All That Music & Video

All That Music & Video announces more Record Store Day 2013 details in the upcoming issue of Fusion Magazine!
Stay tuned for more to come!

George Reynoso, owner of All That Music & Video (ATMV) in El Paso, Texas, opened his first record store, Nostalgia Records, in 1980.  Since that time, he and his business, now known as All That Music & Video “Collector’s Marketplace,” have survived extreme changes in technology and the retail music market.  ATMV recently moved to a new location, and as a result of interest among young enthusiasts and collectors, vinyl LPs, which were popular when Reynoso first entered the business, are once again an important format for selling and listening to music. On April 20, 2013, ATMV will join record stores from throughout the United States in celebrating Record Store Day. Reynoso discusses the changes that ATMV has undergone, and talks about the evolution of Record Store Day, which celebrates record stores and vinyl LPs as American cultural icons.

Why should  Record Store Day (RSD) matter to the average music enthusiast?

When the first RSD was launched in 2007, I was concerned about consumer perception of the event.  I felt it was a bit contrived and might make stores like ours look desperate.  For that reason, we let the day lapse without any hoopla or participation.  By 2009, our own customers were asking us if we would be stocking certain items for RSD.  As it turned out, many major and developing artists were such big fans of the disappearing-independent-record-store and its culture, that they started releasing limited-edition recordings made exclusively for the retail benefit of independents.   Wal-Mart, Best-Buy or giant corporate operators are not invited to participate in RSD.  So the day has now turned into more of a celebration for all fans, artists, and businesses involved in the fragile and changing music marketplace.

How big is Record Store Day now?

If I recall correctly, the first RSD had a less than 20-item list of vinyl exclusive-releases by a limited number of artists.  The number has increased steadily ever since.  This year, we were offered a pre-sale list of over 300 items.  Of course, it’s impossible to stock them all, so we’ve ordered small quantities of several hundred items and larger amounts of the well-publicized artists and highly-anticipated releases.  The problem is that the demand for those releases has become so great, that our orders are now rationed.   For instance, we may request 20 units of one item, but may only receive three.  For that reason, we as retailers have been asked to sign a pledge not to auction RSD exclusives on the internet or to engage in unfair practices on behalf of consumers.  A list of this year’s exclusive-releases can be found at www.recordstoreday.com

Specifically, what does ATMV have planned this year for RSD ?

The organizers of RSD allow participating stores to do their own thing.  The main attraction will be the allure of the RSD limited-releases which create frenzy.  Because the sale of the exclusive items is on a first-come, first-served basis, we encourage customers with an eye on these items to come early.  By the time we open early for the day at 9 a.m., there’s always already a line to get in.  As if the exclusive-releases were not enough of an attraction,  all LP Vinyl will be 10%-off all day.  We will also have hourly drawings for some very sweet and special CD & LP Box sets to be announced.  If we fall short of items, we’ll give away $100 dollar gift cards.  To make it fair and to give all of our customers an equal chance to win, ballot-stuffing will not be allowed and the box will be cleared out after each drawing once-an-hour on the hour.  Details for the day will be posted at the website www.allthatmusic.com before Saturday April 20th.

It’s been exactly one-year since you made your big relocation from your former Lee Trevino store.  Has it gone as you expected?
What’s the present status of the store?

Yes  and no.   I knew the disruption caused by relocation would be difficult, but I didn’t expect that it would take nearly a year to settle-in.   After a year of unexpected needs, expenses, and delays related to retail space, fixtures, & technology issues, I am happy to report the worst is behind us and we’re finally getting some traction.   This was truly like starting over again.  Our eastside customer base was quite inconvenienced by the move, and some of them never got the notice that we were moving. They’ve come back, although not with the same frequency, but we’ve compensated by picking up a lot of new business from every other part of town.  Like I tell people, our new location exposes us to a larger universe of available specialty music shoppers that would never have discovered us on Lee Trevino.  Word is starting to get around, and especially outside of El Paso, about this great fun record store on I-10.  We’re now focused on our content.  We’re evaluating every piece of inventory in every category, which means we’re marking-down or filling-in gaps where necessary.  I want to make sure our product is fresh, vibrant and relevant to our marketplace.  Additionally, we’re racing to reconfigure our LP Vinyl area to better accommodate our increased supply of vintage and 180-gram vinyl.  We will be ready for Record Store Day.

