JazzLoft Going Out Of Business

[JSngry]

Rec'd via email:

To my amazing customers,

After 15 years of serving the jazz and avant-garde artists and customers, The Jazz Loft is going out of business sometime early next year. Over the past few years, the market has become harder and harder for a small, independent record store like mine to survive.

We've been beaten up by:

• Amazon's predatory pricing schemes selling items below cost
• At least two of my major distributors going out of business for the same reasons
• In January, the U.S. Postal Service tripled the cost of shipping outside the U.S. instantly alienating 40% of my business.
• Downloads, streaming, ripping, burning, stealing... you name it.

I appreciate all the faithful customers who have been loyal to me for years, if not decades. It is my goal to reemerge in early 2014 as a boutique store on eBay.

We will continue to sell our CD & DVD Space-Saving Sleeves!

We are having a clearance sale until all merchandise is sold. As things are selling out, I am trying to remove them from the site. As stated below, all future orders will be filled with inventory on hand. If you place an order, please list alternatives in the Customer Order Notes box at checkout.

Thank you again for all your loyal support.

Best wishes,

Alan Lawrence

[CraigP]

I got this email as well. It's sad news; I enjoyed doing business with Alan through the years. This is part of what I wrote him: "To the reasons you stated, I would add an audience for jazz that is largely stuck in the past, and not interested in adventurous new music. It's ironic that there's so much great stuff being released, and a lot passes by unnoticed."

[jlhoots]

I always got along with Alan too.

Squidco is a source for a lot of what Jazz Loft carried. Hope they stay alive.

[xybert]

Interesting that 40% of their business was outside the US (if i'm reading that right).

[Head Man]

I've almost stopped buying anything from the US because of the cost of shipping. Sad news.

[J.A.W.]

I've almost stopped buying anything from the US because of the cost of shipping. Sad news.

Same here. And this is sad news indeed.

[David Ayers]

I wonder how much is price competition, how much download sales, how much illegal copying. And how much just declining interest in piling up recordings of stuff in favor of live performance? Or just - music is a bit boring, period - ?

I notice he doesn't mention euro-pd labels or streaming as factors.

[J.A.W.]

I wonder how much is price competition, how much download sales, how much illegal copying. And how much just declining interest in piling up recordings of stuff in favor of live performance? Or just - music is a bit boring, period - ?

I notice he doesn't mention euro-pd labels or streaming as factors.

He did mention streaming and I think "you name it" is meant to include the European PD labels, although those labels didn't cover much of the kind of more advanced music Jazz Loft was carrying

Edited November 27, 2013 by J.A.W.

[Stefan Wood]

I really think that aside from downloads and streaming, the increase in costs for overseas shipping has really killed sales for independent sellers, online or otherwise. It has to be first class priority shipping or nothing. It's brutal.

[David Ayers]

OK I missed streaming...

I'm really wondering though about the question how far is this just change and how far decline. The market we are talking about here is a niche and I've never really quite understood how some of the name artists have been able to send 200+ titles into it over a career.

Of course hard copy sales are declining - it isn't so long ago that online mail-order retailers were being blamed for the decline of bricks and mortar. Some things just change.

Re. Mail order from US, yes like others I've been priced out by exchange rate, duty, and shipping costs over recent years - except for those amazon sellers who seem to ship in bulk to Europe then ship the individual items within Europe. That *does* seem to keep costs down and you can order individual items one at a time to avoid duty.

[king ubu]

Sad news indeed, but as with others I rarely order from the US anymore nowadays.

[Leeway]

Yes, bad to see sources for music go under, but JL stopped being one of my sources quite some time ago (for reasons I'll not go into). I should think this will prop up Squidco, DMG, and other online sellers a bit, which would be the upside.

[Head Man]

I should think this will prop up Squidco, DMG, and other online sellers a bit, which would be the upside.

Looking at Sqidco's website I see they recommend using a company called Bongo International for shipping to overseas customers. According to them it could reduce the cost of shipping by over 80%!...too good to be true? Has anyone ever used this company?

Edited to make it clearer what I meant!

BTW here's a link that explains it in more detail:

http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=POLICY

Edited November 27, 2013 by Head Man

[Stefan Wood]

No idea. If Jazzloft was indeed a source for Squidco, how will they react? Is Jazzloft a source as well for Forced Exposure and Downtown Music Gallery?

