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Module 5: Where Is Baltimore Music Headed? & Research

Module 5: Where Next, Bmore?

By the look of it, Baltimore's music shops are surviving. Between some of the big guns like The Sound Garden, The True Vine, CD Depot and Dimensions in Music, their collections, vinyl included, are most certainly not going out of style.

"People will never stop buying vinyl," Al Shipley, music writer for Baltimore City Paper says. "Stores like The Sound Garden and The True Vine have a loyal fan base."

But that's not to say that Baltimore's music shops aren't changing. In late 2007, Towson-grown music chain Record and Tape Traders was purchased by Value Music Concepts. The sale wasn't unexpected, but the impact was apparent.

"It was immediate. Record and Tape [Traders] were closing their warehouse so they sent out a letter to all the local labels and bands on consignment to let them know to pick up their CDs," Shipley says. "Prices went up too."

This meant that Record and Tape Traders would no longer sell releases from local musicians, tightening their spectrum as a local music shop. With many locations in the greater Baltimore area, this was certainly a damper on local music distribution.

Back in the day, before digital music began to take the market by storm, local vinyl shops and labels ran the Baltimore Club market, creating a supply and demand for local DJs. When digital music started into the scene, these shops and labels began to see the results of the invasion. "A couple shops went out of business, and DJs started selling their vinyl to places like The True Vine," Evan Weinstein, a Baltimore Club promoter, says.

"It was a combination of the time and the market changing and technology," Shipley says. "Baltimore isn't a major city, it's a smaller place. Places like New York always have something going on, but here it may seem like things drop off for a bit. It takes a while for everything to gel back into place."

So what's next for Baltimore? When and how is the new phase going to take place? Maybe sooner that we thought. Popular musicians like Beach House and Dan Deacon are receiving exposure on the major indie rock markets and helping to solidify Baltimore as a impressive outlet for new music. Wham City, a collection of artists and their venues founded in 2004, are helping to harness the talent.

Multimedia Package: Well Connected

Well Connected: Tracking Players in Telecommunications, Media and Technology

This multimedia package is from The Center for Public Integrity, "a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern." They are involved in issues both in the United States and around the world, all with a non-partisan viewpoint. The center is housed in Washington, D.C., and it has been running since 1990. They, along with this comprehensive multimedia package, publish investigative books and articles on the concerns of public issues. For example, The Center's website highlights projects titled "The Buying of the President 2008" and "The War Card: Orchestrated Deception on the Path of War".

In this specific multimedia package, Well Connected: Tracking Players in Telecommunications, Media and Technology, The Center for Public Integrity has created an interactive system to determine which corporations and companies own the media in your given zip code or city, the Media Tracker. On the introduction module of Well Connected, a site visitor can enter in their zip code or city and state to pull up a full list of businesses that own the major broadcast outlets like television and radio stations, cable communities, broadband providers and newspapers. Each result yields an area summary listing the broadcast owners and an interactive map. There are tabbed menu selections that further break down the summary into each type of broadcast.

Each summary also yields specific results about each corporation or business. For example, Well Connected breaks down the ownership summary of Clear Channel Communications, Inc., as well as listing its revenue and income, the company's corporate directors and executive officers, and a fully detailed breakdown of monetary contributions. Additionally, the package has sections called Latest Reports and Telecom Watch, which is presented in a blog format.

To sum up it's intended purpose, Well Connected aims to educate journalists, students and legislators. The information presented here is both full and detailed but easy enough to understand. Structurally, the project is easy to navigate. The Media Tracker, which is the package's main attraction, is incredibly simple to use. The sidebar provides all the links you would need outside of the Media Tracker, including a link to the homepage, FAQ's, a Methodology page, Archives, and a menu by industry. Navigation is done without any confusion, which is a strong point for the package.

However, the multimedia portion of the package is not as impressive as I would have liked. There are no photos or videos, and besides the interactive map given with each zip code, there isn't much else to entertain. This puts the main focus on the information, which is top notch for a mass communications student like myself. But, I imagine for someone who wasn't interested or in need of this information, this package would be rather boring. Nonetheless, the ease of use is certainly something that other packages should imitate, as well as the sheer amount of information. This package is an incredible resource.

Besides the lack of photos and videos, Well Connected could have improved their Latest Reports and Telecom Watch section with a primer that put the topic in context. I understand the full concept of the project, but it wouldn't hurt to have a small blurb explaining the weight of each article, sort of like a commentary from The Center Public Integrity.

Overall, I was impressed, but there is clear room for improvement. As an organization that specializes in the telecommunications, I'd expect a more technologically advanced presentation.

Research & Module 4

Excepts and important facts from interview with Beth Varden, manager at The Sound Garden.