What is your long-term plan or vision for ATMV?

I started the store as Nostalgia Records on Montana Avenue 33 years ago in 1980.  Since then, we’ve adapted to the constant changes in entertainment media from 45s & LPs, to cassettes, to CD’s, DVDs, Blu-Ray and the digital download.  Most independent operators didn’t make it.  I’m fortunate that we survived and our latest business model is right back to where we started 33 years ago, with LPs.  I am so relieved to see that there is a changing tide back to tangible media.  Younger consumers in particular are now clamoring for physical media from their favorite artists.  Of course, it is not the same volume business of 15 years ago. Today’s consumers are more discriminating and are true enthusiasts of the audio or the artist.  The branding of our “Collector’s Marketplace” slogan should serve us well for years to come.

Wrap it up with some closing thoughts.

I just want to thank our core customers for their continued support and patronage.  I don’t want to appear boastful, as I want our success to be organic and honest, but I’m just really proud and truly grateful that our community has a store that is so highly regarded especially outside of El Paso.   I believe the store will evolve into a regional tourism destination for collectors of recorded music.  We already see a steady flow of new and regular customers who make the store a “must-stop” destination during their trips to El Paso.  Not one day goes by without some out-of-towner giving us heartfelt positive feedback about our store.   You can never be “hip enough” for some critics, but I’ve had several customers from Austin tell me that we have a nicer store than anything available there.  I’ve had people from Albuquerque and Chicago tell me the same, and it’s all honest and unsolicited.   For me, that is confirmation that we’re on the right track.

Check out:

Record Store Day’s Official Site
Fusion Magazine

      It’s been a month since my last blog update regarding ATMV, so I thought now would be a good time to catch you up on what’s been going on.  In short, I’ve been working like MAD organizing and evaluating the back-log of vinyl LPs.  I easily have another 5,000 units to evaluate,   I lost two months of music work in the transition while I wore my construction and relocation supervisor hat.  Now we’re all in a rapid catch-up mode. The good news is that in the last 30 days, we’ve added nearly 800 units of quality collectible vinyl to our bins.  These include the Beatles, ZZ Top, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Clapton, Donna Summer, James Brown and many more great classic LPs that always seem to be in short supply.  Part of my work is determining fair market value on any LP based on supply, demand and condition.  Unfortunately, as many as 85% of the albums we evaluate, are common or of minimal value and are either discarded or added to the dollar bin.  The 800 units I mentioned represent the 15% that are the gems you may be looking for.  Most are priced in the 7-10 dollar range.  A small percentage of these are actually super-collectibles that are auctioned on the web.   This is the future for collectible media stores such as ours. Many of the items that are on the floor now, once sold, may not become available to us for years.  We never know for sure. This is the nature of collectibles and what makes this category of music sales so interesting and exciting.   As a collector myself, I know that the worst feeling in the world is to know that someone beat me to an item or gap in a collection.  That’s why I’m inviting my vinyl fans to come in right away while my stock is at a high point.

This said, I’m surprised and amazed at how so many of our regular customers never got the message about our move to 6800 Gateway.  I know this because I made daily trips to the old Lee Trevino  store in the process of removing the last of our property.  Every five minutes someone was tugging at the door of a vacated space.  Despite three months of signage, flyers, Facebook, Website, TV, radio, newspaper and tabloid media, a good chunck of our regular customers never got the message. Sad, but true. In another week we’ll be increasing our LP capacity with new fixtures. We’re also fine-tuning the operational side of the store, so we are still weeks away from any real mass-media advertising.  In the interim, I came up with a promotional idea to see just what’s behind this social-media phenomenon.  It’s a sort of a test to see what kind of results the web-based self-promotion can actually deliver.  For now, this preliminary test promotion will be specific to LP collector’s only.

