The Beatnick Records store is for sale. A personal decision, says owner Nick Catalano, while the record market in the metropolis is doing well.
The company opened its doors 25 years ago on Rue Saint-Denis, between Rue Roy and Avenue des Pins. Inside, we make our way through narrow hallways, squeezed between shelves full of CDs and records, while the speakers spew music that's far removed from the latest charts. No doubt, we are in a real record store.
The announcement that the Beatnick was on sale earlier this week worried several internet users. Nick Catalano reassures: “This is not a sale. » “I am 72 years old and no longer want to work seven days a week! »
Although the owner laments the lack of support from the City of Montreal during the numerous works carried out in the area in recent years, which resulted in the loss of several parking spaces, he says he is not selling for these reasons. Above all, he tries to slow down because he is not an entrepreneur at heart. “I am a musician who opened a record store […] “I had to get a job because I wasn’t making enough money as a musician,” explains the septuagenarian.
Plus, selling to just anyone is out of the question. “I want the store to go to someone who is 40 years old and can think long-term,” Mr. Catalano said. I want employees to keep their jobs, I want to find someone who has the same passion I had when I started my business and wants to continue it. »
A market that is doing well
The owner of Beatnick assures that he is not selling because the store is not doing well, on the contrary. “The record market is excellent,” he says. He even says he is seeing “expansion” in the province.
In recent years he has seen a young, vinyl-addicted generation raid his shelves. When many come to buy the latest Harry Styles or Taylor Swift, “at the end of the day, it's the same records that sell.” It's Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Cure. You can sell 15 copies of The Dark Side of the Moon a week.”
Luis, a loyal customer, is one of those collectors who swear by music on physical media. “When we buy a record, a connection is created between us and the artist,” explains the man, who says he owns around 5,000 CDs and 3,000 vinyl records. “Besides, my neighbors hate me,” he admits with a smile.
Already in 2021 we noticed that the vinyl market was overheating. A victim of its popularity, the industry struggled to meet demand and prices skyrocketed.
That's what we see at Musique-Disque Sonik, on the corner of Duluth Street and Berri Street. The record store Mathieu Livernois, which specializes in punk music, judges that “the prices are starting to look unattractive, especially for new items.” He attributes this increase to the return of the majors (the major record producers and distributors) to the vinyl market.
Nevertheless, sales are going well and the customers are there. The owner explains that there is a critical mass of record stores in the area, attracting a local clientele as well as tourists. There a man bought records that he wanted to send to relatives in the USA.
However, Mr Livernois does not see everything rosy. “The big problem in Montreal is commercial rents,” says the man, who says this year saw the biggest rent increase in 23 years.
Despite certain pitfalls, the two entrepreneurs we met didn't seem worried about the record's future. The product is aimed at enthusiasts, explains Nick Catalano. He listens differently and offers an experience that he believes online platforms cannot offer. This should ensure a bright future for these old objects.