Category: Music

bookmark_borderNew and used music stores in the DFW area

Posted on by PAO Productions
New and used music stores in the DFW area
With the decline of physical media over the last decade, the experience of digging through bins full of items in search of that hidden gem, or stumbling across that item you never thought about before but now just have to have, is increasingly on the wane. Fortunately, there are a surprising number of brick and mortar stores still active in the Dallas-Fort Worth area ready to cater to that very need, serving those audiophiles and music lovers among us who still appreciate that old time experience.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES:

1 - For this post, I am only reviewing places that specialize in or do a substantial amount of business in the sale of physical music and music-related items, and that exist as brick and mortar stores open to the public. I am not considering places such as dedicated flea markets and internet based businesses.

2 - Creating a scoring system, and determining how much to weight each item being scored, have been challenging. None of the ratings or reviews in this post should be taken as indicative of whether a particular store is worth your business or support. Some of the stores reviewed are corporate, but others are owned by individuals or families, and some play roles in their local communities that go beyond the sale of physical media. All are evaluated based strictly on how well they are likely to serve the buying needs of a music fan with somewhat broad/eclectic tastes - I'm not looking at things here from an investment perspective. Other factors worth considering, such as how well a particular store serves a specific music market, genre, or neighborhood, are not factored into the ratings. See an explanation of the ratings here.

(Special thanks to Alex Pogosov and Alison Pham for their suggestions and feedback)

Forever Young Records (Grand Prairie)

2955 S State Highway 360, Grand Prairie, TX 75052 Forever Young Records This retailer has been serving the DFW area since 1984, and it's one I used to frequent regularly during my last year of high school.

Pros:

bookmark_borderMy music collection

Posted on by PAO Productions
I'm going to express an increasingly unpopular opinion here: I like having my music on physical media. Even though most people I know have turned largely to streaming their music instead of buying CDs or other physical formats, I prefer the physical option for a number of reasons. One is simply the visceral nature of it - you don't get the same thrill of the search and eventual discovery of something in a brick and mortar store if you're just searching online through a bunch of streamable titles. You don't get the satisfaction or appreciation of being able to hold it in your hands, read through the liner notes, look at the photos, etc. Streaming, contrary to popular belief, is not as good for the artists when it comes to compensation as most people think. Continue reading "My music collection"

bookmark_borderEllen Once Again Follow Up Interview

Posted on by PAO Productions
Ellen Once Again, Ellen Hinton
Back in 2012, I interviewed an up and coming, very talented singer/songwriter named Ellen Once Again. She had released her debut EP, Spreading the Love, after becoming a YouTube sensation in 2011, soon to be followed by her sophomore release, I'm Feeling Lucky, in 2013. Now, three years later, I catch up with Ellen again to find out about her growth as a musician and songwriter, an average "day in the life," and the many places her music has since been featured.

Ellen Once Again follow up interview