All it takes is a step onto the sidewalk of your local big city to realize that ‘being trendy’ is, well, quite trendy nowadays. This modus operandi of being tres chouette with bright beatnik boots and retro-nu lifestyles can be bought, sold, and distilled at a variety of urban distributors.
One of the largest of these lifestyle distributors is Urban Outfitters. While their keen knick-knacks are good stocking stuffers and their hoodies are a fall-time staple, their massively record collections ‘just chillin’ against their side walls are the biggest blast to thumb through. The CEO of the company, Calvin Hollinger, recently pronounced to Buzzfeed that: “Music is very, very important to the Urban customer … In fact, we are the world’s number one vinyl seller.” This fact may seem shocking at first, but if one would need the newest Maroon 5 album on vinyl, you wouldn’t be able to pick it up rummaging through the bins at Goodwill.
Now, we’re pretty sure you’re not finding any house music gems, long lost treasures, dub plates, or white labels at your local Urban Outfitters, but if you wanted something that’s come out in the past handful of years, you may find it there. Bottom line, even if they are pushing the most vinyl, you’re not doing any meaningful crate digging here if you have even an entry level knowledge of vinyl’s history within the dance music space.
Holllinger gives credit to Urban’s inventory system, which has helped skyrocket record sales in an industry that seems to constantly struggles in that department. This inventory system allows them to display records from across 100 different distributors without having to pay for them, comparable to a consignment retailer.
Infographic via Statista