- manager for two years, been in Baltimore since 1996
- two current locations for TSG: Syracuse & Baltimore
- TSG has been open since 1993
- plans to renovate, including larger section for vinyl
How has business been affected by the digital media revolution?
"We haven't really been affected by digital music. I'd even say that our business has increased. Not everyone wants digital files, and because we have the best prices, people come to us. Like, the people who don't have iPods or computers, they're still interested in buying music from a store."
"College-aged kids are really into vinyl as well, and we're the only place in Baltimore that you can buy new vinyl."

Do you think that physical music will ever become obsolete?
"Obsolete? No way, I don't believe it. When the CD came out, people said the same thing."
"People still buy it for its aesthetic value. And digital music is usually a downgrade in quality."

How is TSG important to Baltimore music?
- local music section
- consignment for local artists, don't need national distribution to be sold at TSG
- local artists like Dan Deacon, Beach House, Celebration all helped and supported
- in-store performances are usually reserved for national, touring bands but sometimes they'll feature local bands, like The Human Bell
- anyone can use their bulletin board to promote their band/show/venue

Slideshow for The Sound Garden w/ Audio

Text for Module 4:
The Sound Garden (full module here)

It's sort of like a scene from "Empire Records" or "High Fidelity". As you walk in the front doors of Fells Point's The Sound Garden, it's clear that there is one thing on everyone's mind: finding that golden treasure.

"Sound Garden is a freakin' mecca!" London Scalise, a self-proclaimed music junkie and vinyl collector exclaims. "You can't find everything you're looking for in those corporate stores. I'm there at least once a week."

When you walk in the front doors, the foyer is lined, layered and overwhelmed with concert posters and free magazines. There is almost always a line. In the heart of the store, CD shelves create rows and rows of mixed and matched album art. At Sound Garden, there are albums that you never knew you wanted until you found them at Sound Garden, the kind of albums that make a collection shine.

Beth Varden has been manager at The Sound Garden for two years now, but she's been shopping here for much longer, she says. Like many of The Sound Garden's customers, she believes that physical music will not lose it's importance and value in the face of digital music. "Not everyone wants digital files, and because we have the best prices, people come to us. Like, the people who don't have iPods or computers, they're still interested in buying music from a store."

The only place in Baltimore that carries new vinyl, The Sound Garden attracts both the dedicated old-timers roped into a record's high quality and the college student engaged by its aesthetic.

But not everyone likes vinyl. "You can buy two CDs here for the price of one at other places. Especially in the used section," longtime customer Tyler Miller explains.

To keep up with and support the Baltimore music scene, The Sound Garden offers consignment deals for local artists that aren't blessed with national distribution. There's a section dedicated only to Baltimore releases and the shop has even hosted in-store performances by local bands like The Human Bell. But that's nothing compared to the bulletin boards at the front of the store, which reads like an ultimate hub of Baltimore's up-and-coming happenings. If there ever is an epitome of Baltimore music, here is where is all exists.

Google Map of Baltimore Record Shops

View Larger Map

Research: Be More Indie - 04.09.08

Noteworthy excerpts from interview with London Scalise, mild vinyl collector and Baltimore music follower:

How often do you head to record shops around Baltimore?
At least once a week (laughs). Sound Garden and Record & Tape Traders are my two jams. I drop so much money there. Sound Garden is a freakin' mecca! You can't find everything you're looking for in those corporate stores... But Sound Garden... Whenever I go in there, I end up spending way too much money.

What about Record & Tape Traders? Can you find a good selection there?
You used to be able to. Well, you still can, but since it got bought out it's not the same. I'm not positive but I think the prices are going up too.

You collect vinyl too?
Yeah, but not as much as some of the Baltimore music kids do. I've seen some crazy mad collections.

Are Baltimore music fans different than other cities, like Philadelphia or New York City?
Uh, yes! We're so much more hardass. Ha, no really, I think that Baltimore kids are just really united. We all stick together and believe in the music we're making.

So how is the sound of Baltimore music different?
Man, that's a hard question. We're not stuck in one sound? Maybe. I feel like indie bands in Philly or New York get stuck in the sound of what's cool. Like, you know when a band is from Brookyln. Like Vampire Weekend. Baltimore is more about seeing what you can come up with.

Interviews Conducted:
- Employees at The Sound Garden
- Al Shipley of The City Paper
- London Scalise, Baltimore music fan
- Evan Weinstein, Baltimore Club promoter
- Employees at R&TT

More research:
About Record & Tape Trader Buyout ; Repercussions on Local Bands/Musicians
About Dimensions In Music
Music Liberated and It's Previous Role in Vinyl Pricing in Baltimore
Scottie B., Baltimore Club DJ, Selling All His Vinyl to The True Vine
Sounds N Da Hood - Baltimore Music Shop Moves to Atlanta

Set up Google Map of all the Baltimore indie record shops??

