Suggestions for a Record Store Website?

So maybe some staff picks of the week/month with short blurbs? You could check out these for ideas:

http://www.othermusic.com
http://www.prex.com

Um, the address. that's it.

But yeah, I'm sure a full inventory would be too much, let alone keeping it updated. For one, their inventory is maintained on some closed system.

List what the store specializes in and what a person is likely to find. Give them a reason to go to the store. "We have a wide variety of new and used music CDs/Lps - most new CDs are about $13, most used are $5-$7. New stock arrives daily. We also have a huge stock of cheap CDs priced under $3. And we sell a bunch of ancillary shit like t-shirts, tapestries and incense."

This one is better, although still a little too busy:
http://www.usedkids.com/index.html

bio type stuff for the staff is always interesting, make it funny, www.normanrecords.com does a good job of this.

support your local music scene! maybe do a gig listings, personal ads, anything like that.

i've always wanted local shops to have a trade/wanted/for sale section for rare stuff, or out of print stuff.

a weekly chart of what the all mighty record store people have been listening too like that thing in the wire.

brief reviews/summarys of new stuff in, jumbo records in leeds do this well.

why not put a coffee machine and some chairs in your record shop! then advertise it as a record shop as well as a place to come and hang out. why doesn't anyone do this? is it a legal thing? i reckon they would be a great place to hang out. most indie record shops i know are just like chain stores but a bit more expensive. they need to do something that chain stores can't, make it personal, friendly. have small ensembles, laptop people, djs come and play every now and then. surely these sort of things wouldn't be that hard to do.

i want to come in and maybe talk to some new people, find out about records i wouldn't have otherwise known about, have the change to listen to some stuff before i buy without feeling intimidated, see whats going on in the city, maybe buy tickets for stuff, get hold of local zines and stuff.

Because, as 10,000 former coffee-shop operators know, losers don't spend money.

eat to the beat in bristol does exactly this.

Don't replicate shit that's already all over the internet. If they can't buy online, don't waste your time with a bunch of half-baked reference material that people can use to make decisions when they order from Amazon. Give them a reason to come into the store. If they're searching on the web for a local store, chances are they don't want to buy online/ or they want to support a local business. Tell them about the knowledgeable sales staff who will give them ideas if they're looking for something new, but will only snicker a little when you leave if you ask for a Phil Collins record. Tell them that the CDs are arranged so they can find shit when they come in.

In short, stay clear about what it is the website is supposed to accomplish and what the store's business is.

I agree that they're too busy, but I think the problem is poorly organized layouts that ASSUME everybody's going to read every word.

I don't want to read an online music magazine, I want to find out if your store is worth the trip.

I don't see why a site can't do both. If it ONLY gave the basics, there wouldn't be much repeat traffic.

Keep 'em coming...

I'd love to have that with othermusic, aquarius, rough trade, &c.