Spin you right around

It is inevitable. That CD you've had in your player for weeks is going to get old, and you are going to be in the market for some new music. But where will you go to purchase that new CD? \nYour decision might not be an easy one, as Bloomington has an abundance of music stores. From large corporate stores like Barnes and Noble and Sam Goody to smaller local or regional shops such as Tracks and The Den, there is a record store to suit everyone's tastes. Though the corporately owned stores are well known for falling prices on their sale racks, some of the smaller stores in town find it difficult to compete with those sales.\nTom Donohue, owner of TD's CDs and LPs, says his store cannot offer those kinds of deals to customers. \n"The thing sometimes with some of the other stores is that they'll have something, especially a new \nrelease, that they'll sell at a lot lower price than what I can afford to sell it for," Donohue says.\nCustomers seem to understand this and are willing to shop at the smaller local stores anyway. They also know they can get non-mainstream music cheaper if they shop at local stores because larger dealers often mark up prices on local or independent music. \nAlison Farley, a graduate student, says she often buys music from the local shops on Kirkwood Avenue.\n"I prefer to go downtown because you'll find CDs that aren't in the mainstream, and you won't be paying $20 for it, either," she says.\nDonohue notes that many people are willing to shop at local stores out of respect and support for the business.\n"That's kind of a nice feeling to have; that people are interested enough seeing a store like this survive that they're willing to invest a little more in themselves," he says.\nTD's also supports more music by local and independent artists, which many of the larger stores do not carry. Donohue says customers are not the only people who take advantage of the more obscure artists he carries.\n"I have employees in the other stores who actually call here if they don't have something, because a lot of times, I'll have it in stock," Donohue says. \nTD's also has a large collection of LPs, something that sets it apart from most music sellers. Tracks will soon be competing for part of the LP market as well. They have a small collection in the works.\nAndy Walter, Tracks owner, says that despite its local nature, they don't sell much local music. \n"We were really surprised with how little local sells," Walter says.\nDonohue, who considers himself to not only be a seller of music, but also a collector, prides himself on his musical knowledge.\n"I could tell someone about a band from the 1960s and also about some band that's popular now," he says.\nMany customers appreciate the personal and friendly atmosphere that they get when shopping at independent record stores. \nThe Den, a regional chain, competes with these stores by offering a wide variety of products other than music. Customers can buy things like snack food and condoms as well as CDs.\nStore manager Jim Cushing says he believes that his store offers customers "the perfect combination of price and selection."\nGreg Cohen stops into The Den everyday, but not for music. He goes to buy fountain drinks.\nCohen says he feels that the local stores really appreciate his business.\n"It feels like they care about the customers here," Cohen says. \nDonohue agrees that local stores have the opportunity to be a little more personable.\n"I think it's maybe a little more comfortable environment," he says.\nThough Donohue and Cohen are more comfortable in the smaller, local store environment, others prefer the comfort of the combination coffee shop and music section, which Barnes and Noble and Borders both offer. Many people, not intending to buy music, will wander into the music departments of these stores anyway.\n"I always go back to the music section," says Farley, who came to Barnes and Noble to buy a book for a class.\nWill Allen, music manager for Barnes and Noble, considers Borders to be their biggest competitor in terms of music sales.\nAnd if you are looking to buy the latest pop sensation, you will most likely find it for a low price at one of the larger stores such as Sam Goody. \nLito Velasco, store manager for Sam Goody, thinks that peoples' taste in music plays a large part in where they chose to shop.\n"It just depends on what you're looking for," he says.\nBut despite sharing the market with large corporate outlets, local record stores are not concerned with their survival. \n"There's a lot of competition for people's dollars, period," Walter says.