Dave's Records photo by Katie Schweiker

Audio Slideshow:Chicago On The Record – A visit to three Chicago Record Stores

In a world of iPods, Zunes, .mp3s, .wavs, .flacs, .aifs, .rms, .snds and other digital audio formats, 33 1/3 revolutions per minute still counts to some.

Despite Apple’s announcement that the 10 billionth song was downloaded from iTunes in February, many Chicagoans still listen to vinyl Long Play (LP) records from both new and old artists.

“.mp3s were really cool, and they still are,” said Dave Hofer, a new products buyer at Reckless Records’ Wicker Park location.  “You could fit so many of them into a little thing, you know. You don’t have to carry a book of CDs in your car anymore, for example. But there’s just something about vinyl that draws people in.”

Reckless is a music store with three Chicago locations that sells new and used vinyl – LPs, 45s, and 78s – and used DVDs and CDs. In spite of the era of readily available digital media and an economic downturn, they still do a pretty good business, Hofer said.

“We have people who come in and only look for used DVDs and CDs,” Hofer said. “However, if we didn’t have vinyl, we’d go out of business. People come in with their old records because they grow out of stuff and are amazed that people are interested in [their old records]. I have people who come up and ask when we put out new stuff and I always say, ‘All day, every day, dude.’”

“No CD’s. Never had ‘em. Never will.” This sign hangs on the door to Dave’s Records in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. For owner Dave Crain, there is no other alternative to the sound of vinyl records. Dave’s, “will always be a store where vinyl is king,” Crain said.

Dave's Records photo by Katie Schweiker

Dave’s Records is one of the few strictly vinyl shops in Chicago with 40,000 titles to choose from. When you walk in you are greeted with the sweet, musty aroma of vinyl. The floor tiles beckon you further into the store with their checkered pattern. The walls are lined from floor to ceiling with vinyl. Each record in its spot is watched over by Crain as he sits at a raised counter.

These include new albums by new artists, used albums, imports, reissues and even albums that are out of print and difficult to find. Hand Crain a record and he will throw it on the store’s turntable for a spin to help shopper’s make an educated decision. Dave’s makes sure that if you can’t find what you are looking for in their store, they will send you to another local record store.

Crain said Dave’s is for “people who love records. They are part of the ever evolving and ever revolving world of record shoppers.”

Dusty Groove America is a hub for certain niche music lovers: jazz, soul and funk are what the store specializes in. Customers appreciate the specific target audience compared to other music providers.

Dusty Groove America photo by Leah Hendrickson

“Best Buy is trying to cater to a broad audience,” said Phil Garrison of Chicago while he thumbed through a stack of records. “It’s going to be hard to find obscure items. That’s the main reason why I come to places like this.”

According to Nielsen SoundScan more than 2 million vinyl albums were sold in 2009. That is an increase of 35 percent from 2008.

While record sales are on the rise, CD sales continue to fall. Even though CDs cost nearly half as much as their vinyl counterpart, their sales have dropped 20 percent this year, according to Nielsen. However, vinyl record sales only account for about 1 percent of all album sales.

vinyl at Reckless photo by Jeremy Mikula

Statistics show that digital music formats aren’t going away, either.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the digital music industry grew internationally by about 25 percent in 2008, making $3.7 billion. Digital platforms now account for nearly 20 percent of all music sales, a five percent growth from 2007, IFPI said.

One reason for these figures is the ease and portability of things like the iPod, whose numerous models can store anywhere from 500 to 40,000 songs.

“iPods were a crazy new inventions when they came out, but I think the novelty of them is starting to wear off,” Hofer said. “.mp3s and digital music, even CDs, are functional but that’s about it. They’re like decorative buttons on a sport coat. Whereas something like an LP comes down to being able to hold it and having a thing, like buying a book that you really like instead of just reading it on the Kindle. If I were to sum it up in one word, I’d say ‘physicality’ plays a big part in it.”

But while the idea of having physical media is important to some, comparing things like audio quality and physicality is like comparing apples and oranges.

Reckless Records Wicker Park photo by Jeremy Mikula

“Are [records] better? I don’t know,” said Stephen Sowley as he shopped in Reckless’ Wicker Park location. “For me they’re better, but for others .mp3s are better. ‘Better’ is a relevant term, you know? You can’t take a record player with you when you go jogging.”

The victims, who were mostly men in their 20s, who were approached on foot and asked for their wallet and then beaten. Two of the eight victims were hospitalized.

Nearly all of the attacks occurred at the end of July to the beginning of August. Police believe that the string of attacks are linked to each other. Investigations are still being conducted.

View this interactive Google Map to find out if a mugging occurred near you.

The Chicago Police Department website offers safety tips for city travel.

These include:
-walk, ride or jog with a partner
-avoid dark isolated places, don’t walk or park there
-be alert and look around
-keep at least one hand free, don’t carry large purses or packages
-when you are alone, avoid wearing headphones or talking on your cell phone

For the full list visit ChicagoPolice.org. An informational sheet can be found under the “Community” tab followed by the “Get Safe” tab which takes you to “Safety Tips.” Once on this page find the link called “Safe and Sound.”

Photo Courtesy of picapp

Huff discussed creating Gapers Block with journalism students at DePaul University on Wednesday. Giving them insight into the blogging field.

Gapers Block has dedicated itself to being a one-stop-shop for current events, local news, sports updates, a book club section and many other features.

Andrew Huff,creator of Gapers Block (photo by Mike Reilley)

Gapers Block is all about people slowing down and taking a moment to look around. Chicago is a fast-paced city full of busy and hardworking people who want local information quickly and in as few places as possible.

It all started  in a coffee shop.

Huff found inspiration from other websites pointing viewers to events happening around the city in places like New York, and decided that Chicago needed the same.

Gapers Block has a clean, sophisticated, and user-friendly layout created through Movable Type. There are tabs at the top linking to specific articles and columns.

On the left is the “Merge” section which brings a mixture of the top articles from each tab together. Taking center stage is the “Slowdown” which lists events and their location in the city.

“Fuel” up on the right side of Gapers Block with a fun opinion question, a look into local arts and culture, food, politics, sports, music and books.

Huff discusses some of the Web site content below.

Through the Web sites success Huff has gained a lot of attention. American Express hired him to write articles on places to eat, drink and play in Chicago, which also became an advertisement campaign. He wrote a blog for the A&E television show Paranormal State and an activism blog for fashion designer Kenneth Cole called awearness.

What else has Huff been working on that people will be bookmarking to their delicious accounts next?

1954 is Huff’s latest blog. It is a retrospective look at his senior year of high school and early college years scribbled in a journal that he has now posted page-for-page on a blog.