blogs: Rick Redding 

The concept of a record store as a thriving business is almost quaint. Through the years, Louisville's earX-tacy has been a notable exception as the retail music business has been transformed, a local success story that's fought the good fight against the Walmarts of the world and survived the changes in the music business as it has gone from vinyl to cassette to CD to MP3 downloads. But now there's trouble afoot for John Timmons' store, if you can judge from the mysterious news release just sent. It reads: John Timmons, founder of the independent record store and owner for nearly 25 years, is expressing his concern for the survival of ear X-tacy, as we know it. Timmons will announce details of the store's situation during a press conference Friday, February 12, at 10:00am, at the store, 1534 Bardstown Road. With the 10,000-square-foot prime location's lease about to expire in March 2010, Timmons is focusing attention on the realities of a dire situation and the potential impact of losing one of the nation's top 10 record stores. The absence of this local treasure would have a financial impact on the local media, especially public radio. It would affect concerts, promoters, and leave a void on Bardstown Road in the Highlands, an area already severely impacted by the economy's downturn. The synergy of Louisville's local businesses would be affected and the city's music and cultural landscape definitely would be altered. The dynamics of "keep Louisville weird," a local movement founded by John Timmons, would suffer from such a loss. "This is not about business. It's about something my customers have built and have come to expect. It's about a place to experience music," Timmons said. "Many tourists seem to make ear X-tacy a destination point as out-of-towners have learned about ear X-tacy through national exposure. I think the store is a place that makes Louisvillian's proud. It's been a community effort to build it and it's going to take a community to sustain it." I tried to reach Timmons, but was told he's on vacation. I'm expecting a big crowd at Friday's press conference.

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	Beverly Bartlett   tue feb 09 2010 at 11:36 am         ·  I've been worried about ear-X-tacy for awhile and now worry about bookstores as well. It's a very worrisome situation. These businesses add a lot of value to a community.
	Lloyd   tue feb 09 2010 at 11:38 am         ·  I've been going to Ear X-tacy since it was over on Preston. It will be a sad day in local music and culture if this venerable establishment closes.
	Steve Coomes   tue feb 09 2010 at 12:01 pm         ·  were there ever a local business to rally behind, this one's it. John's a great guy, too. But despite all the good feelings we have for the business, the reality is the retail model is in a perpetual state of flux. Especially in the record biz. If I buy CD's, that's where I go. But the truth is I buy very little music anymore. I have no desire to listen to mp3 files because of their low fidelity, so it's not as though I'm rushing off to iTunes to buy those. Here's to hoping John can find something that will work.
	FuNkY CaPrIcOrN   tue feb 09 2010 at 12:32 pm         ·  $18 for a CD. Everybody I talk to say they are way too expensive. Everything is digital now. Record stores are going to be a thing of the past just like Video stores are. I'm surprised they have lasted this long.
	rob   tue feb 09 2010 at 1:24 pm         ·  If only they could share a space with the Rudyard Kipling.
	rob   tue feb 09 2010 at 1:26 pm         ·  Lloyd, how long ago was it on Preston? I don't remember that at all.
	Mixed Mojo   tue feb 09 2010 at 2:30 pm         ·  Just because it is cool doesn't mean it should exist. If it can't make money, then too bad. They've done just about everything right except their website and advertising funds. If they can't make it then what? Should be prop them up with tax dollars? Should we have a bake sale? This is like when all the blacksmiths went out of business. Markets change. We'll all be okay. I need to get a couple of stickers before they go.
	WebyVonMotorhead   tue feb 09 2010 at 3:08 pm         ·  Maybe Jerry can bail them out. What if the local musicians and bands had like fund raising event. Or some of the bigger names who played there. Im going to twitter Josh Hommes and Jim James and tell them whats up. I was upset when Better Days went out of business, this would be a part of my teenage years going away.
	Mysanthropyc   tue feb 09 2010 at 3:13 pm         ·  This is more than just a store closing... I mean, imagine if The House of Blues just closed up shop, it wouldn't be just some ol music hall going under, it's a cultural loss. I've always loved Louisville for it's diversity in lifestyle, and ear X-tacy to me is one of those places where it all comes together. I'll be at the press conference hoping for the best.