      Here it is: Come in any time Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday and  purchase any LP at any price, and qualify for a drawing for a  $150 gift card.  Plus 10% off all vinyl! (excluding sale and clearance LP’s) The drawing will be Memorial Day Monday at 5 pm.  We’ll announce the winner on our website. I hope this gives you one more good reason to come check out our new digs during a long, hot, Memorial day weekend.  Even if you don’t win the drawing, just think of the possibility of acquiring that vinyl gem that may be missing from your collection.  Feel free to pass this on to any vinyl collectors you may know.  If you’ve been out to see us, THANK YOU!  If you know someone that doesn’t know about our awesome NEW store, thanks in advance for passing along this message.  Have a great, safe Memorial Day weekend everyone.

Thank you! Record Store Day was a hit at ATMV!

After so much time spent preparing for a Grand Opening, I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about our projected turnout for Record Store Day. I knew it would be a good day, but it met and exceeded my highest expectations and hopes. For this, let me say a hearty “thank you!” to my many wonderful customers, friends and supporters who not only were present, but who were so enthusiastic about the new store and products we had on hand for the celebration.

Let me put it this way. You know you’re having a good day when you advertise opening early (9 a.m.) and there are already a couple of dozen customers lined up outside the door before you even put the key in the lock. Some of them had been there since 6 a.m.! After that, there was a steady stream of up to 30 shoppers for the rest of the day, something that you just don’t see in today’s economy. Another clue that the Grand Opening was a hit was our offering of limited collector’s items sold out by about 9:05. Then there were the many personal comments my staffers and I received about the “good vibe” the store had. Some just said “Wow!,”  and wow definitely worked for my team that had been working non-stop for more than a month to put the wow factor in the feel and décor.

Even more gratifying was the excitement and surprise created by the hourly giveaways of great vinyl boxed sets. Seeing the joy on the face of an unsuspecting customer when they’ve just won was heartwarming for a seasoned collector and music lover like myself. Hardly anybody thinks they’re actually going to win anything, especially something rare and wonderful.  But I actually got to see this phenomenon repeat itself 11 times during the day. Sincerely, what a trip.

Due to timing, We didn’t have as much stock on hand as I wanted for this special event.  There are approximately  5,000 vinyl records to process before they’re ready for sale. I have to be sure they’re honestly evaluated and priced, and I just haven’t had the time. But that didn’t seem to bother anyone but me. Many people had come just to see what the new ATMV “Collector’s Marketplace” was all about. And finally, after what seems like forever in preparing the store, I got a chance to just meet and mingle with old and new friends, shoot the breeze about music and collectibles and generally just have fun being a part of the action on the floor. In fact, I’m already planning on making the next Record Store Day an event for the record books. Do I sound a little euphoric?  I’m so anxious to start finishing up the many unfinished parts of this new store, I can hardly wait.  In the months to come, you will begin to see more new fixtures, bins and above all, lots more music to fill them.  Of particular interest to me and a growing number of you is our LP and 45 Vinyl departments.

We seem to be getting busier just in the few short weeks we’ve been open.  That is already creating jobs for a few more qualified collectibles experts. They all love to talk about music, so come in and enjoy your visit even more by learning something, teaching us something and maybe making a new friend.  I want to make ATMV the store all music lovers can come to embrace, a store you can be proud to show off to your out-of-town guests.  For this to happen, we need you.  In a rapidly evolving technological world, will El Paso continue to support a local independent music store?  I think the answer is yes. I’ve been betting on that for over 30 years and El Paso music lovers having been proving it to be true. This is great town for music fans, and we’ll continue to give you reason to come in, even if it’s only an occasional visit or a stop for a special gift.  My sincerest THANK YOU to all of you who have participated and made this new beginning possible.  I want you to consider the possibility for this dream store to be your success too!

This Saturday, you could win true collector’s vinyl goodies.

