The game done changed!! Physical record sales revenue officially fell below the digital music revenue back in April (2015) and it is starting to take affect on our favorite record stores. Rasputin’s Powell street location has officially shut down, due to rising rent prices and lack of sales. The other locations are still up and running, however it is sad to see such an iconic location go down. The root cause of this abrupt closure is due to the skyrocketing rent prices caused by the big tech companies moving into San Francisco and paying their employees higher wages than previously seen in SF. This has caused the renters to raise the prices because of the heightened demand and willing and able new tenants that moved in from other cities, states, and countries to work at these tech firms. This movement is also causing gentrification, which is changing the culture and demographics of the city as we knew it.
Go support your local record store by buying your records from the store. Hustling hard copies is a very important part of hip hop culture and is how some of the most respected artists to make it international out of the bay, got their start. Bay area artists still design and print CD’s to stock in Rasputin, so go buy them from the store…. The Legit Way! ~ @PlizzyPlizatt
