History Repeats Itself

Just like how old music comes back around to be trendy again, so do the ways we listen to it.

In my prime time as a DJ in the 1990s, I would hit up music stores at least weekly, if not more, to further my quest of finding new music, or older hidden gems. One of the things I remember most from those days was the scent of these stores. They had a unique smell to them (in a good way) from the aisles and aisles of wooden display racks and crates that were used to display compact discs CDs), tapes, and records, combined with the scent of plastic, old paper from old paper record covers, dust, burnt incense, heavily trafficked carpet, and various other smells.

To a non music lover, the scent could only be compared to the memory you might have of your grandparent’s basement. Yeah, it was probably musty, moldy, or dirty, but it was a scent of comforting familiarity. When you smell something similar now, it’s an immediate trigger that brings back photo-like vivid happy memories of days long gone.

Even in the “big box” stores like Circuit City, Best Buy, and mall stores like Sam Goody and Musicland, they too used to have an identifiable scent from the aisles and aisles of music. But by the mid to late 2000’s, these stores were nearly all gone, as was the associate scent. Those that stayed in business had to transition their business model to keep up with the change from physical music (CDs and records) to streaming, but the whole vibe of what it used to be was gone.

It’s still weird to me when I go into a Best Buy today and see hardly anything music related when 30 years ago nearly half the store was committed to music. Even Walmart used to have a substantial music section. It was a hard transition for me. There are still independent music stores out there upholding the tradition that survived (barely) the streaming takeover, but it’s nowhere near how it was then, nor is it the same feeling.

I’ve written before about the changes in music over the years. We went from vinyl records to cassette tapes to compact discs then another resurgence of vinyl. The resurgence of vinyl was interesting because of how trendy (and expensive) it had become. While stores had nowhere near the display of music they once did, there was a bit of growth, even if it was just one aisle of highly overpriced vinyl being sold.

Now, we are seeing the return of CDs. I was in a Target store recently where I saw not only the selection of vinyl they had for sale, but also a new section of CDs. As I walked by it caught me by surprise enough that I had to stop and do a double take. They weren’t alone. Other stores are starting to sell discs again too.

It makes me happy to see CDs making a comeback, even if it is a little insulting that they are selling it as cheesy nostalgia. I doubt we will ever get back to where we were in the 1990’s, but it’s cool to see a new generation having the ability to hopefully create music memories of their own, even if they might be making fun of how we used to play our music. Streaming music is nice, but having something you can actually hold, look at, and collect is way better, especially when it’s affordable and doesn’t take up too much space.

I don’t think I even own a CD player anymore. If I do, it’s buried in a box somewhere, but it’s still fun to go into the “vintage” music stores to see what they have. Just doing that brings back happy memories, especially when you find your favorites from back in the day. It pains me that music of my youth is in the “oldies” section now, but that’s a story for another day.

~ Marty ~

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Whether it’s fashion, music, or whatever, it is very true that history repeats itself!

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