If you’ve been following my blogs, you know ATMV’s move to 6800 Gateway East has been a bear. Now, I get to have some fun. Every hour on-the-hour, we’re giving away true vinyl gems, collectibles that any collector would be ecstatic to own. If you think this is an overstatement, here’s just a sample: The Pink Floyd “The Wall Singles Collection”, with three 7” 45s packaged in the original artwork;  The complete Janis Joplin “Classic LP Collection”, with all four of her masterpiece LPs meticulously remastered in faithful reproductions of the original cover art; The Beatles “Limited Edition Boxed Set”, including four of their killer 45s in the original photographic sleeves and a 21” x 21” poster. In all, we’re giving away 12 pristine, factory-sealed boxed sets of true classics. Others include Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett, The Doors, John Lennon, and Nirvana.  See all the details on the prizes HERE.

To participate in the hourly drawings, all you have to do is show up for our Grand Opening Celebration, which is also Record Store Day nationwide. I promised to have our grand opening by this date, and somehow, on a wing and a prayer, we made it. In addition, every item in the store that’s not already on sale will be 10% off. We’re opening early this Saturday only (9 a.m.) so we can have our first drawing at 10 a.m.  Just ask any employee for an entry form. We’ll empty the entry box after each drawing to give everyone who stops by a fair shot at winning, also allowing only one winning entry per person.

By the way, my sincere apologies to those who missed my BLOGS and ads in entertainment magazines and still stopped by the old location in the last couple of weeks. We’ve actually been open here at the Gateway East location for two weeks, trying to put finishing touches on the store. People who know me well know that I’m a perfectionist, the borderline-neurotic type, so we still have lots to do to make the store environment perfect. But we’re definitely open for business. Please don’t wait until Saturday to visit our new ATMV location, which is larger and more thoroughly stocked than ever. Come in and browse the store now and see how we’ve lived up to our commitment to create a “Collector’s Marketplace” as our amended name suggests. This store and this time is a turning point for the music business, a fact that has by no means been lost on me. And those who felt that vinyl and CDs were fading away just haven’t been paying attention to the marketplace, where there is a rapidly growing appetite for these landmark music media worldwide.

Once again, I want to thank everyone who has helped make the move to our new, expanded location. The expansion continues. I actually never stop trying new ideas for the store, because I get a lot of them from my customer friends, new and old. So your comments, too, are very much appreciated. The giveaways for our Grand Opening Celebration are worth literally thousands of dollars. You’re worth it. Support for an independent music store is not a given in every community, but here in El Paso, it’s a blessing that none of us here at ATMV “Collector’s Marketplace” take lightly.

ATMV: Now Open – progress update

I know I promised to report sooner about opening the doors at our new All That Music “Collector’s Market location. I apologize, but getting ready for your first visit has absolutely dominated my time, thoughts and energy, especially in the past two weeks. I can paint you a picture of what level of mayhem that has been preoccupying me and I’m sure you’ll understand. But first, we’re open! And I’m happy to report that our LP stock is at 80% and should be completely available by this weekend. Also, we’re rapidly moving from the old listening stations to a brand new system of 20 that more than doubles the listening opportunities for visitors. Our new boutique will be in place by the weekend, too. We’re 90% ready, but that percentage is going up fast, so we welcome you to come in now to say hi, do some shopping and get a feel for our new digs. It’ll take us another 10 days to wrap-up some important details, just in time for our official grand-opening, coinciding with National Record Store Day Saturday April 21st.

Now, welcome to my nightmare. We’ve had to start a new inventory system that requires replacing 40,000 active bar-codes. Technology literally bit me when we went to 64-bit technology. Mark Luna with Excellent Networks saved us with his expertise in software, hard drives and the rest of the virtual mess upgrading can cause. We have a new VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system which will eventually provide some easy options for customers. Not so easy for us to install and get on-line with though. To top it all off, our “All That Music & Video” signage is installed, but we have to wait a few days to get the “Collectors Marketplace” portion up. Not to mention placing and replacing power lines, placing and repositioning display cases, receiving too much carpet and not enough tile, piles of junk neatly hidden from view from the sales floor. Incidentally, after seeing all this junk from past incarnations of the store, I’m tempted to have a huge garage sale later this summer or fall. In the meantime we’re finding our essential stuff and trying to make sense of it all. Good thing we’ve got a large temporary warehouse. If this isn’t enough to make you as dizzy as me, trust me, I’ve got more.

