Rhythm house blues

Another music retail outlet that bit the dust recently was Mumbai’s popular Rhythm House, which downed its shutters on February 29. The day prior to that, a Sunday, was an opportunity of reliving nostalgia as patrons — including me — and musicians alike frequented the outlet in hordes, culminating in an impromptu afternoon jam session that had musicians performing classic rock, rock ‘n’ roll supported by Rhythm House owner Mehmood Curmally in conjunction with vocalist Mihir Joshi, and Indian classical music supported by percussionist Anuradha Pal, with a crescendo of sorts being achieved with a specially composed track by flautist Rajeev Raja, appropriately titled ‘Rhythm House Blues’ that spoke of: “The music never died at this Rhythm House in town / You know it ain’t over as the shutters come down.”

Does this also mean that the retail market for physical product is finally over Unfortunately, the answer is a firm “yes” with several key chains having already closed as current trends of content consumption are comprehensively skewed towards digital.

Music World was an earlier example but, even those retail chains that continue to exist, the contribution from the entertainment category — in terms of sales and, effectively, revenues — is falling dramatically, and the space earmarked for music is being dwindled to non-existence. Take a look at Planet M, Crossword, or Landmark. Current releases still obtain space but, that too, only for a limited period of time. Catalogue content is hard to find. Certainly, a series of technological events has led to this reality check, but it is really going to be difficult for those from the old school to accept these changes (like me!).

Nevertheless, while it is now a given that digital streaming/downloads is the established base for music consumption, nothing changes the fact that the global music industry still attempts to celebrate the physical format — read vinyl discs — in what is now commonly known as the ‘Record Store Day’, which falls on April 16 this year.

This is the ninth year of the event which takes place annually on the third Saturday of April as various music labels roll out limited editions of album releases from a variety of genres: classic rock, blues, jazz you name it. For ‘Record Store Day’ 2016, Metallica is the event ambassador and, in turn, the band officially release a special live album, ‘Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica! – Live at Le Bataclan, Paris, France – June 11, 2003’, a live concert recording from the Paris theatre that became the focus of the world on November 13, 2015, when 89 music fans were killed in a terrorist attack. While Metallica is donating the proceeds of this live album to Fondation de France’s Give For France charity, it is also releasing a boxset containing remastered editions of their first two albums – ‘Kill ‘Em All’ and ‘Ride The Lightning’.

Officially founded in 2007, ‘Record Store Day’ celebrates the once popular brick-and-mortar stores that still exist, supported not only by consumers but, more importantly, artistes themselves as they embark on releasing products exclusively on this memorable day, as well as making special appearances, holding live gigs at pubs/clubs, and initiating meet-and-greets with fans.

‘Record Store Day’ has boasted rock stars as ambassadors to help spread the word including, in 2009, leader Jesse Hughes of American band Eagles Of Death Metal — which, by sheer coincidence, was playing to an audience of 1,500 fans at Bataclan during the Paris attack —Queens Of The Stone Age leader Josh Homme (2010), Ozzy Osbourne (2011), Iggy Pop (2012), Jack White (2013), Public Enemy leader and co-founder Chuck D (2014), and Foo Fighters frontman (and ex-Nirvana drummer) Dave Grohl in 2015 who, during the Oscars this year, paid tribute to those in the music and film industries that had passed away in the past year — including Wes Craven, Alan Rickman, Leonard Nimoy, Omar Sharif, and David Bowie, among others — by playing the Beatles’ Blackbird during the Academy Awards’ ‘In Memoriam’ segment.

This year’s ‘Record Store Day’ also has an “official film” in support called ‘The Smart Studios Story’ about the Wisconsin, U.S.-based recording facility founded by Steve Marker and Butch Vig, the latter best known as the drummer and co-producer of alternative rock band Garbage and producer of Nirvana’s diamond-selling album, Nevermind.

If you have not done so already, be sure to mark April 16 on your calendar. That is the date for this year’s ‘Record Store Day’, the annual event that celebrates the now rare to find, but still existing record stores.

The writer has been part of the media and entertainment business for over 23 years. He still continues to pursue his hobby, and earns an income out of it.