Like many music retailers, Nathaniel Bernier was getting squeezed. His store, Wild Rufus Records, in the seaside town of Camden, Maine, was selling fewer CDs.
It was suffering as a result of the music industry’s broader woes – CD sales nationwide were down a steep 17.5% last year. To make matters worse, the local Wal-Mart was beefing up its music section and drawing customers away.
So Bernier came up with a solution that married convenience with cool. He decided to focus on selling old-school technology – vinyl records – bundled with pass codes that allow customers to download MP3 versions of the same songs when they get home.
For audiophiles, it’s the best of both worlds: the rich, analog sound of vinyl for home listening and a digital version they can take anywhere.
The hybrids delighted the store’s iPod-toting customers, who associate vinyl with popular DJs – and can’t find it at Wal-Mart.
In 2008 more than 40% of Bernier’s sales came from vinyl and hybrid packages. His vinyl sales alone were up 100% over 2006.
Photo by Self_za.