Many of Rhythm's customers expressed sadness at the store's passing. "It's a shame," was repeated often and it is true but the world has moved on. Rhythm Records, like much of its remaining stock, was a quaint relic of a lost era.
I like to listen to a song as part of its original collection.
The real pleasure of small retailers like Rhythm is the ability to browse through an orderly collection, only knowing what you are looking for when you find it and if lost you can ask someone who knows their music. You cannot do this at the Warehouse or iTunes, which is no criticism of either business. We are the consumers and we have collectively decided to abandon the smaller outlets.
Despite the slow decline of stores like Rhythm, specialist providers such as Marbecks Classical and vinyl sales remain vibrant but these are well-positioned niche outlets selling to people who already know their tastes.
The internet was expected to demolish the power of the studios and connect artists directly to their customers but I wonder if this has made it any easier for musicians to become established.
The internet rewards noisy self-promoters such as Justin Bieber over less exuberant talent and the modern aversion to respecting copyright must make earning a living increasingly difficult for less well known performers.
Stores like Rhythm provided a chance to stumble across smaller or forgotten artists, their covers pulling at us to add them to our collections.
But like most readers, I was not a customer of Rhythm Records. I contributed to its demise and I now regret its passing.
