a maniac, calling local stores to check and see if they have it in stock, or special ordering it to ensure they get what they're looking for seems like a waste of time and energy for a company who won't even send a service repairman when our heater conks out in the middle of winter, or pay a long-time, valued associate sick leave when he was laid up with his spine surgery a few months ago, or even send someone to clean the dysentery out of our filthy, septic tank-leaking carpets. Maybe it is all useless in the end. But I simply don't want to become useless myself. I know this sounds hella corny, but if I'm not striving to help get the music to the people, then I'm not being what I am. God, somebody shoot me for saying that, but it's true.
Anyway, I have the weekend off for a change, so I'm going to spend some time thinking about my future. And it's about time I did, too, don't you think?
posted by Melissa at 7:50 AM
3 Comments:
Great post! You've really nailed the problem with music retail/the music industry today -- people who want to buy stuff can't find it (something I've started tracking on my blog).
MusicPass is definitely just more proof that someone doesn't "get" it. Eradication of the CD single in this day and age is simply a bad business decision.
I'm not sure who is more to blame, the labels or the stores for not fighting back.
I had never heard of music pass and just checked the link you gave and I'm trying to understand it...To me it looks like you're basically buying and ITunes gift card, but instead of having the flexibility of using it to download any songs you like, it can only be used to download the specific album and you still have to download the album at home...so why exactly would you go to a store to buy this card? The only people I can see this appealing to is extreme die hard fans of an artist who want the card as a collectible...am I missing something or is that basically what it is?
Thank you, Michelle. I'm beginning to think that they is going to have to be a complete restructuring of the industry, retail and otherwise, in order for the music business as it is to change with the times. But it will still probably get a lot worse still before it gets any better.
Pablo, I'm still wondering about that myself, except I guess the only benefit is all the extra bonus material you're supposed to get as well. Plus this product is put out by Sony so I wonder if all the cards are only going to be for Sony artists.
I think it will still only come down to both price, and whether or not people will use it. Kids can already download their favorite album for next to nothing. But I don't see older people (the Tony Bennett crowd that still buys CDs)getting lured onto the web to buy the new Celine Dion album. And it will all still rely on sketchy release dates, just like the CDs. Well, I suppose I'm interested to see how it all works out.
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