Watts Music, the United States’ largest distributor of dance music has recently closed its doors for good.  With the recent rise in popularity of digital download sites such as Beatport, Trackitdown, Audiojelly, and others it’s no wonder, and no surprise, that formerly dominating distributors such as Watts and Intergroove have gone out of business.  The costs associated with vinyl are just far too much for it to remain a competitive medium for DJing. 

As a former buyer for a record store that has gone out of business because of the high cost of staying competitive with online stores and digital download sites I felt the effects and witnessed a record store that was once the largest in the state dwindle down to nothing.  Many other record stores around the country are bound to really start feeling the effects if they haven’t already.  Expect to see lots of local record shops closing their doors in 2007 as more and more DJs switch to the digital medium.  With distributors closing, it initiates a ripple effect that will surely change the face of the dance music community and the underground culture worldwide. 

When I first got into “Rave” music at the time the place to hang out was at the record stores, it was where you could meet and talk to the DJ you saw playing the night before, where you could learn about DJing or Electronic Music in general, a place to pick up flyers and find out about other events.  The local record shop was the cornerstone of the Dance Music scene.  With this gone it leaves a new generation of Dance Music lovers with nowhere local to call their own.  It’s a reality that is happening right now before our eyes, but it would have been foolish to think things would always stay the same.

One thing I know right now is that all of those DJs out there that always insisted, “oh I’ll never stop playing vinyl” are hoping right now that nobody will remember them saying that..