Ottawa's End Hits record store to close

[bradm]

http://www.myspace.com/endhits

The End of End Hits

On March 13th local independent record store End Hits will close its doors after four years of servicing Ottawa’s music community.

End Hits opened its doors March 11, 2006 after the demise of local mainstay Record Runner. In the past 4 years it has been a hub of local and underground music for the city of Ottawa. The store hit the ground running and was instantly the place to go for artists to sell their music, be it albums or tickets for concerts, and we are proud to have been voted Best Independent Record/CD Store all four years we have been open in the annual Ottawa Xpress readers poll.

As technology advances further and faster than ever, younger generations of music listeners are no longer growing up with the association of a tangible object as an important part of that experience. In Ottawa alone, End Hits will be the seventh record store to close in the last four years. The digital age is having an undeniable impact on the music industry and we weren’t able to avoid the inevitable.

So on March 13th 2010, to mark our 4th anniversary, we will shut our doors. Thanks to everyone for the support.

And yes, there will be sales. Check back here for details.

Aloha,

Brad

[jVids]

That makes me sad.

[bouche]

drop the rent and become a mail order online shop dudes!

[Northern Wish]

Wait a minute, no one wants cd's for $21.99???

Great selection, but thats where it ended.

[bouche]

Digital has been around for a while and the tangible Vinyl record has really made a great comeback with music fans. Walking into a shop and flipping through titles has been a great experience for like 50 + years, however, having the ability to do that at home and complete the transaction is pretty much unbeatable. Sample, then order. A shipment of a Vinyl package along with an mp3 download is the ultimate package.

I received a number of vinyls at xmas, and 2 of them were Flight of the Conchords. Those came with a download code for the mp3's of the album. While I'm at home, when I want to listen to some music, I prefer to pop on the vinyl. It's nice to take it along with me too.

[RobL]

yes online record shopping is really great especially when it's something nobody else has in a shop in town. It's like i can shop at shops all over the world. Which is great. I have become friends with the guys at compact music so i just tell them what i can get a certain album for online or at another shop in town and they always beat it. But their is stuff they will never get which is why i love online shopping for. I think end hits problem is they weren't very nice people. At least the few times i their, I am sure people had positive experiences their. When i went in their i was lucky if they said hello. And tried to order things a few times and they just never called me back or any follow through. So i gave up shopping their. I agree with the convenience of shopping at home. And i love getting packages it's like christmas . The Cd's and mp3's with vinyl is indeed awesome. Too good.

[bouche]

good point about Compact. Being engaged in the music and the hunt for great releases is very important for serious music shoppers.

However, how many serious music shoppers are there these days that don't just simply use iTunes and torrents? How many youths do you see in Compact Music? I don't think there are enough music fans out there to sustain shops like these, no matter how nice the shop-keeps are.

[RobL]

agreed. I think compact will make it though. They don't gauge their prices and listen to their customers and they sell a lot of records and Cd's. Ian's been in the business since 74. he will do ok. the downtown store maybe not. but gleebe is rocking. On the online searching aspect is like digging through records at a record shop for me. When i find that one record for a great deal somewhere in California i get the same gratification as finding it while flipping at a store. Also when i find it cheaper then anywhere in town. I finished my grateful dead and phish vinyl catalogue this year and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. But it did take hours and hours of searching them out. But i loved doing it on my free time when i am not busy at work. Ya you may be right. I don't see too many youth into records, it's mostly 30's generation for the most part that i mostly see. I hope they stay open. I think the key also is getting into other things. Like their tent at bluesfest and record shows?

[Velvet]

Walking into a shop and flipping through titles has been a great experience for like 50 + years, however, having the ability to do that at home and complete the transaction is pretty much unbeatable.

This is where it all falls apart for me, and this is why I'm saddened by almost all things digital and "convenient".

In my opinion there is absolutely no way of comparing flipping through records in a record shop and browsing music titles on websites. They are completely different experiences, kinda like the difference between playing guitar and playing Guitar Hero.

[Ms Zimmy]

In my opinion there is absolutely no way of comparing flipping through records in a record shop and browsing music titles on websites. They are completely different experiences, kinda like the difference between playing guitar and playing Guitar Hero.

Agreed.

I love shopping for records. I love walking there, flipping, spending too much money and walking home. I love the smell of the old recrod stores and the people inside.

I love how the guys at Turning Point know me and tell me when new Dylan comes in.

[Northern Wish]

I think end hits problem is they weren't very nice people. At least the few times i their, I am sure people had positive experiences their. When i went in their i was lucky if they said hello. And tried to order things a few times and they just never called me back or any follow through.

