Sunday December 11, 2005

Cornering choice music

Music Myths & Legends
BY MARTIN VENGADESAN

THE local music market seems to be spinning in ever decreasing circles... Remember Virgo Music and CD Rama, or even Tower Records when it first opened in Kuala Lumpur in the mid-1990s? 

Music lovers in the Klang Valley had it pretty good then when it came to choice. 

Now, I cringe when I step into the “average” music store with its sadly limited repertoire. 

The selection usually doesn’t extend beyond the small range of albums that the major recording labels (EMI, Warner, SonyBMG and Universal) wish to push. You want a major release by a big pop star – Robbie Williams’ Intensive Care, for example – and, yes, they’ll have it. 

Dare we hope for more choice now that the champion of choice, Rock Corner, has opened its biggest outlet yet? – Photo by LOW LAY PHON

But even the back catalogue of big-name artistes isn’t always easy to get a hold of – try looking for Destiny’s Child’s first album. Chart-topping 1970s rock albums like Emerson Lake & Palmer’s Pictures at An Exhibition or groundbreaking works like The Pentangle’s Basket Of Light? Forget it. Or, if they are available, they are prohibitively priced. 

Piracy is one factor that seriously ate into (and is still taking sizable chucks out of) the profits of music outlets. Music downloads from the Internet is another reason for declining sales. Former industry players say that these two factors, allied to the drastic drop in the ringgit’s value during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, have led to the market’s moribund state. 

Still, in the midst of this gloom, some chains have managed to hold on. There is the sometimes-quirky Victoria Music outlets and even Speedy, which actually specialises in movies but sometimes offers interesting music titles, too. Credit must also be given to the MPH outlet in Bangsar Baru, KL, and Fantasy Music in Sunway Lagoon, Petaling Jaya, for making an effort to offer diversity. 

Then there is the Rock Corner chain. This is one clear leader that is boldly bucking the downward trend. 

Jaclyn Lim knows the importance of a good knowledge of music repertoire. – Photo by NORAFIFI EHSAN

Over the last two years, Rock Corner has expanded greatly from the odd isolated outlet, such as its 1 Utama (shopping centre) outpost or the curiosity in the USJ Giant Hypermart (both in PJ). Now, there are nine Rock Corner outlets in the Klang Valley, with at least three more in the pipeline.  

Nov 30 saw the opening of the largest outlet to date: at the Mid Valley Megamall in PJ. Prior to the hectic launch that featured a performance by reigning Malaysian Idol Daniel Lee, I had a quiet word with the chain’s operations manager, Jaclyn Lim. 

Amazingly, she revealed that she and her partners stumbled into the business by accident! 

“We used to be wholesalers supplying many retail shops,” she explained. In fact, Lim and her husband, Rock Corner CEO Frankie Eng, have been working in the wholesale side of the industry for nearly two decades. 

“After a while, we found that the retailers were giving up, and we thought we would give it a try.”  

Despite the heady expansion, however, Lim confirmed that it hasn’t been a bed of roses. 

“We have many difficulties. The best shopping centres, like (Suria) KLCC and Mid Valley, charge very high rental, and our products don’t compare with those (high-end luxury products) in the high-return boutiques  

“And times are still tough in the music industry. Before, when an album did well, you could expect to sell 100,000 units of it, but nowadays, most of those units would be pirated ones!”  

Nonetheless, with outlets in shopping centres like The Curve, 1 Utama, Mid Valley, Subang Parade, Giant Taman Permata, and Giant USJ (all in PJ) as well as in Bangsar Village, Great Eastern, and Kota Raya (in KL), Rock Corner is pushing ahead. 

“There are three more outlets in KL – including Music Magic in Central Market, Sogo (shopping centre) and Pertama (complex) – that we have taken over, and that we will re-launch as Rock Corner next year,” Lim revealed. 

It is still too early, however, to tell when, or if, Rock Corner will expand beyond the Klang Valley. 

Key to Rock Corner’s success is the variety of music on offer, although Lim concedes that not every store has as wide a range of music as its biggest outlets – the ones at Mid Valley, The Curve and 1 Utama. 

“We are slowly building up a name, so much so that people come to us and place orders, but even then we can’t guarantee that the record company will make the title available.  

“We do try and offer a wide range of products. That comes from having repertoire knowledge. It’s very important, but it’s quite difficult to gain. Even if you’ve worked for 10 years in this industry, you may not be familiar with a wide enough range of music.”  

One misconception people have about the chain is that it offers only rock music. 

Lim stressed, however, that, “Rock Corner is just a brand name”. 

“We have all kinds of music, and, in fact, we play light jazz in our shops because we want to provide an environment that is comfortable for people to listen to music in. 

“We also carry DVDs and VCDs and even music-related T-shirts.” 

The Mid Valley establishment is Rock Corner’s biggest venture so far, as it occupies two stories; the success of the chain may hang on the fate of this flagship outlet. So what are you waiting for, head on down and support choice!