Nigerian disco, garage, and reggae line the grungy walls of Academy Records Annex. From the boxes slowly imploding on the floor, to the racks suffocated with records above, and even the posters on the walls this is surely a music mecca.
Tigger, the shop’s watch cat, saunters over by your ankles as you browse the $1 bin and it smells like rock n’ roll in here. This record shop has been a destination for music lovers since 2003and it does not disappoint in variety. On a lazy Sunday, you can browse for music from your great-grandparents’ age to today’s music. At first glance, the shop seems like any other music shop. You flip through tabs labeled Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, and then you find yourself skimming some Surf Rock or Soul. The collection is as unique as the shop itself. Located on North 6 Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the shop looks discreet next to its glossy-gaudy American Apparel neighbor. The brick wall above the concert poster clad storefront acts as the awning with Academy Records simply painted in white and blue. Purchased on a founder’s hunch that this neighborhood would blossom, the store came with a great price, location, and a record store must: a huge basement.
This is the second outpost for Academy Records, with the first store on 12 Street in Manhattan. The original Academy Records is known among record lovers for their great Jazz collection. The new store in Williamsburg is the punchy younger sibling known for its huge Soul and Rock collections, according to Mike C., the store’s knowledgeable manager.
A strong believer in the notion of an “honest business”, Mike C began working at Academy from the beginning. “They were emptying out very large storage rooms when the store opened to fill it. I started out as a clerk and was promoted to manager”, he says. An ardent music lover, Mike has always known how empowering and unlimited music is. His first vinyl album was Weird Al Yankovic’s “Dare to Be Stupid”, and he stresses it was his; a love for punk rock soon followed.
Academy seems like Mike’s second home. So why the hype over records? Mike tells me that records are selling better than CDs. In the late 80’s record labels became aware of compact disks and realized it would be cheaper. They banded together and decided CDs were in, and records were out sending Mom and Pop record shops into a nosedive. With the lies record labels produced, such as CD’s could not be scratched, and Clinton’s Telecommunications Act, music became a “boring” place to be. When the public was fed up with this, they discovered the world of Limewire and torrents, and created the monster that is illegal music downloading. Right, now Mike believes that iTunes is the real culprit for record shops, but he does not worry.
He believes in the “honest business.” Mike knows that making wise, balanced choices for your business is what helps you float on at the end of the day. He refuses to point the finger at music downloading because “the stores that are working hard are still here.”
The downfall of CDs came when record labels began to charge up to $20.00 for a CD since no one was interested in them. Luckily, the CDs failure led to the vinyl records resurgence. Academy’s records mostly come from customers and hefty collections that are called in to be brought over from storage facilities. Skimming the racks, you can notice the price differences. Mike assures me this varies because of availability, rarity, interest, trends, and numerous other factors. Also, he says that the economy has an effect on records prices since people simply do not want to pay hundreds of dollars. Music aficionados know the benefits records possess, such as 50% of what is on records did not even make it onto CDs, they cost $3.00 or $5.00 which is what CDs still do not cost, and the art work on records is something to be admired.
On a folding chair next to the jazz bins, an elderly patron inspects the grooves on his jazz records while a student with headphones suffocating his ears skims for Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You.” The shop has seen more “people from previous walks of life” recently.
Academy also has a great bond with the Williamsburg music scene. They believe in bands being dedicated and “honest”, without the bells and whistles of business and promotion. “You always have freedom if you just realize you don’t have to be a part of what other people are doing”, is something Mike believes in for Williamsburg musicians. The shop also has many in-house record labels which peacefully coexist. The employees and friends of the store support local musicians by putting out 7 inch records and selling them. In the future, Mike sees Academy being a staple for music in Williamsburg. Stabilizing laws for music downloading is another hope he has.
Great lead. Really set the tone for the rest of the article. Your details/descriptions were solid.