stick a pitchfork in mom-and-pop, they may be done

The folks at Pitchfork posted a news story at 7:35 this morning about a Best Buy promotion that priced albums from "artists outside the mainstream" at $7.99 a pop. Apparently, indie labels can enter into a co-op deal with big box stores, allowing them to slash prices in exchange for prominent placement of CDs in the store. The deal has since ended, but the Pitchfork posting sparked all sorts of opinions in the blogging community.

Will ridiculously low prices force mom-and-pop stores out of business? Are lovers of such music far enough outside of the mainstream to spend $6 or $7 more at indie stores? Check some of these blogs for a few divergent opinions:

Saki Store - this is official boo-Best Buy blog of Carrot Top Distribution, and one of the first blogs to speak out

Perfect Porridge - As a friend of an indie store owner, this Minnesotan blogger promises to shuck out the extra cash for indie survival.

San Diego Serenade - Here, Conor suggests the true monster is the ever-changing music retail industry, which all stores are struggling to keep up with. Maybe mom-and-poppers should come up with their own unique promotions, he says.

IndieHQ - Here's a decent assessment of the issue, and a good explanation of co-ops. They throw in an opinionated appeal at the end, FYI.

And, check these two bloggers out: CultureBully and chromewaves.net. They beat others to the punch, offering their two cents before the Pitchfork article.


...and here's a link to a mom-and-pop in Columbia. Cheers.