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Music Store Cred
Reagrding Ross' questions about Chapel Hill record stores, specifically
Monster:
Mike Phillips, owner of MOnster Records here in town and the four?
Schoolkids in Raleigh/Cary visited the old Monster location once. He has
yet to *see* the insides of the new MOnster/School Kids's store, proven
especially by the fact that the man adds a new listening station every
week, which the managers have to either make room for or put away. It's
pretty reprehensible, I think, for him to not even know the space
limitations of the store, and to rely on either his warehouse manager or
his right hand man to check up on the store. He's yer typical chain owner.
On the other hand, there are many super people working at Monster,
including the fabulous John WIlliams, who is not in any band, but
nonetheless supports many of them and is nice to everyone.
There's also Steve Kuhn, of local band Cole, and Nina, who like John, is
one of the nicest people on earth.
Monster works rather like a Kinko's, I guess, it's owned by people who
live far away, but gradually, local folk fill its ranks until virtually
everyone knows someone who works there, and is able to scam some free
copies or some crazy full color photos of frat girls taking a dump
together. In Monster's case, it's also appropriate to say that the people
mentioned are responsible for keeping the store as good as it is. Mac,
present manager of the store, was the one who thought it would be good to
let local bands make their displays for the giant windows there, back when
it was SchoolKids. Mike Phillips is the one who, with his Coalition
Indpependent Music Stores, gave that space up to national acts whose reps
thought they needed the push. Phillips gets about $500 per band (four
bands per month) for those shitty displays, none of which is kicked back
into Monster, or to the people who put then up. Maybe it goes to the
warehouse or something. The ways of that business are mysterious. You can
get $20 for every shoplifter you catch...
Argh.
Sarah
harness@email.unc.edu