But Vinyl Still Vital, says the NY Times

In Austin, Vinyl Is Still Vital
Ben Sklar for The New York Times

Published: March 8, 2009


STANDING on the wrong side of "full capacity" didn't discourage the dozens
of
Andrew Bird fans gathered outside the singer's show at Waterloo Records in
Austin last month.

Clustered around doors opened onto the parking lot, they listened as Mr.
Bird's
voice soared over his signature string-enhanced compositions. Some were
blissed
out, eyes closed, while others craned to see past the open doors; one woman
pressed a camera phone between posters of Cruiserweight and Conor Oberst,
straining for a good shot.

As the annual South by Southwest festival takes over Austin - this year,
from
March 13 to 22 - music lovers will flock to the city, partly to take in all
that
live music, but also to indulge in that increasingly rare sight: stores that
still sell records.

It's this synergistic relationship between Austin's record dealers and the
dedicated hordes still willing to pay for limited-edition vinyl that makes
the
city a destination for record lovers.

"Many years of great live music and clubs have created an atmosphere of
musical
awareness that interprets into music collecting in many ways," said Doug
Hanners, creator of the Austin Record Convention (www.austinrecords.com), a
twice annual, vinyl-centric event that claims to be the largest sale of
recorded
music in the country. "Many of the musicians are also collectors, also work
at
record stores."

Waterloo Records and Video (600A North Lamar Street; 512-474-2500;
www.waterloorecords.com) is the flagship of Austin's record-collecting
culture.
The store's aisles overflow with treasures both timely (Sigur Ros's "Med sud
i
eyrum vid spilum endalaust," $18.99), and obscure ("Sleep's Holy Mountain"
on
sought-after picture disc, $27.99).

Across the river in South Austin, End of an Ear (2209 South First Street;
512-462-6008; www.endofanear.com) features a healthy mix of limited-edition
vinyl and used classics - as well as live performances. The store's two
owners,
Dan Plunkett and Blake Carlisle, said their 2009 festival lineup is as
packed as
any previous year's.

At Sound On Sound (106 East North Loop Boulevard.; 512-371-9980;
www.soundonsoundrecords.com) a large selection of CD's is supplemented by a
record selection that emphasizes experimental sounds like the music of the
acid-folk pioneer Karen Dalton.

>From Sound On Sound, a 10-minute drive through the Hyde Park neighborhood
brings
you to Antone's Record Shop (2928 Guadalupe Street; 512-322-0660;
www.antonesrecordshop.com), situated on the University of Texas's main drag.

"We're actually the only record store still standing in the campus area,"
noted
Mike Buck, a co-owner of the store. "The place has always operated on a
shoestring. I think our strength is vinyl, and a faithful clientele."

Opened in 1987 by the late Austin music impresario Clifford Antone, the
store
specializes in roots music and boasts a strong selection of jazz. Willie
Nelson
records command a whole row and a half, while Cannonball Adderley's
hard-to-find
LP "Alabama/Africa" was recently on sale for a very reasonable $9.99.

At Cheapo Discs (914 North Lamar Street; 512-477-4499; www.cheapotexas.com),
vast quantities of used music and great finds abound: $12.93 will buy you a
vinyl copy of the "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" and the new EP by the Austin
soul
screamer Black Joe Lewis. And, if you're lucky, you might stumble into a
live
performance by a local band like Bear and the Essentials.