The bottom line is that we’ve made it through most of it to keep our promise of only being closed for four days. I’m anxious to get going on our Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll with a definite El Paso slant. My intent is to showcase all the neat stuff that I’ve accumulated over the years. I’ve seen how people really get a kick out of seeing these artifacts, so I’m bringing many items out of hiding in my office and onto the floor to share with other El Pasoans. It’ll include my many Beatles items, Crosno shrine, and Bobby Fuller Four items to name just a few, but there will be many other items never before seen by others except to my friends. It’ll be a work in progress, but I promise to have a few things on display by April 21st.

That’s it from here … get the picture? No need to wait till grand-opening April 21st … stop in and see our new store today at 8900 Gateway East. We’ve expanded our hours, which will be subject to change based on the shopping patterns of our new location. We’re open earlier, starting at 10AM, Monday through Thursday, then closing at 8PM. Friday & Saturday we’re open 10AM to 9PM, and Sunday we’re sticking with Noon to 6PM. My trusty Canon camera finally gave-out so I bought a new Nikon cool-pix which lasted a total of 15 days before it too ended-up defective. I promise to post some new photos soon … so stay tuned. The store is evolving, so it’s taking a lot of effort and imagination to make it picture-perfect. Through it all, however, we’ve been making and are making great progress daily. We sincerely look forward to seeing you soon. Thanks again to all for your patience, and support during this important and transitional period for your local independent music store.

I promised to keep you up-to-date on the relocation of the store to our new Gateway East location. Now the clock is really ticking on what for me has been and continues to be a monstrous task. Not to mention my staff (at least those who are still speaking to me).  Joking aside, I took the plunge and gave my landlord on Lee Trevino a 30 day notice to vacate by March 31st, putting my staff into ultra-high gear.

Being the decision maker for a myriad of relocation details, I’m whipped, but there’s no time to stop.  They say  there’s  never  a good or right time to start a true countdown to relocation.  Fact.  But I had to grab a date and now we’re running with it. This is in the midst of a whirlwind of decisions and unexpected last-minute changes involving suppliers, vendors and contractors.  Toss-in the related issues like city construction codes, back-orders, special orders, delays, budget over-runs, technology hurdles … and, well, you get the picture.  But I’m happy to say that we’ve met the challenges and I’ll be happy when we can go back to concentrating on music and customer service.    Why am I singing the blues to you?  Well, I feel stressed.  All of the commotion has caused inconvenience for some of you.  And I haven’t had time to do what I like to do best, which is communicate with my customers, many of whom I consider friends.  For these two things I apologize. Believe me, when the new store opens, you’ll be delighted. By early summer, I’ll be back on the floor or in my office ready and willing to talk about the music world again. I never realized how important time with friends was for me. It’s probably the reason I got in this business in the first place.

    Our last and final day at the Lee Trevino location will be Saturday, March 31st.  We’ll be taking Sunday-Wednesday to finalize the move and set-up. We should be opening at 6800 Gateway East on Thursday, April 5th. This is what we call a “soft grand opening”, no bells and whistles, just quietly doing business.  Our official  Grand  Opening  Celebration  will be April 21st, which will coincide with Record Store Day, a national event.   Definitive dates and times will appear on this website.

I explained in my last blog that this is much more than a relocation.  It’s a new and re-energized approach to the growing market for collectible media of all sorts. We’ll have a vast and varied inventory of collectible vinyl LPs, CDs, DVDs, posters and memorabilia, all on the cutting edge of the new demand for these items here and literally worldwide.

And by the way, we’re laying the carpet and tile at the new All That Music & Video “Collector’s Marketplace” this week.  That’s a very good sign. I can even start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Please keep an eye on this blog in coming weeks as we count down the days to saying goodbye to Lee Trevino.  We love to celebrate, and we won’t leave quietly.

