by Amy Lichty
Senior Pulse Reporter
For the past two years, CD World has been heightening the compact disc shopping experience by providing live music from both local and national bands. While customers browse the wide selection of new and used CDs and DVDs, artists are able to showcase their tunes by playing live on a small stage that was built into the store during remodeling a few years ago.
“(When) we remodeled the store, we added a stage area and decided to do in-store performances as a way to bring people into the store,” William Kennedy, manager of CD World, said. “It’s a free show and it gives customers an opportunity to see the artist or band in a more intimate setting and maybe even have the opportunity to meet them. It’s similar to having an author signing at a book store.”
Not only have these in-store performances given CD World contact with customers who hadn’t previously shopped there, it has also been a great way for artists to gain exposure, especially local artists trying to make it onto the Eugene music scene.
“We do a lot of in-store performances from local or regional bands that have released CDs, and that’s great exposure for them,” Kennedy said. “It allows us to get their product in the store and it helps us to let people know that we’re locally owned and we associate our store with local music and the local music scene. That differentiates us from a lot of other music stores in Eugene, because a lot of the chain or big-box retailers can’t get local music.”
Being a part of the local music scene is important to CD World.
“If anybody out there at the
University or in the community has produced a CD, we want to help them be a part of the local scene, and they should definitely contact us,” Kennedy said.
But it isn’t just local bands that perform at CD World. Artists such as Guster, Sound Tribe Sector 9 and Tegan and Sara have all been guests at CD World. But no matter whether the band is well-known or just trying to get things started, CD World enjoys the diverse crowds and new customers that come in eager to purchase music.
“Sometimes, frankly, not many people come in, but we’ve had some in-stores where we’ve had about 110-120 people, so that was really successful,” Kennedy said. “But the way we look at it is, if we get two to five people who have never been in the store before, now they know where we are and what we’re like. They can put faces to the name and that’s really helpful.”
In-store performances also help customers put a face to the band performing as well. Sometimes shoppers happen to drop by while a band or artist is performing and are pleasantly surprised by the live music filling the store. That’s what happened to Amy Doane, who stopped by to browse and purchase a CD, but enjoyed the live music enough to stop and listen to a few songs before she left.
“I think (these performances are) wonderful. It’s a great way for musicians to get their music out to the community,” Doane said.
Future performances include This Day’s End, a local band, this Saturday at 2 p.m., Brian Cutean on Friday, April 15 at 6 p.m., and a “meet and greet” with Sound Tribe Sector 9 on Saturday, April 23 at 2:30 p.m. CD World is located at 3215 W. 11th Ave.
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