Music stores disappear from the streets of Amsterdam

Record stores in Amsterdam are facing difficult times due to a sharp decline in sales. The last ten years, more than half of the shops were closed.  Music stores such as Virgin Megastore and Blue Note had to close and the Dutch newspaper Parool recently announced the end of the famous Amsterdam music store Fame. Fame will close by the end of January 2012. Of the 104 music stores in Amsterdam that were active in 2000, there are now only 44 left.

So in Amsterdam things are not looking great for music stores. How does it look for the rest of the Netherlands? Of all the 1281 music stores in the Netherlands, only two third of these stores still exists today. These include sole proprietorships as well as franchise stores.

What is the cause of the sharp decline? The biggest problem is piracy, according to Martin Wilde, the president of the Dutch Association of Entertainment Retailers. Also Hans Breukhoven, owner of Fame and Free Record Shop, said that besides the cost of the buildings, especially the illegal downloading of music was the main reason for lost revenues and, eventually, closing the stores. Furthermore he says: "Music has never been so popular, but people do not buy it anymore. Illegal downloading is theft, but it is socially acceptable. Everyone thinks that it is the most normal thing in the world." Breukhoven thinks that within several years the classic record store will no longer exist. "We will focus more on games and gifts."

Reference: Het Parool