I'd have to agree with you on this. Everytime I was in there it felt like the guy behind the counter was more interested in being cool and cranking the latest indie hit than helping a shopper find product or even greeting the customer.

And as I stated before their pricing sucked. Sorry guys but I'm not going to spend 70% more to buy something from you vs. a major retailer or online.

If it weren't for tickets being sold there, I'd never have gone back in after that first visit....

Parking was a problem too, but thats the least of their worries.

[ollie]

I've hated Compact Music since the days they were located in the Westgate Mall. Buddy wouldn't let me hear the quality of the Nirvana bootlegs he was hawking because he thought it might scare the customers.

I just assume anyone who works in a record store is an asshole.

[Hartamophone]

I just assume anyone who works in a record store is an asshole.

To quote from High Fidelity:

Customer: You guys are snobs, man.

Staff of Championship Vinyl: No, we're not.

C: Yes you are. You're totally elitist. You feel like the unappreciated scholars, so you shit on the people who know less than you...

S: No we don't.

C: ...which is everyone.

S: Well, yeah.

[Northern Wish]

And I am willing to bet this guy who was selling unlicensed recordings- is now complaining that people are downloading unlicensed recordings and that it is hurting his business.

[gentlemonkey]

When Endhits opened I was impressed by the variety and visited a few times. But as stated in previous posts- the attitude of the staff, or perhaps more appropriately described as 'indifference' turned me off so badly I decided to never return.

Vertigo around the corner has a hipster looking staff- but they are super nice and helpful. Not to mention WAY better pricing and a huge selection of new and used vinyl.

[Northern Wish]

For the 'record'- I still buy loads of actual cds with liner notes and all: I find amazon to have amazing selection, pricing, specials and I love their "You purchased this, then you might like this..." option.

From there I discovered Wolf Parade, Okkervil River, Los Campesinos!, Mason Jennings and the amazing Dark was the Night compilation.

Its not helping the local stores out however, and I wish there was a better alternative.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

I love the smell of ... the people inside.

I find they smell like doritos and cat litter

could be worse i suppose

[Hartamophone]

I have to wonder what was going through the head of somebody who decided to open a record shop within the past few years. It's always sad to see an independent business fail (well, usually anyway), but I can't see how this could have possibly been a good decision.

[gentlemonkey]

I find they smell like doritos and cat litter

could be worse i suppose

bhwaaahaha - notihing tops a noseful of dorito breath in a confined room full of old vinyl.

I tend to rub meatball sub all over my chest before popping into turning point.

Edited February 5, 2010 by Guest

[Davey Boy 2.0]

that's hot

[jVids]

exactly velvet! There is nothing like the feeling of leaving a record store and having dirt on your fingers, dust in your eyes and a few good records under your arm!

[RobL]

I get what you guys are saying about going into a record store and finding that gem and just the nostalgia behind it talking them down. I never pay full price . I enjoy it too. But i do the same thing online. Even if it's two dollars cheaper it's still 2 bucks towards another record. I have become an avid collector and once something hits my radar that i need to have i won't stop until I have it. I am saying try your hands at finding that record in Germany that you have been looking for forever for a cheap ass price for example. I get the same kind of gratification. Or finding it all for that matter. My latest conquest is Tom Waits Bone Machine that was pressed in Germany and only released in the UK briefly then they shut down production. the cheapest i have found for was 300 on eBay but i am not willing to pay that. So the search continues. I will get it for under 100. just have to be persistent and patient

[Velvet]

What I'm saying is the packaging of albums lends itself to enjoyable perusal, whereas cd packaging (or obviously the lack of packaging altogether) doesn't.

Flipping through a record collection is fun to do, even if you're not looking for something to buy or listen to. On the other hand, the only reason to look through a cd collection is to find something to listen to.

[bouche]

Walking into a shop and flipping through titles has been a great experience for like 50 + years' date=' however, having the ability to do that at home and complete the transaction is pretty much unbeatable.

[/quote']

This is where it all falls apart for me, and this is why I'm saddened by almost all things digital and "convenient".

In my opinion there is absolutely no way of comparing flipping through records in a record shop and browsing music titles on websites. They are completely different experiences, kinda like the difference between playing guitar and playing Guitar Hero.

I didn't mean to compare the experiences, but to suggest that the convenience; the availability of recordings online is unbeatable. I should have stated that. For the masses, Convenience > Experience

[Davey Boy 2.0]

nice spin, Mike