[Leeway]

I don't think JL was a source for Squidco or DMG (especially DMG, which has long-established supply lines to most labels). JL and Squidco might (or might not) share common distributors on some product. JL would sometimes have items that Squidco would not have, and vice versa. My take is that with JL gone, Squidco and DMG stand a better chance of surviving, and yes, they may be able to acquire additional supply liners that JL had locked up.

[jlhoots]

Squidco has worked well for me.

In fact I just received a $10 coupon for having purchased 10 items.

DMG & Forced Exposure have never been "user friendly" for me - esp. DMG.

[Stefan Wood]

With regards to DMG, I usually call them for orders. They are very good about that. But yes, they aren't user friendly on the web.

[Leeway]

I think Cadence (now Klompfoot) supplies a lot of product to the wholesale community.

[J.A.W.]

In my experience DMG's internet service is extremely user-unfriendly. I'll never use them again.

[Leeway]

Yes, agreed, DMG needs to get their Internet presence up to speed. I think they rely on their e-newsletter, and people dropping them an email or giving them a call. Very clunky.

The big plus with Squidco, beside their user-friendly interface, is their "In stock-Out of stock" listing. You know before placing an order if it is in stock, and without having to call, email, etc. Oh yes, I like that $10 coupon for frequent purchases too!

[ejp626]

I should think this will prop up Squidco, DMG, and other online sellers a bit, which would be the upside.

Looking at Sqidco's website I see they recommend using a company called Bongo International for shipping to overseas customers. According to them it could reduce the cost of shipping by over 80%!...too good to be true? Has anyone ever used this company?

Edited to make it clearer what I meant!

BTW here's a link that explains it in more detail:

http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=POLICY

I have no idea whether they use Bongo specifically, but I did note that Dusty Groove had found some way to cut shipping rates to Canada (didn't check to other countries). I mentioned this in an email to Alan, that it might be something he would want to look into. His reply indicated that he wasn't that interested -- he would stick with the shipping process he knew. So I can't help but feel that this is at least a bit self-inflicted.

[J.A.W.]

I should think this will prop up Squidco, DMG, and other online sellers a bit, which would be the upside.

Looking at Sqidco's website I see they recommend using a company called Bongo International for shipping to overseas customers. According to them it could reduce the cost of shipping by over 80%!...too good to be true? Has anyone ever used this company?

Edited to make it clearer what I meant!

BTW here's a link that explains it in more detail:

http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=POLICY

I have no idea whether they use Bongo specifically, but I did note that Dusty Groove had found some way to cut shipping rates to Canada (didn't check to other countries). I mentioned this in an email to Alan, that it might be something he would want to look into. His reply indicated that he wasn't that interested -- he would stick with the shipping process he knew. So I can't help but feel that this is at least a bit self-inflicted.

Yep, that's my feeling too. I haven't done business with him often, but Alan can seem a bit, um, let's say, "uninterested".

[Stefan Wood]

To be fair, there are different standards for mailing for businesses than for individual sellers.

I am aware that ebay was offering a service for overseas shipping, but it involves one to ship it to them and then they mail it out. I don't understand how it works.

[ejp626]

To be fair, there are different standards for mailing for businesses than for individual sellers.

I am aware that ebay was offering a service for overseas shipping, but it involves one to ship it to them and then they mail it out. I don't understand how it works.

Yes, but JazzLoft should have been positioned to benefit from the same shipping breaks that DG can exploit. It must have been incorporated as a business, etc.

I'm just saying that if there were some options out there that would have lessened the pain for 40% of your customers, it would have been worth exploring them...

In the larger scheme of things, it is completely ridiculous what happened to overseas shipping rates in the U.S. But at this point, the USPS is just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic (Harry Potter stamps, looking for corporate sponsorship of stamps, etc.).

In 5-10 years, the international shipping rates for individuals will be so high, that it will grind to a halt. All the benefits of globalization will revert back to corporations and the little guy will be completely shut out. We will remember the glory years when you could send letters to international pen pals and send CDs/DVDs to them in the mail. That is definitely going away. And so it will all just be in the clouds...

Edited November 27, 2013 by ejp626

[Stefan Wood]

I agree, but clearly Jazzloft wasn't in a position. DId they do their research? Did they have the options that DG has?

I checked out DG to see what the shipping costs for a single cd is to the UK. Five bucks. A four cd box set? $30, international economy shipping. Brutal.