ABSTRACT
Overview The development of record retailing, its place in the recording industry, state in the beginning of the twenty-first century, and future are best understood by keeping in mind the function(s) that retailers play in any industry. Retailing is the selling of goods and services to the ultimate consumer. In particular, record retailing occupies a place in the sale of goods to ultimate consumers for personal (as opposed to business or industrial) use. The retailer provides valuable functions for both the manufacturers and distributors, and for the consumers. For the manufacturer, the retailer is the final stop in the distribution chain. Retailers provide one last opportunity to influence consumer purchases at the point of sale. They convey important information on what is selling and what consumers want. And most importantly, they supply the manufacturer with the purchase dollar, without which there would be no multibillion-dollar recording industry.