Noteworthy except from The programmer as journalist: a Q&A with Adrian Holovaty:
"Holovaty: The main value in understanding programming is the advantage of knowing what's possible, in terms of both data analysis and data presentation. It helps one think of journalism beyond the plain (and kind of boring) format of the news story."

Be More Indie Research; Reading Notes

Noteworthy transcript excerpts from Ian Nagoski, owner of The True Vine, interview:

What is the idea or moral behind The True Vine?
"The idea of shop was mainly to be able to provide. There's a lot of music out there, and there was a lot of stuff that we liked that wasn't presented cohesively in one place. The idea of the shop was the represent the stuff we liked."

Is there an all-encompassing idea behind the Baltimore music community?
"I moved here largely because of the music scene. The music scene seemed to be so free and open, so much vital stuff going on. It was real egalitarian. Real non-hierarchical."

"My theory was, at the time, it was completely impossible for anyone to get famous here. There are lots of great musicians from Baltimore, but they all got famous because they left. Anybody who stayed here never really made much of a mark. It seemed to be place you could be free because there wasn't any golden ring to capture you."

"That certainly has changed some. There are a lot of musicians that have moved here, particularly in the past two years. There still tends to be a really great reaction between subcultures and a lot of collaborative spirit."

How does an indie record shop fit into this idea?
"The idea of record store to me has always been a place where there would be an exchange of ideas, and a physical place for exploration. They would be able to dig through things and find things they wouldn't be able to find otherwise."

What are your thoughts on digital music?
"The main difference between music as a file and music as an object has something to do with permanence. I'm actually a 78 collector. The records I keep are mostly made of a combination of ground up stone and shellac. The music that I keep is stuff mostly from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It's sort-of 60-90 years old. Those are actual memories of events that did happen. They did play this music in person, in realtime, and it's remembered by this object."

"With digital media, it's easily the most impermanent form that's come up. Each format that's come along is essentially more and more ephemeral so that we are getting back to a point where music is only there for a little while and then it's gone. The example I always use is, ask people how many computers they've owned in their life? How many files do you have left from the second computer you owned? Basically none."

"Baltimore Club began in 1993, and they were pressing tons and tons and tons of vinyl up until 2 or 3 years ago when it just stopped. So Baltimore Club is completely a digital genre. So the only way it's passed around is by digital files. So when the time comes that we go back, put it into context, research it and just look at it, after all the parties are over, they are going to have a really good record of what happened from 93 to 2003. But everything that happens from 2003 to 2008; there's no way to reconstruct who did what when, except by word of mouth. And a lot of that music is just going to be lost."

"There's going to be a lot of music that will come and go, and the cultural circumstance that surround them are going to be hard to archive and understand because there's no object."

Do you think that physical music will ever become obsolete?
"No. Maybe in the general culture sense, but as for people who are interested in exploration and interested in what has happened and the context of human creativity... it is going to remain permanently."

Modules:
1. Introduction/Welcome to Baltimore Music & It's Indie Record Shops
2. The True Vine
3. Sound Garden
4. Reptilian Records
5. Normals
6. The Impact of Digital Music on the Physical Music Lifespan
- Digital music sees sales double
- Music industry steps up search for digital revenue
- Digital Music Sales Explode, with Top Digital Track Besting Top Physical Album
7. But There's Hope: The Resurgence of Vinyl Sales
- Vinyl Frontier: Left-for-Dead Music Is Resurrected for the Digital Age
- U.K. Music Label Creates a Vinyl-MP3 Hybrid
- Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD's Coffin
8. Conclusion - The Future of Baltimore Record Shops

On Briggs, Chp. 8 - Shooting and Managing Digital Photos
- Take as many pictures as possible
- Megapixel - one million pixels
- Resolution - "measurement of pixels that are available to the human eye"
- Lighting is important
- Fill the frame
- Capture moments
- Always edit copy, never original

Talking Apes, Digital Audio and Module One

On Exploring Language: A Voluble Visit with Two Talking Apes...
by Jon Hamilton

This is the story of two Bonobo chimps, Panbanisha and Kanzi, and how "they use language in many of the same ways humans do." This multimedia package includes the audio storytelling (the main focus of the feature), a transcript of the audio portion, and pictures. It is also part of a greater multimedia series, Exploring Language. Placed next to the text of A Voluble Visit... is a interactive guide to this series. It is an effective way to direct listeners to similar topics and other broadcasts.

What I've Taken From This Story:

1) The importance of a title. NPR has always thought up smart, sometimes witty titles, and like this one, I am draw into the story from our list of options. "Two Talking Apes," I read and think ... I'd like to explore this further. It also rolls off the tongue with alliteration.