Thank you to all the volunteers who’ve pitched in to help us move. Anyone else who feels moved to help us with the final phase of our relocation,  just send us an e-mail and join the fun.  Thank you, too, to all of our friends who’ve sent e-mails wishing us well and the best of luck.  It’s friends like you who have made us a kind of El Paso landmark for more than 30 years, through all of our growing pains and successes.

We’re moving the store:  Why, where and when!

Anyone who knows me understands that changes in the music industry have had a great impact on the way I think about the store and the future of music retailing.  Relocation has been a major part of my overall plan going back five years.  The choice was to get smaller, or grow larger.  To most observers, the easiest and most logical option would have been to get smaller.  Getting larger would depend heavily on finding a perfect location that could support a broader customer base—in turn driving increased sales volume.  Over the past three years, I’ve had some false starts when considering options for this move.  Now, I’ve found and am developing a new home for All That Music & Video “Collector’s Marketplace” that perfectly addresses the needs and opportunities of a new marketplace.

This move reflects the changes you’ve seen—and some that are not so obvious—at our present Lee Trevino location.  Visible changes have included a growing emphasis on the collectible vinyl LPs and pre-owned collectible CD/DVD departments.  Not as apparent to most are the e-commerce and expanded LP purchasing facets of our current operations.
Let me explain why the move to a new site is so important.  The new location, where work is already underway, faces I-10 at 6800 Gateway East, and is in front of the familiar Landry’s Restaurant location. This represents what we in the retail business refer to as a move from a “regional-neighborhood” strip center to a more universal location with freeway visibility.  Along with changes in the way our loyal customers and friends shop for music, there’s an opportunity to serve a much wider customer base.  These potential shoppers are visitors, tourists, and travelers passing through El Paso. The big bonus is the businesspeople that will populate the hotels and motels near the airport and downtown.  Our new location will be central to all of this activity.

Today, we have to be fully prepared to serve a new, selective clientele interested primarily in collectible music media. The days of the conventional  CD/DVD store are dwindling and, in many cases, are over. The CD and DVD are rapidly joining the vinyl LP as collectible media, largely due to downloading and streaming. To stay ahead of the curve, our store has to be a rich and universally accessible source for collectible  media of all sorts.  However, as long as we have customers for CDs, we will offer an even wider selection of product in all categories based upon availability.  Our new store will be about 700 square feet larger than our present Lee Trevino space.

Now I’d like to explain how this monumental relocation-task will affect our customers and our day-to-day activities.  Number one, there is literally several tons of inventory to move.  Noteworthy are the thousands of LP’s that have never before been offered for sale because of our present space limitations.  Music fixtures, listening-stations, store signage, business equipment, computers, telecommunications, special technology and cabling are just a few of the major items that come to mind.  We also need to consider issues such as design, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, security, heating/cooling, etc.  You get the picture. We’re doing this work as fast as possible, taking care to see that everything is done right.  It’s a nightmare and it’s chaotic.  But it’s definitely what has to be done in order to provide the kind of music store our current and new customers will require, especially given the new rules of the road.

I want to thank you in advance for bearing with us during this transition. We’re on-target with our planning right now and hope to make a complete transition to the new location between March 15 and April 15. We’re gearing up for a Grand Opening celebration that coincides with Record Store Day, Saturday April 21st. This event has been growing in awareness and size for the past several years and would present the perfect timing to introduce our store to the market.

Will all this activity synchronize perfectly with the plan?  I have my fingers crossed, but I’m anything if not a practical person. Relocation dates could change somewhat, the current store might have to close for several days, and the Grand Opening date could change. I hope not. But while we move inventory, there is sure to be some inconvenience to customers. During the transition, departments will begin to disappear and the store is likely to become sparse, …so bear with us.   Most of all, pardon the inconvenience you might encounter. Believe me, even with the best-laid plans, this is unavoidable. It’s all part of a necessary move to keep All That Music & Video “Collector’s Marketplace” a store that truly serves your current and future needs. Thank you again and feel free to ask any of our staff questions about either store’s status.  Also, please stay tuned to my BLOG here on allthatmusic.com/georges blog, where you’ll get weekly progress reports, important dates, and some of the new features and surprises you’ll find at our Gateway East location.