	Mr. Brett   tue feb 09 2010 at 3:36 pm         ·  I hope everything works out, that is my favorite place to shop. Sadly, I haven't had as much money to spend there lately as I'd like. BTW Funky, I haven't seen many single discs there that go for $18, unless they were audiophile gold discs, some super duper extra special editions, or imports.
	Kool Jerk   tue feb 09 2010 at 4:24 pm         ·  This is probably a situation where the owner would never sell the business but I think there might be buyers for the business.
	brigid kaelin   tue feb 09 2010 at 4:29 pm         ·  CDs still cost a lot to make, at least for everyone NOT on a major label. $15 really isn't bad, when the store takes a commission fee. I know local musicians would love to help out ... I would. Not sure how much longer it could keep the store alive though, sadly. I also suspect a lot of local musicians (myself included) would lose their own money if the store closed. Local CDs are sold on commission, and if earX-tacy goes bankrupt, then we don't get paid for those CDs we already sold.
	A The Sadist   tue feb 09 2010 at 5:42 pm         ·  Wonder if they've considered turning it into a small concert venue? Know they've played host to intimate shows in the past. So I would assume there's no zoning issue.
	Bragi   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:19 pm         ·  Brigid, CDs have cost $1 to make (including case and liner notes) since the 1990s, the mark up is pure greed on the part of the music industry. One of the people at the ear-X-tcay told me there are 20 year old albums that are the same price now they were when they first came out (that being $16). When a CD "single" can cost as little as $3 then it's obviously a huge mark up and not producing the physical product. I wrote an article for the LEO where the president of Louisville Public Media describe the music industry as having a "failed business model" and not lowering prices on CDs, despite the fact they're at least 150% the price of the iTunes download reinforces that idea.
	rob   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:24 pm         ·  that $1 per figure doesn't include the cost of recording, mixing & mastering a CD which is rarely less than several thousand dollars to have done professionally. But I agree that the music industry is changing, and sadly record stores will probably soon become a thing of the past.
	Bragi   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:29 pm         ·  Except you can do most all of that, at a professional quality, on a decent PC or Mac. The need for thousands or millions of dollars of studio equipment is increasing moot. Not that you don't need expensive recording equipment, just that once a high quality digital file is made of the track there's no need for a million dollar sound board when a $200 (or free open source) program can do it just as well, if not better. The reason albums cost so much is the three or four big labels still want to maintain their "gatekeeper" status on music. Now that that status is pretty much destroyed with the Internet they simply can't figure out how to make money anymore. Meanwhile smaller labels are comfortably profitable selling largely online.
	rob   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:31 pm         ·  Most people don't know how to do that.
	Bragi   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:38 pm         ·  Doesn't mean people don't know how, plus software can take some of the skill needed away. A lot of what an engineer used to do (maintaining balance, tone quality, etc) can be automated with a higher degree of quality. The fact is the argument CDs need to cost so much because they're expensive to produce is also becoming increasingly untrue as well. Garage bands using, well Apple's Garage Band, with the proper recording equipment, can get similar quality that a professional studio did 30 years ago, if not better. The quality a $1,000 microphone had in the 70s might be found for $50 today.
	rob   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:43 pm         ·  If you're listening on computer speakers, sure. But if you think you can get the same sound you get from a C28 with Garage Band or a Pro Tools plug in, then you're not familiar enough with that gear. Yes, you can get a good sound for a lot less money with a lot less knowledge. But you're a) going off topic and b0 wrong.
