It was way more than records

By Bryan Reed

Frankly, I'm not really surprised the Schoolkids Records' Franklin Street location went out of business.
I think it sucks, but I can't say I'm shocked. Record stores are going out of business everywhere, not just in Chapel Hill.
But the sad part of Schoolkids' closing has little to do with selling CDs - which, at this point in time, isn't exactly a lucrative venture.
Amid all the hubbub about the loss of the Franklin Street staple, I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter where one buys his music or on which format. If Best Buy, or Wal-Mart or iTunes has what you want at a price you're willing to pay, then great. If Schoolkids or CD Alley has what you want at a price you're willing to pay, well, then that's just great, too.
The real questions we need to be asking revolve around the notion of community.
See, I've got all these crazy ideas about the importance of regional identity and how involvement in one aspect of your local community will lead to further investment in the larger community.
For me, it's the music. All my favorite bands are from here. And because I care so much about supporting local music, I also care about things like parking availability downtown, gentrification, ABC regulations, copyright law and the RIAA's shenanigans - all topics which could fill columns of their own.
And it's because I care about local music and the state of Chapel Hill that I miss Schoolkids Records - not because they sold CDs there, but because it stood as an access point to the community I've grown to love through the course of my college career.
That's why I'm not at all surprised to see Cat's Cradle offering its stage to eight bands, who are offering their talents, all for free, just to say goodbye to a store that meant so much.
And, conveniently acting as evidence to my larger point, donations taken at the show go to support the Orange County Elementary Music Program. Witness the local music community caring about and showing support for the community as a whole.
The loss of Schoolkids on Franklin Street isn't a blight on music. People are going to keep making and listening to music until the Armageddon.
What matters is that we've lost a part of our community, and as such we've lost a part of ourselves.
Maybe the CD is gone for good. And maybe that's not a bad thing.
But losing any opportunity to foster community - whether through music or through any other common bond - is a bad thing.

The Daily Tar Heel, Diversions section, 4/3/08