music stores

Record stores are falling on hard times around the world – but probably none have it as bad as the music stores of Pakistan, where two dozen shops were blown up on Wednesday. 

According to reports in the Pakistan Daily Times:

Bombs ripped through several music and video shops in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, wounding at least four people, officials said.

The injuries occurred when a blast hit a video shop located on the 2nd floor of Bannu Market in main Bazaar of the garrison town of Kohat, which has seen several attacks in recent months blamed on Pakistani Taliban militants. 

“The bomb was planted in a CD and video shop, resulting in the wounding of at least three people. The shop was destroyed and some nearby shops were also damaged,” local police official Shakirullah, who goes by one name, told AFP. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Separately, bombs destroyed two dozen businesses, including around eight music shops in Purani Ghari Mandi in Miranshah, the capital town in the North Waziristan, officials and residents said.

The attack came overnight, at the end of a one-week deadline issued by militants in the town near the Afghan border for shopkeepers to close outlets showing still and moving images, or selling music.

“We received a letter one week ago from the Taliban that we must close down our business and not sell any music, videos or photos,” shop owner Inayatullah Khan told AFP. “Now they have carried out their threat and left us without our business.”No one was hurt in the attack, according to the sources. 

At least no one died – but this is happening in a country that’s a key US ally in the “war on terrorism”. 

According to the libertarian think tank the CATO Institute:

Some cooperation between the United States and Pakistan is necessary to wage the war against terrorism, but that cooperation must not evolve into a new long-term strategic alliance. Washington should view Pakistan, with its dictatorship, failed economy, and insecure nuclear arsenal, as a reluctant supporter of U.S. goals at best and as a potential long-term problem at worst.

Synthtopia gets visitors from Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshewar, Islamabad & Sialkot in Pakistan.

If you’re one of those visitors, let us know what’s happening with music in Pakistan. 

MP3tunes, a new digital music store started by Michael Robertson, founder and former CEO of MP3.com, has opened at www.mp3tunes.com. Robertson, CEO of MP3tunes, unveiled his new venture at the Desktop Summit in San Diego this week. Songs are available for download from the MP3tunes site for $0.88 per song or $8.88 per album.

All music sold at MP3tunes will work on any computer and with any portable player including popular models like the Apple iPod, Dell DJ and Creative Nomad. At www.mp3tunes.com, consumers never run the risk of losing their music – songs that have been purchased are permanently stored in a “music locker” and accessible from any Web browser. Even if a computer crashes or a user switches machines, the music is saved and can be accessed without repurchasing.

“Digital music sales make up less than two percent of the total music business because many consumers know they aren’t really buying the music – they’re renting it from a big corporation that controls what software, computer and portable devices they can use,” Robertson said. “A consumer-friendly digital music store that provides true music ownership to paying customers can triple the digital music business almost overnight. MP3tunes gives the consumers more value because they can use the music on all their computers and MP3 players – whatever brand they may have. And it’s permanently stored in their music locker, so they never lose the music they paid for.” Read more…

zZounds offers a wide range of electronic instruments at good prices. zZounds features keyboard synthesizers, sound modules, recording equipment, MIDI devices, computer music, dj equipment and more.

They guarantee the lowest prices on electronic music equipment, so they are definitely worth checking out.

What happens when electronic music fanatics open up an online music store?

Synth Music Direct is one possible answer. This site specializes in selling synth music from the likes of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Edgar Froese, Michael Garrison, Peter Namlook, Robert Rich, Steve Roach and Synergy. Their selection leans towards European electronica artists.

The site features reviews of most of the items they sell. They also have a large variety of music samples that you can play from streams or download.

CD Baby calls itself “a little online record store that sells CDs by independent musicians”. They left out the part about being cool, and not having sold out.

They are 2nd only to Amazon in the number of independent CDs sold. They sell CDs that come directly from musicians, so the performers get $6-12 per CD.

They take their independence seriously – they note that “No Microsoft products were used in the creation of this website.”

One of the great features of the site is that you can browse music by “flavors”, such as occasions, moods, and tasks. You can find music to soothe you, music to be depressed to, to drink to, for driving, to work out to, and even to have sex to.

They have lots of interesting electronica artists.