	Bragi   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:50 pm         ·  What I'm trying to get at is the costs for producing an album have gone down considerably in the last couple decades but the price of a physical CD hasn't. People aren't dumb and when the physical disc is $15 and iTunes (or Amazon, or whatever) wants $9.95 and the listener is only going to rip the CD, put it on a shelf and forget about it anyway why pay such a mark up? I think a lot of people appreciate a physical item, even with a mark up, but if that mark up is too high that loyalty goes away. Considering the business side music industry is viewed by the general public as utterly corrupt, bullying and a "dinosaur" that doesn't understand their own customers then what reason do people have to give them additional money (if at all). I think brick and mortar music stores like ear X-tacy are more important to the industry than they can even begin to conceive, but they (the big labels) won't change their business model to keep them competitive against Walmart and Apple because it might, gasp, not give them the obscene 20%+ profits they want.
	rob   tue feb 09 2010 at 9:58 pm         ·  Ok, now that I agree with.
	brigid kaelin   tue feb 09 2010 at 10:08 pm         ·  Bragi, I see what you're saying, and the cost of production is little, but as an independent artist, the total cost of production is upwards of $8 a cd and that is cutting corners. Garageband is nice, but it doesn't compare to a real studio. I understand it can sound good enough to a regular consumer's ears, but you can't a professional mastering job done for under $1000 unless you know someone. And that's just the mastering. That's why I was talking about MAJOR labels being different. I've produced 4 CDs, so I'm not making this up. It's not greed on the part of indie-artists. It's breaking even. Like I said, I know what you're saying, but there truly is still a difference between the demos I record on my macbook and the use of professional players, microphones, and mastering houses in the end.
	brigid kaelin   tue feb 09 2010 at 10:11 pm         ·  And I totally agree with you about the major labels making waves for everyone by trying not to change their business models. It's been a problem for everyone for years now.
	Mean ol Bob 2x   tue feb 09 2010 at 11:28 pm         ·  "but was told he's on vacation" That probably means he's hiding out in the back room and doesn't wanna talk to anybody.
	Lloyd   wed feb 10 2010 at 4:15 am         ·  @ Rob: It was on Preston before it moved to Bardstown Road almost to Taylorsville Road(across from the Krogers) It would have been back in the Early to mid 80's.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 10:15 am         ·  Perhaps you are thinking about Electric Ladyland.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 10:22 am         ·  ear X-tacy first opened in 1985 in a 500 ft² (46 m²) building stocked with John Timmons' personal records "and a cash advance on his mastercard".[1] The store name came from the band, XTC, of which owner John Timmons is a fan. As the store grew, it changed location three times over a period of sixteen years. The current building has two stories and 10,000 ft² (930 m²) of floor space. ear X-tacy carries almost every music genre imaginable in CD, cassette, and vinyl formats and also carries a large stock of DVDs, including many hard-to-find items. In 1995, the ear X-tacy label was formed.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 10:37 am         ·  Quote: "I wanted to be on Bardstown Road," he said. "I'd found a location next to the Great Escape, but the owner of the building leased it to somebody else when I thought I had it. I ended up taking the first spot available. The first store was on Poplar Level Road at the Watterson Expressway."
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 10:37 am         ·  http://www.louisvillemusicnews.net/webmanager/index.php?WEB_CAT_ID=49&storyid=4003
	idiotman   wed feb 10 2010 at 12:48 pm         ·  Pretty sure the store was never on Preston it was on Popular Level.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 1:18 pm         ·  John started out as a buyer and manager of Karma Records on Bardstown Road and I was in that place quite often.
	Steve Magruder   wed feb 10 2010 at 1:53 pm         ·  Perhaps ear X-tacy could learn something from Kroger: Have ongoing sales on selected items, buy so many and get a big discount, or what not. It seems to me that they just slap an old-fashioned price tag on most things and it becomes permanent. Update the pricing system to make it more flexible, and then some sales magic might happen.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 3:18 pm         ·  If they're not scanning bar codes, they are really limiting the things they can do. I feel the place has the name and the traffic flow. They should be able to survive if they want to.
