Time to Flip the Record
It’s taken the better part of eight or so months to get to this message but, finally, we’re here. South Rhodes Records is changing quite a bit starting today. Some of y’all will want to continue on into the next iteration of music exploration and some will see it as an off-ramp. In either case, let’s dig into what’s been going on, what the changes are, and what all of this means going forward.
For the tl;dr crew, still doing things with records (and other formats), just not selling them anymore.
How We Got Here
When I started SRR back in March of 2018 it was out of a sense of collector frustration. I had been building my own collection for years at that point and was focused primarily on either new music or newly released reissues. I grew beyond tired of having to leave my community to buy music created by people of my culture from people outside of my culture who, in some (definitely not all) cases, only cared about the music in the context of their P&L statements. I knew of the many record stores here on Chicago’s south side of yesteryear that had a different sense of connection to the music and artists beyond just money. And I sought to bring some of that back alongside the overarching goal of increasing access to new and reissued music to my people on this side of the city.
So, I built the site, set up the business, and got busy pounding pavement across the city to begin base-building. Festivals, pop-ups, I was everywhere I could be with SRR, growing it one in-person and online purchase at a time. Originally, the goal was to pivot into a coffee shop/record store physical location within three years. Then, 2020 happened. Outside of having my health intact and avoiding any serious C-19 issues, I was immensely glad I did not jump into opening a physical location in 2019/2020. Like you, I watched stores I love all over the U.S. struggle to make the shift to online to keep things rolling. At the same time, because SRR started as an online store, it was already in prime position for the “collecting-at-home” era of 2021/2022. Quietly, business was growing well beyond what I had imaged during that time. Yet, as one who’s always looking ahead a bit, I knew this would taper as soon as more people were vaccinated and more comfortable getting out and about.
Outside opened back up but, on the inside, something within me was shifting. I took a look at the goals I’d set for SRR and realized I had already hit most of them. At the same time, more and more stores were carrying new and reissued music. Things like Record Store Day were becoming a bit unrecognizable (and not in a good way). Prices we growing past a reasonable amount for most new records. And the “wash, rinse, and repeat” nature of what I had been doing was starting to bore me a bit. SRR had made it through the dark days of massive shipping delays and packages flat-out being lost into the USPS ether and now, I had to contend with being an online store that couldn’t get the new music it focused on due to pressing plant delays/cancellations. It was starting to not be fun anymore…but I was holding onto belief that I could turn it around somehow for myself, and for you.
And that brings us to 2023. There are been false starts at new ideas and iterations of SRR literally since January first of this year. From artsy listening studios to a semi-permanent brick-and-mortar location, everything I was thinking would be the next move just wasn’t happening. Life was guiding the business toward a pivot for sure, just not the ones I had initially concocted. It took some searching, trying, and failing but, I think we’re here now. For a while anyway…more on that in a bit.
Where We’re Going
I’ve learned a ton over the past almost six years of running South Rhodes Records about consumer behavior, running a small business, TAXES, the general essence of laziness among all humans. You name it, SRR has given me a story for it. But, perhaps some of my most treasured lessons learned are the ones about myself as a collector and curator. What I care about most within and beyond SRR is just sharing music and educating people in a way that is approachable and mutually beneficial. So, that’s what we’re going to do next-only the things that connect best what resonates strongest for me. Specifically, South Rhodes Records as an entity will do exactly three things in the coming year:
Share new music that I know you need
Convene intimate listening and learning sessions around Chicago
Occasionally give away music whenever I feel like it
In doing these things, SRR will focus on being a community of music lovers who reside more on the explorer side of the listener and collector spectrum.
Why the callout of “the coming year?” That connects to another thing I’ve had reaffirmed about myself through this record store journey to-date; that I like and need change in certain areas to thrive. I want to start this next phase with a somewhat loosely held end date. That way, we can both stay excited about and cherish what is in the present knowing that it won’t always be present. We can mutually and intentionally leave the door open for change without it feeling weird once it eventually happens.
All Aboard?
The question mark there is more for invitational purposes. I am truly appreciative of everyone who has come along for this ride and helped make South Rhodes Records into what it has become. Records or none, you all are South Rhodes Records! But, just as this venue is changing, you have the right to do so as well. For those who are down to keep on truckin’, let’s go!! And, for those who need to dip out and place focus elsewhere, all love to you as well. In either case, the invitation to be a contributor to the next phase of this music community is always available.
Peace,
Grant