Over at Blogspotting, Stephen Baker says nope, and I tend to agree. Most of the big music stores I’ve seen were just that: music stores. You went there to buy a CD and that was it. The internet has changed that, and the reasons to buy CDs at a big-name national music store chain have gone away.
As Mr. Baker notes, bookstores have become places to hang out, not just to buy a book. Barnes & Noble features Starbucks coffee shops. Many bookstores have comfortable chairs or couches. They’ve become a destination and not just a store. That’s the key to remaining viable. It’s like in Office Space:
People can get a cheeseburger anywhere, ok? They come to Chotchkie’s for the atmosphere and the attitude.
Bookstores with atmosphere and attitude will survive. The sterile ones won’t.
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Although at first they seem similar, I think there are some huge differences between bookstores and music stores. It is more natural for music stores to go online, because people can sample the music far more easily before deciding to buy a CD. However, it’s much easier to “sample” books when in a bookstore. If I’m not sure whether to get a book or not, I will always read the first few pages. Yes, I do buy many books online, but I can never pass a bookstore without going in, and I can never go into a bookstore without buying many books, because the browsing–and therefore purchasing–is so easy.
Record stores are closing, video stores are closing, and yes, I’m thinking that the same fate might happen to the bookstores. The Internet is changing the face of these businesses.