KEVIN: In the past we’ve sold Putumayo cds and uploaded samples cds to an iPod to play over speakers in the store on an unending loop. We’ve had some ongoing communication problems w/ Putumayo and in our particular store cd sales have been negligible (plus the fact that with technology cds are on the way out & environmentally they’re not a great idea)… so we’re looking into other options.

We’ve thought about playing cds of local bands with a global sound & selling their cds on commission as a way to have music & connect with the community but that doesn’t cover the environmental/technological side of things. Do most of y’all go the way of Pandora?? Curious what’s worked for you. Thanks!!

 

Answers 5:

 

(1) I’ve been going pandora

 

(2) I guess I’m wondering if there are any ‘little guys’ doing the same thing as Pandora. Though I guess you’d probably also have access to less music that way. Hmm

 

(3) It gets to be a really long day if you have limited music to play! 

 

(4) Yeahhhhh…no good 

 

(5) Pandora. We make stations for each of the employees based on the song that was #1 on the day they were born. Thumbs down to anything explicit.

 

(6) Pandora isn’t available here in Canada. I have used tunein in the store but since we started carrying Putumayo we’ve just been playing them and they sell fairly well. Not all titles, so we just let them sell down and reorder the best movers.

 

(7) I used to play Putumayo, but it’s not doing so well for me either. I actually play the local college radio station. It’s commercial free, they cover several decades in music, and people seem to like that it’s local.

 

(8) Yes! We’ve actually advertised on our local public radio station (based at UT) so that’s been another thought but based on the time of day can get too rockin’ for some customers. Guess that’s when we pop on a Putumayo. That’s also the most cost effective option so far

 

KEVIN:  We stopped selling putumayo when the local market got so saturated. Plus, most people wanted to listen to it then would go home and buy something online. We unfortunately gave up on CD sales…

 

(10) I’ll do the same. Every so often they’ll schedule in some heavy metal, so I have the CD’s handy.

 

(11) I have a global mix on an iPod or use Pandora and do the same for holiday. Mainly I do it to create a vibe in the store. If I have someone working and allow them to play their music list it has to fit in with the vibe I’m fostering.

 

(12) We’re still selling Putumayo – I guess our customer base isn’t quite as hip to online music purchasing yet? 

We copy all the tracks of the cds we carry into iTunes and play them all day. We have each disc as its own playlist and one playlist with everything in. If a customer asks what’s playing, we can play more of that particular CD for them.

 

(13) Pandora one and love the variety and low cost