Miami Hurricane, January 17, 2013

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Spotify, Pandora and
other streaming services
Audio
ripping sites
iTunes
I’ve never
been to
Spec’s
Only CDs
Both CDs
and inyl
What’s
vinyl? Only vinyl
I went
once or
twice
I was a
frequent
customer
Best Buy or
other electronic
stores
HOW
OFTEN
DID YOU
GO TO
SPEC’S?
DO YOU HAVE A CD OR VINYL
RECORD COLLECTION?
WHERE
DO YOU
GET YOUR
MUSIC?
WHEN WAS
THE LAST
TIME YOU
BOUGHT A
PHYSICAL
COPY OF A
MOVIE OR
BOOK?
WHEN WAS
THE LAST
TIME YOU
BOUGHT A
PHYSICAL
COPY OF
AN ALBUM?
Before Last week
the
millenium
I don’t buy
CDs
I only
buy
physical
copies
of books
I buy
physical
copies
of books
and
movies
all the
time
I don’t
buy
physical
copies,
they’re
too
expen-sive
I only
buy
physical
copies
of
movies
16% 39% 45%
46% 37% 10% 7%
Total voters: 53
Total voters: 45
Total voters: 36
Total voters: 38
Total voters: 41
CLOSING TIME
After serving its customers for more
than 60 years, Spec’s Records &
Tapes – one of the few record stores
left in South Florida – is closing its doors.
For now, the last of the shop’s albums
and DVDs line up the aisles along with bright
yellow discount signs. However, once the in-ventory
is liquidated, Spec’s will close on Jan.
28. According to an article reported by The
Miami Herald, Chase Bank will take the place
of the record store and its trademark neon-letter
sign later this year.
Despite a change in ownership in 1998,
Spec’s managed to stay afloat when other
record stores like Virgin Megastore couldn’t.
Martin Spector created the original store –
located where Einstein Bros Bagels is now
found on U.S. 1 south from campus – in 1948.
He then opened the present-day location in
1953.
Although much has changed in the music
industry since the ‘50s, not much has changed
at Spec’s apart from the format of recorded
music. The store, however, still sells vinyl.
“It’s really sad, any record store closing
is sad in my book no matter what kind,” said
Lauren Reskin, owner of Sweat Records in
Miami. “I definitely was a customer at Spec’s
since I could visit a record store back when I
was a little kid.”
Margot Winick, vice president of UM
media relations, said the record store was a
hot spot for UM students on Friday nights
during the ‘80s.
“It was the place to be,” said Winick,
who worked at Spec’s for two years in the mid-
1980s while she attended UM. “I didn’t even
mind taking the Friday night shifts, which ran
until 11. My friends would go out, but they’d
always cruise by and check out what was go-ing
on.”
The store would also often host artists
who were promoting their albums.
“There were always musicians in the
store,” Winick said. “Back in the day, it was
a really big deal when musicians would come
and play while they were promoting their mu-sic.”
According to an article reported by The
Miami Herald, the Spec’s chain was even-tually
comprised of 80 stores in Florida and
Puerto Rico. Sales exceeded $70 million in
1993. However, changes in the music indus-try
have resulted in the demise of several re-cord
stores throughout the last decade – now
including Spec’s.
BY NICKY DIAZ | COPY CHIEF
The Miami Vol. 91, Issue 26 | Jan. 17 - Jan. 20, 2013 . HURRICANE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IN CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, SINCE 1929
com
SEE SPEC’S, PAGE 5
DESIGN BY CARLOS MELLA