Bandcamp's new space in Oakland draws welcome, concern from record shops

On Feb. 1, Bandcamp will open a record shop and office in Oakland, Calif. On Feb. 1, Bandcamp will open a record shop and office in Oakland, Calif. Photo: Richard Morgenstein/Courtesy Of Bandcamp Photo: Richard Morgenstein/Courtesy Of Bandcamp Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Bandcamp's new space in Oakland draws welcome, concern from record shops 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Bandcamp, a popular music streaming platform and online retailer, gave the public a first look at its new Oakland office Thursday.

The space, a few steps away from the 19th Street BART station, will also include a record store and a small venue for free, all-ages live music. This is the first time Bandcamp has opened a brick-and-mortar shop, and it will officially debut on Feb. 1.

"Oakland has a long-standing and thriving arts community, and we're excited to have a chance to be part of it," Bandcamp COO Josh Kim told SFGATE. "We want to be part of the neighborhood, and so we decided to set-up a public space where anyone walking by can come in, listen to some great records that they might have otherwise not heard of, and hopefully buy a few."

Bandcamp launched in 2008 as a streaming service and a kind of incubator for otherwise unknown artists to sell their music online. Colloquially, the company is to indie-rock and punk as Soundcloud is to rap; several bedroom-pop artists, such as Alex G and Car Headrest owe much of their popularity to their early days on Bandcamp.

Sarah Sexton, a local promoter and founder of Oakland Indie Mayhem, a festival and record label, was hired to manage the new Bandcamp shop and venue, alongside Max Gibson, founder of Oakland collective Wine & Bowties and DJ Miguel Reyes.

"We view ourselves as joining the existing ecosystem and bringing another type of experience that doesn't directly compete with other record shop," Kim said. "While people might go to other spots to look through used records, buy their favorite Beatles album or a big new release, at Bandcamp we'll have a selection of 99 records that focuses on representing a cross-section of the diversity and design of the millions of albums on Bandcamp."

It's been difficult for the existing ecosystem of record shops in Oakland, particularly for those situated downtown, where Bandcamp plans to open its new space. Developers and tech companies are snatching up real estate in downtown Oakland, where construction seems to be never-ending and rent has become too expensive for mom 'n' pop shops to afford.

For some Oakland record shops, like second-hand jazz spot VAMP, which also doubles as a vintage shop, Bandcamp's new space is a harbinger of something great — more foot traffic around their stores and perhaps something to draw in more vinyl enthusiasts.

Tracy Parker, who co-owns the shop, says Sexton reached out to her beforehand to give them a heads-up about the new space and an overview of what to expect.

"We're actually very excited to have [Bandcamp] in the neighborhood," Parker said. "I think that corner is going to be amazing for what they're bringing. We don't have any concerns or negativity about it."

Tom O'Shaughnessy, who opened Econojam in 2013, told SFGATE that though he was worried when he found out Bandcamp was coming to downtown Oakland, he was relieved to find they were only carrying less than 100 LPs.

"To me, it just seems like another venue for local bands to get some exposure and I don't see anything negative in that," O'Shaughnessy said. "I'm always wary of companies that large, but so far I'm not seeing any red flags."

Others feel more ambivalent.

Andrew Nosnitsky, owner of Park Blvd Records, a record shop known for its stellar and eclectic selection of hip-hop and rap tapes and vinyl, also didn't know the Bandcamp space was opening. He'd been a huge supporter of Bandcamp as a platform before, but not being included in the conversation made him feel like a the voice of record shops in Oakland had been left behind.

"It's kind of a tenuous time to be running an independent record store and there's a lot of tech stuff coming in and stepping on our toes," said Nosnitsky, who also blogged about rap for more than a decade under the name Noz. "My sense is there's not a lot of connectivity there, between people like myself who grew up working in record stores and were part of a culture of records before they became trendy and objects."

Nosnitsky acknowledged he hadn't yet been to the space, but that from photos, its sleek and curated aesthetic was off-putting. "Ninety-nine records in a record store — that's not a record store," he said. "That's what they have at Best Buy."

His frustration isn't directly fixated on Bandcamp's space, or its potential to sap up customers from smaller record shops in Oakland. Rather, it's the bougiefication of vinyl culture that worries him most. Or that an increasing number of record shop owners view records as little more than something to draw in cool and hip customers, and who are otherwise divorced from the heart of running a record shop.

"A lot of people are putting out records who have never come to a record store, and it's just crazy to me," he said. "It's like an evaporating culture even as people are like, 'vinyl is making a comeback.'"

Jacinta Kaumbulu, co-owner of Champion Sound Records, a record shop specializing in an assortment of soul, hip-hop, and dancehall 45s, told SFGATE she and her husband had been forced to close their shop two weeks ago, due to issues with the lease and climbing rent.

"It would have been nice to know [the shop was opening] especially if we hadn't closed down our store," she said. "Thank goodness we did, because they would have literally been around the corner."

Kaumbulu said she's "quite curious" to see what will come of the space, and hopes they'll be tapped into the community, as promised.

"If it's something great, I would love to help them build up their model or add to it, it just all depends on what they're doing," she added. "There is a vinyl community that has been around in Oakland for a while now."

Champion Sound Records opened up in 2015 and carried more than 30,000 records. And while Bandcamp emphasized their intention not to displace other record stores, Kaumbulu said she feels it's inevitable — but it has more to do with the general direction of the city's planning than the store itself.

"Vinyl's not really a big money maker," she said. "It can be, but it's not. If you're doing it, it's got to be for the love of music and the love of vinyl. I feel like the record shops that focus on soul, jazz, funk, reggae — black music — those record stores are kind of going to disappear," Kaumbulu said. "And the ones who focus on punk, rock will stick around."

The Oakland space will be partnering with local organizations including Oakland School for the Arts, Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, and Transgender Law Center to put on events, Kim said.

The opening party will take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 1 at 1901 Broadway Street in Oakland. The celebration will include performances from hip hop and indie outfits, Bells Atlas, Sol Development, Queen D. Light, and Jazz on the Sidewalk — an Oakland School for the Arts student band.

Read Annie Vainshtein's latest stories here. Email her at avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @annievain.