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Social Sciences & Programs Team Librarians:
Sylvia Tag
Elizabeth Stephan
Emily Spracklin
Team Website:
The client for MKTG 382 is Ritual Records, a record store located in downtown Bellingham. When researching record stores, you will need to think about what aspect of record stores you are looking for. Record stores are ultimately local businesses competing with larger national brick-and-mortar and online retailers. Record stores sell a product and an experience. They sell physical media (vinyl albums, CDs, and cassette tapes), and they often host performances. They also sell a "vibe."
When researching record stores, it mat be more important to search for the product they sell rather than store. A search for "record stores" in Business Source Complete was not useful, but a search for "vinyl records" resulted in articles about the popularity of vinyl and the return of the "retro" media. Searching for "retail stores" provides information related to the overall retail sector.
Resources:
Industry Reports (IBISWorld): An industry report for Record Stores is available, but note that there aren't any major players or competitors listed because the majority of them are small local businesses and industry reports are national. Consider that competitors may be other local retails stores as well as major chains, as well as digital platforms, like Spotify.
Articles (trade and other):
Other Sources: Don't discount Google or other online resources like Pew Research and YouGov.
