The demise of the record stores
I guess you’ve seen it on your towns too, how the classic record stores are disappearing one after one.

And here in Stockholm an era is about to end. A really short one but very bright as well.

For about 20 years ago Virgin Megastore merged with Skivakademin (The Record Academy) and when they joined forces they became Mega fair and square. And Mega opened up Europe’s at that time largest record store in the very central heart of shopping Stockholm, by the semi-subterranean square Sergels Torg.

The Mega store was one of its kind! Three stores filled with records, from hit list music over doom metal to opera. There was something for everyone there to find, and the staff was cunning and engaged. Going there was bliss and you could spend hours looking for new music and test listen to what you might find good. And if you got hungry there was a small café in the shop where you could sit down with a cup of coffee and a sandwich and admire your latest findings.

On Fridays there were usually mini concerts and signing events on the stage and their twice a year sales were legendary.

But the world changes and so does the shopping patterns. People stopped buying records some ten years ago, when the download technologies started to offer everything on line, for free and available as soon as it had left the recording studios. No more waiting for the gem you heard on the airwaves to appear as a physical single in the stores (which could take weeks sometimes – I never understood why the record logistics worked so badly sometimes) and for those greedy it was all for free.

No wonder people abandoned the record stores! Artificial means like more signings and more sales kept it alive for some times, as well as a broadening of items. Mega started with DVDs in the mid 90:ies and at the turn of the millennium they brought in the computer games in the store. A few years earlier they had abandoned the third floor too, handing it over to yet another H&M store.

In the mid 00’s the bottom floor went too and with it the café, the stage, and the singles and dj departments. And now it was all about top list music, and they were selling pocket books, magazines and t-skirts as well. Boring! And the staff working there knew nothing beyond the top 20 lists (the long-haired hunchbacked walking record encyclopaedia had disappeared with the ground floor, the gentleman is probably haunting the place now)

And now the story of Mega has come to an end. This weekend the store is closing down after one last firework of giant sale. And I’m drying a tear; I’m going to miss Mega even if I have to admit that I went there more and more seldom over the years. But it became sort of a viscous circle IMO. When people didn’t find what they were looking for in the stores, they ventured out on the net instead where almost every record was just a few mouse clicks away in stores open 24 / 7. And the record stores were loosing sales and had to downscale even more.

When Tinkerbel pisses off the Russians
The Swedish Eurovision semi-final was aired this Saturday, and the winning song became a flashy, crispy opera/pop blend. Think Sarah Brightman meets Kate Ryan and you’re somewhat there. Nothing like the last few years model 1A pop songs. And it’s a song I like and which I think might stand a good chance in the international final, even if it's probably not a winner. But Malena, the singer, with her dark pop voice and wide ranged opera voice and a way to go trough the TV screen is sure gonna make an imprint whoever wins the final. (Norway is a hot tip there)

But it wasn’t Malena who made the largest impact with our Eastern neighbour who’s hosting the final this year after last year’s win. It was Tingeling (Tinkerbel) the pause act, which has developed like a kind of storyette from imaginary ESC flop to a satire over the Russian people and their taste in music. R-pop, Mafia, Babushka dolls, dancing bears, tacky clad women, Soviet kitsch et cetera. Some more or less well known prejudices about Russia in the west.

And the Russians weren't happy of course. Their ambassador was pissed and had an outburst at the National TV, which leaders just shrugged, giggled and filed that under "all press is good press even the bad press". Save for a poor project manager who felt that he had put his foot in the mouth and sent a consolidation flower to the Russian embassy. But the TV managers refused to "stand behind that flower", making themselves a part of the entertainment as well.

This seems to be a true sign of the 00:s. That the entertainment does not stop when the program ends and the sets are turned off, the way it used to in the 20:th century. Now the drama continues IRL and in the news and on blogs and journals like this. And we all become actors more or less. From the Russian ambassador to the man in the street who got to say his five words to the tabloid press. Or – yours truly who can't help scribbling this thing down!

See the Tingeling here: [link]