	SRW   wed feb 10 2010 at 4:11 pm         ·  Bragi, apparently your understanding of how much it costs to conduct a business ala biz 101 is relatively lacking. The cost to properly record, design, manufacture, market etc etc...that nice little cd you see on the shelves...is FAR more than the cost to manufacture alone. It's scary to know that someone with such tunnel vision has access to espouse their viewpoints in the media. What is the world coming to? ;-)
	SRW   wed feb 10 2010 at 4:19 pm         ·  Nice "flexible!"...hopefully people will filter opinions accordingly;-)
	Sherry Deatrick   wed feb 10 2010 at 8:15 pm         ·  I am confident that John Timmons will weather the storm, as he has proven himself to be an adept entrepreneur.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 8:20 pm         ·  I'm not so sure John is ready with a plan. The lease is up in March. I don't see him being out of the place that fast.
	Sherry Deatrick   wed feb 10 2010 at 9:15 pm         ·  It shouldn't take that long to move that stuff out. Get a big truck and some burly men (or women) and haul it away. Perhaps he'll have a huge sale starting next week. I remember when he drove around selling records out of his car. He'll be OK.
	Copy Writer   wed feb 10 2010 at 10:45 pm         ·  I've lived all my life in Louisville, am a small business owner and writer. There are numerous ways for Timmons to cut costs and reduce overhead. For starters, he can move out of the illustrious and expensive Highlands area and procure a more affordable building. As already mentioned, a sale on items that have been sitting on the shelf collecting dust-lower those prices. They're just sitting there. Selling them, at ANY cost, if it meant keeping the business alive, seems like it would be more profitable than allowing them to collect dust in his basement or storage facility if the business were to go under. I've been in there one time, found the prices too high when I could purchase them dollars cheaper elsewhere, and have never returned. I am all for supporting local community business, but if it is at the expense of my wallet-to an astronomical amount-then I will shop elsewhere. Unfortunate but true. I wish the business well but think he has the power to bring it into the new musical era. Michele writehousepublications dot com
	radioguy101   wed feb 10 2010 at 11:17 pm         ·  As a former manager at the Ear and a former store owner myself, I can tell you that a cd selling there for 17.99 cost as much as 13.89 wholesale...for mom and pops...the Ear has a little more clout, but still buy in much smaller amounts than a Walmart...also Walmart pressures the labels for lower wholesale costs because they have the clout. I have known John since the mid 80's and know his heart has always been in the right place...and he has contributed greatly to not only the local music scene, but also to the local economy. Leaving as manager there in 1998 was probably been the single biggest regret in my life, and I hope he survives.
	Kool Jerk   wed feb 10 2010 at 11:55 pm         ·  I know what the mom and pops pay and I can easily believe they pay $13.99 for a CD. Ive said this 100X when mom and pops sell the identical items that Walmart sells, they fail. Mom and pops have to be different, no matter what you are selling they can't go head to head with Walmart. I was a buyer for a mom and pop hardware store for 18 years and I understand this.
	Mark Butler #323692   thu feb 11 2010 at 9:20 am         ·  I would support the idea of Ear X-tacy moving to someplace with more affordable rents. The people who buy from Ear X-tacy will follow. Those who buy from Best Buy, don't come now. Save money on rent, and like Kool Jerk suggested, focus on the stuff that Best Buy and Walmart aren't going to stock. Further, the web-site is useless. They should set up an independent store via Amazon and/or Ebay and compete there.
	KMag1226   thu feb 11 2010 at 6:34 pm         ·  Well who remembers John's very first location, even before he was located on Preston? I've known John for a very long time, and I do hope that he does not close. It would be a terrible thing to happen. Ear-X-Tacy is not just a record a store, it is a meeeting place, a venue and outlet for hundreds, if not thousands of independent record labels. Try and find those at Barns and Nobles. Good Luck John, I am wishing you the best of luck!
	Tyra Amrein #324012   mon feb 15 2010 at 6:52 pm         ·  Maybe it would be worth it to look into lease sharing (book stores lease share with coffee shops, etc...) Perhaps Mom's Music would be interested in lease sharing or even someplace like Headliners or another music venue. Even a coffee shop, such as Java or Heine Bros. would be interested in opening a whole new store with them. This would benefit both parties. Thinking out of the box a bit .... but could be really cool...