local help wanted

As I observe the world around me it becomes more and more obvious that the world thrives on business and profits. There are advertisements everywhere for the newest products and the hippest gadgets, all tempting us to open our wallets and empty our bank accounts.

This same profit mentality is also present in the microcosm of a CD store. The albums are strategically arranged in order to boost sales of new releases or catch a certain customer's eye. Because of this, local bands who try to sell their CD in these stores have essentially no chance of attracting any potential fans. Their album undoubtedly ends up being buried in a back bin where few people have the chance of stumbling upon it.

But last Friday I saw something that made me think that perhaps there are some businesses who do support the local music scene and try to give musicians a way to get their songs and name out.

While browsing the Tucson Guitar Center at Broadway and Swan, I encountered an ordinary listening station that might usually contain tracks from big time artists. This rig, however, was filled with the tunes of local bands, along with their name and track information. Any person could walk up, pop on some headphones, and be free to make their way through the musical landscapes of some fellow Tucsonians.

It may not seem like much, but I was glad to see Guitar Center offering this opportunity. It also seemed that the store wanted people to stop and hae a listen as the setup was located right next to the only exit. I hope that in the future other stores will begin to help strengthen the local music scene by providing similar outlets. It would cost virtually nothing for a business to dedicate a small portion of a rack to local bands where their CD's can be discovered and purchased or rotate local albums into their own listening stations.