FUTURE OF MUSIC ROOTED IN THE PAST

The future of music sales is anchored in the past, according to some local record stores.

"Country gets bigger and bigger all the time and alternative music is more popular, but people mainly want older stuff," said Rebecca Hart, assistant manager at Disc Jockey in West Park Mall.

Paul MacDougall, owner of CD Warehouse at 2500 William St., said most new recordings don't sell well for long.

"When a new CD comes out, it's really big for a short period of time and then it dies," he said, adding that it's particularly true of rap, which was quite popular just a few years ago.

"With rap, when it drops off, it's gone."

Older music, particularly from the 1970s, remains a big seller.

"Things like Head East's `Flat as a Pancake,' you would think the thing was just released. We can't keep it in stock," MacDougall said.

The CD Warehouse deals mainly in used compact discs, but stocks some recent releases and new copies of classics by groups such as the Beatles, Credence Clearwater Revival and Pink Floyd. Recordings by such groups rarely show up in the used bin.

"People who replace an LP with a CD do it because they like it and want to keep it," MacDougall said. "New music purchased today is more disposable. People buy it, listen to it and when they've heard it enough, they trade it back in."

MacDougall said the used music business has boomed in recent years because of the durability of compact discs. They don't wear out as easily as cassettes or vinyl albums.

However, albums have made a comeback of sorts. Five years ago, vinyl was virtually unattainable. Albums are currently much easier to find, though now instead of being cheaper than CDs, they cost about the same.

MacDougall said vinyl is popular as a collector's item rather than as something people actually listen to.

"Many people who buy albums probably don't even have a turntable," he said. "People today are more aware that this stuff has value as collectibles."

Disc Jockey's Hart said there is nothing on the horizon that is likely to replace CDs anytime soon and that they are unlikely to go the way of vinyl or the eight track.

"I think CDs are going to stick around for quite a while," Hart said.

However, tape cassettes have not been completely supplanted and are holding on quite nicely.

"We don't sell as many cassettes as CDs, but they sell well," Hart said. "Some people don't want to upgrade to a CD player for fear they will go out of style."