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California record stores get computers!
BY JOSH ROGERS
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You can bet that Rob Gordon, owner and manager of Championship Vinyl in film and book High Fidelity, reordered his stock by hand. In fact, if I remember correctly, that’s one of the tasks that Barry (Jack Black’s surly record-store employee) is absent-mindedly doing during one of his venomous exchanges with his boss. Probably restocking some more of that "sad bastard music" to which his coworker Dick listens. Unfortunately for most indie record stores, flipping through the CDs and writing down what needs to be restocked is a daily grind. But for a few indie-music chains, those technologically Neanderthal days are over. Brett Wickard, owner of the Bull Moose Music chain recently began licensing the computerized inventory and reorder system that he designed years ago for use in his own stores. "Our software that runs our stores just this spring started running a chain of stores in California," said Wickard in an interview several weeks ago. Besides the Sacramento-based Dimple Records, he says there are a few more buyers lined up for the database. "We’re calling it a scientific-managed inventory service. But basically, the model that we use to get inventory in that the music fan is looking for is really efficient and we’re applying it to some other chains." No longer do the Barrys of the world have to waste their time thumbing through the Van Morrison back catalogue. "There are stores around that still do things by hand," Wickard marvels. "They literally walk around and say ‘What do we need?’ And instead of spending all that time doing things by hand, let’s let these people do what they’re really good at: applying their knowledge toward really important things like bringing in titles they love and things like that. Nobody should be involved in reordering James Taylor’s Greatest Hits. A computer can figure that out at the cheapest possible price, always have it ready for the customer, and save everyone in the loop money." So it seems that indie music stores will soon have something in common with major labels like Universal.
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