2) This audio story works like an exchange of dialogue in a print story. Narrator Jon Hamilton will speak of an action or point that he is trying to make, and Dr. Sue or Bill Field's commentary will reinforce or make a point. It's a trade-off between narration and commentary, and I think this story showcases a great balance between the two. The story is kept active, almost interactive within an interactive. You also see techniques like this in traditional news reporting, the use of quotes to acquire a element of the story. Additionally, Hamilton incorporates clips of the two chimps, which also supports this idea. For example, Hamilton says Panbanisha "celebrates by playing her drums" and will them cut to the sound of Panbanisha actually playing her drums. I think of this as a sort of call-and-response. When Hamilton says something like this, I think that that would like to actually hear what it sounds like when Panbanisha plays her drums. Hamilton then delivers.

3) In this case, the reporter is IN the story, and the story revolves around Hamilton's visit. The action is a reaction of Hamilton being there; this IS the story. The question is when does this work and when doesn't it?

4) The interviewee's voice can be very powerful. When Bill Fields talks about his missing finger, and the chimp's sympathy, he uses emotive language in the word "hurt." This is a texture that I don't think Hamilton could achieve. NPR is typically more formal than other podcasts I've heard, even more so than WNYC Radio Lab - no laughing, professional tone - and this is a good way to add texture and interest in a piece.

5) Speed and pronunciation are VERY important. In Living on a Dollar Day in Malawi, narrator Suzanna Marmion is very clear, but her interviews are very hard to understand. Their accents are heavy, and while it adds texture and complexity to the story, it proves almost useless if I can't comprehend what they are saying. In the Malawi case, there is not a full transcript to reference, which is unfortunate.

6) In Living on A Dollar..., along the right side of the page is a daily balance sheet for the Phiri family. Even though it is plain text, it is a great addition to the story and helps to define a perspective. This made me wonder if I can find a way to use statistics in my project.

On Briggs, Chp. 7 - Digital Audio and Podcasting...

mp3 - most universal
wma - Windows Media
real - Real Audio
mpeg - Quicktime
mpeg-4 AAC - iTunes

- try to always use mp3
- record natural sound
- using Audacity
- vodcast - podcast with video

Be More Indie: Module One

Research CONT.

Potential Title: Be More Indie
Four record shops I will concentrate on, each with own module:

Sound Garden - called, redirected toward Adrian
True Vine - in-store interview set for 3/9 with owner Ian Nagoski
Normal's - call back tomorrow or Saturday
Record & Tape Traders - sent emails, waiting for response
- R&TT bought out by Value Music Concepts

Potential Modules - Reptilian Records: Blog, Label and Record Shop

Other interviews:
London Scalise (music fan, mild vinyl collector)
Music Fan 2 (Find someone with LARGE vinyl collection) MICA art students?
City Paper employee(2) (for "professional" opinion on inner workings of Baltimore indie)
*Update: Al Shipley @ City Paper - Also runs Government Names (contacted)
Venue owner - Craig from Ottobar? 8 x 10/Lofi Social Club (for "professional" opinion on inner workings of Baltimore indie)
Matt Davis from 98 Rock - Spokesperson on local music in Baltimore.

Topic of conversation:
Is vinyl making a comeback? (NPR Audio) (Article 2)
Making Room For Analog in a Digital World (NPR Audio)

Baltimore's Empire Records & More SG Research

Sound Garden Storyboard

Best of Baltimore "Best CD Store" Awards
Customer reviews
3 Best Record Stores in Baltimore
Baltimore Musician: Dan Deacon | Article about Deacon
Article about Sound Garden and how it's affected by Black Friday
Article about Fells Point

Danity Kane Signing at Sound Garden - 9/29/07

**parallels to Empire Records


On Briggs - Chapter 8 (Shooting and Managing Digital Photos)...
- Pixels - PICTure ELement - visual representation of data
- Megapixel - one million pixels - measures power of digital camera
- 3 ways to shoot photo w/ light - natural light, flash only, flash and ambient light
- Important to remember: correct lighting, correct background, steady camera, automatic setting, fill frame, focus on one thing, get closer, go vertical, shoot action, resize, only edit copy of photo
- "Blogs without art are lame."

Multimedia Story Research Part 1

Sound Garden in Fells Point Baltimore

Questions to ask:
How do you stay a float?
How do you distinguish SG in this digital music age?
Do you notice a difference in traffic now since before the digital revolution?
Do you notice a different in traffic patterns (type of consumers, ages, quantities, etc)?
DVD sales vs. CD sales

Ideas to roll with:
Baltimore and its special indie record shop - staying afloat among the big players.
Record and Tape Traders just got bought out?
City Paper's Best of Baltimore 10 years running
Keeping vinyl alive; in-stores

Official Website | Myspace | Press

Regina Spektor Live @ Sound Garden


Robin Thicke Live @ Sound Garden


Ben Kweller Live @ Sound Garden