ABSTRACT
İstiklal (‘Independence’) Avenue, called ‘Grande Rue de Péra’ in Ottoman times, is now a long pedestrian way that runs about three quarters of a mile from Taksim Square, the main square in the area, all the way southwest through Beyoğlu. Its numerous record stores use powerful loudspeakers to advertise their wares outdoors. They play an important role in the public dissemination of Greek music. During a single evening walk along the southern half of İstiklal Avenue I heard two rebetiko songs – one pre-war recording and one recent interpretation – and a modern Greek pop song from three different record stores. Individual storekeepers might well be rebetiko aficionados, but the more probable reason for this phenomenon is that Greek music really sells. In order to be sure, I browsed a small record shop near the end of İstiklal Avenue which had been recommended to me. The shop sold mostly jazz, various ethnic musics, and both Western and Turkish classical styles. I asked for rebetiko. The salesman showed me about ten different compilations. Three of them had been produced in Turkey, while the others were imports from Greece. According to the salesman, there was considerable demand: he sold two or three rebetiko albums a week, to locals as well as tourists.
