Kiwis at the Cup - Tony Green

Tony Green, manager, Amoeba Music, San Francisco.

How long have you been here?

I have lived in Oakland for 20 years. My wife got a post-doctorate post at the University of California; she is now working in Silicon Valley.

Have you heard much about the America's Cup?

I have heard a lot more talk about it lately since the finals came up - I don't think so many people in San Francisco were interested when it was a one-boat race and all that.

Amoeba Music is like Auckland's Real Groovy Records but about three times as big, right?

Yes, we have a huge floor with hundreds of thousands of titles.

How long have you been with them?

I started in 1995 so ... 18 years.

Have you noticed a big change in music buying habits?

Oh, yeah. The biggest change has been with mainstream hits and mainstream artists. There's a change in how people access those hits and artists. It's more skewed to downloading now.

So how come Amoeba does so well?

There's a big resurgence in vinyl in this country. DVDs are big too but people who are fans, real music fans, are getting back into records. It's got so that the choice is not between CDs and vinyl any more, it's between downloading and vinyl.

How have you managed to retain your Kiwi accent?

Ah, well, I talk to my wife a lot; she's a Kiwi too and we have a built-in support system in retaining the twang.

Will you go down to see the America's Cup yachting?

We'll see. It sounds like it is getting better in terms of interest. I do get homesick sometimes, but this is a great area to live and you have to go where the grass is greener.