-George Reynoso
Owner/Manager

Unbelievable !  I couldn’t help passing this on to all my friends who have American Express cards.  If you haven’t already heard, you’ll get 25 free dollars just by spending it at a small business on Saturday November 26th.   I thought this was a gimmick too, so I read all the fine print.  This is genius.  American Express got this one right.  In their effort to jump-start the sluggish economy they designed a program to drive shoppers and consumers to America’s small business. The program is called “Shop Small.”   Very simply, if you use your American Express card on Saturday the 26th at any small business that accepts American Express cards, you’ll receive a $25 credit when you spend at least $25.00.  I’m assuming American Express is exempting the giant, big-box chains from the program.  Obviously, this offer is good for a one-time purchase for each card that is registered…and that’s the only catch.  So don’t miss out on $25 free dollars.  REMEMBER you have to register your card first.  We have links to the registration page and more information at allthatmusic.com.  After that, shop any El Paso small business on Saturday the 26th  and charge it to your American Express.  We hope you’ll consider All That Music & Video as one of your options!  We have links to the registration page at allthatmusic.com  If you don’t have an AMX card, pass this message to family or friends who have the card.  It’s really too good a deal to pass-up.    Happy Holidays!

Today’s Hits on CD: Tomorrow’s Collectibles
A new website series by George Reynoso

I’ve been working so much to stay ahead of the curve in the music business,  I’ve decided to share some of my thoughts on future collectibles with you, my valued customers.  Our efforts have taken us beyond day to day store operations into the world of e-commerce, where the value of collectibles fluctuate based on offers at hundreds of different  music sites that either sell or auction LPs and CDs, or offer streaming. To say the least, it’s a fast-moving, fluctuating, even crazy marketplace these days. For our store customers, we try to make sense of all this so you can shop with confidence knowing that you are getting the right selection of collectible LPs at a fair price.
Now  the CD is beginning to enter the collectibles market.  In not too many years, your CD collection may contain collectibles much in the way that LPs now dominate this market.  This series of articles is meant to give you a head’s up on how and where this emerging market is going so you know the potential value of your CDs early in game. It helps you so you can take the necessary steps to protect your collection now. It helps us because an educated customer makes a better, more selective seller of CDs as well as a buyer.
Streaming music from web music services has been changing the music industry much in the same way that past format transitions changed our listening and buying habits. From early cylinder recordings to ‘78s to ‘45s to vinyl LPs to 8-track tapes to cassettes to today’s CD format, change in the music business is the rule, never the exception. But for an item to be truly collectible, one aspect never changes. For true and pure collectability, an item has to be something you can touch, feel and admire. In other words, a download is a download, but a CD is an actual manufactured product. This is just one of the pitfalls of music streaming, a subject we’ll take a closer look at in future articles.
The values for a CD collectible are much the same as they are with a vinyl LP. They come with a record label, are produced under stringent quality control standards and probably most important of all, they are packaged with unique artwork that announces the theme and style the artist is projecting at the time of release. Today’s CD has the additional advantage of providing booklets with photos, lyrics, credits, bios, messages from the artist, fan club information and sometimes more. And while untold millions may download an MP3 version or stream a song or more from a newly released CD, the CD itself is produced in a fixed quantity. These features, then, create the essence of collectability.
There are other collectability concepts to keep in mind, and these will be explored in upcoming articles. Don’t miss any of these website features to find out how to start building true collectibles into your CD library, a series we are providing as a public service to our loyal as well as new store customers. The world of music changes  fast, and All That Music & Video “Collectors’ Marketplace” is keeping pace to stay up-to-date and help you benefit from these changes. In the next few months, you’ll also see some changes to our familiar logo that reflect our new marketing position as your true go-to source for music collectibles. We’re still El Paso’s favorite independent music store. But our growing services to collectors will have a prominent place on our sign and in our advertising to help point the way to the future of recorded music, a feature of our store that many of you are already enjoying as fans of collectibles.
-George Reynoso