Last month, I asked several musicians this question: What thoughts enter your mind when you see a release of yours in the used bins? Their responses surprised me: I expected torrents of bitter invective toward ignorant listeners who just couldn’t understand their profound creativity. Instead of seething anger and profanity, though, the majority projected humility and self-effacement (a lot of self-effacement), and a sense of gratitude that their handiwork still had a presence in meatspace. After the jump, read a sampling of these musicians’ thoughts about witnessing the tangible results of rejection.
Steve Peters: “Usually elated. And when I see records by friends I always have to resist the urge to buy them, even if I already have them. Tbh, it’s about the only way my stuff gets into shops. Almost never see them in the new bins. I should probably find a new hobby.”
Lori Goldston (Nirvana, Earth, Stranger Genius): "I'm not sure why but it's always a thrill."
Brian Cook (Russian Circles, SUMAC): "'Tasteless idiot.'"
Sean Byrne (BĂĽgskĂĽll): "I like it. All of the released were small runs, cool to see them available. Plus it rarely happens. Especially great if it's in a different city."
Ben London (Stag, Alcohol Funnycar): "All depends how long after it has come out. Used to bum me out to see the press copies with the scratched out barcode in the bins the same week as the release. Anything after a year, I don’t care."
Kevin Whitworth: (Love Battery, Vaporland): "When I was a kid playing air guitar on my bed I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would actually get to make records. I am delighted wherever I come across them. I actually am a little upset when I don't find one of our records in a used record bin."
Jeff McIlwain (Lusine): "I could easily console myself with: 'they've got the digital.' As opposed to back in the day, where it was a lot more cut and dry. 'They didn't want that album anymore.'"
Brian Foote (Nudge, Fontanelle): "I check to see if the $100 bill I pasted beneath each center label is still there."
Tomo Nakayama: "'I gotta make better music.'"
Randy Jones (Caro, former owner of Orac Records): "I like to see them out in the world and I wonder about the stories that got them there. It doesn't bug me that someone got rid of them. I picked up one of my own records for $3 once because my only copy at home was clapped out."
Michael Schorr (ex-Death Cab for Cutie): "I usually assume someone has just converted to digital, but when I see the first edition of The Photo Album (w/bonus CD) it tugs at the heartstrings a bit."
Craig Badynee (Asha Vida, Pas/Cal): "The few times that I've seen my records in those bins have filled with me with absolute joy. It's an affirmation that I am part of the process, a part of the grand tradition of music discovery. And as my record waits in a bin for the next adventurous set of ears, it has the honor of cozying up between Dorothy Ashby & Ash Ra Tempel or perhaps betwixt Pan American and the Pastels or Johnny Cash and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. It's truly everything I've ever dreamed of."
Jonathan James Carr (Brain Fruit, Patternmaster): "Whoa cool somebody bought my record once."
Justin Pennell (Milkplant): "Let me check to see how well it's worn."
Bruce Ditmas: "No big deal!"
Norm Chambers (Panabrite): "What is weird is when you give an album to someone and they sell it on Discogs. Ahh well I'm probably guilty too."
Jeff Kahn: “Don’t mind at all. More discouraging is finding a brand new one (same one) in a store you visited 2 years prior, ha.”
Alex Hupp (Wizdumb): "I'VE MADE IT!"
Jordan Rundle (Newaxeyes): "I'm grateful that someone bought it in the first place."
Andy Reichel (Gel-Sol): "I've only ever seen my first album in Wall of Sound years ago. It was on the wall, and fairly expensive, but that was due to the label it is on. Other than that, never seen my stuff in the wild. Probably because none of it sold."
Ben Von Wildenhaus: "An old acquaintance once told me excitedly how he found my first record at WFMU's record fair. He was blown away by the kismet of it all. I could only think that WFMU had ditched the record I just mailed them. After the feeling of rejection passed I was stoked that this guy had it and was excited to listen to it."
Robbie Martin (Fluorescent Grey): "I don't mind it as much as seeing a promo of mine for sale on Discogs; used bin is actually pretty cool in most scenarios unless it's clearance bin. I find it weird so many music reviewers sell a lot of their promos they get (not in general, I can understand doing it for cash but doing it on Discogs seems weirder because it's more obvious, artists and labels often find out, and don't send promos to those reviewers again). I almost think some of them do it as a blatant fuck you to the artist or label. I think the worst version of 'used bin' is you found like 50 sealed copies of a release of yours that never sold at a thrift store like the Salvation Army. I have heard of this happening to a couple people I know."
Jeremy Moss (Datz Cold): “Grateful that a hard copy is still in circulation!”
Larry Webber: “Good luck getting someone to pay $__ for that!”
Jeffrey Smith (Mr. Epp & the Calculations, Clearinghouse): “Depends which one; I hardly ever see any of the ones that for lots of $ in used bins, just the ones we made way too many of. Ha.”
Nathan Carson (Witch Mountain): “You’re charging how much for that?!”
David Delmar: “I once heard a CD I made playing from a truck in a parking lot, and said hello. A small batch homemade promo, he picked up somewhere like Salvation Army and was into it. Cool experience.”
Chloe Harris (Raica): “I wonder if it was too weird. Or not weird enough. What I could have and should have done better. Why didn’t they like it? Hope they didn’t sell it for reasons like needing food or something necessary to survive, and hopefully it just didn’t have staying power for them.”
Arrington De Dionyso (Malaikat Dan Singa, Old Time Relijun): "There are certain titles where I still have 500 copies or more left unsold in storage so it's a little overwhelming. 'Oh there's ANOTHER copy of that album nobody wants,' but the worst is seeing personalized/autographed albums for sale, my weird memory is such that I usually know exactly who bought that particular copy. I see that more on eBay/Discogs than actual stores though."
Kent Halvorsen (Sky Cries Mary, KJ Sawka): "The secondary market is awesome! Assume the person put the music in their computer and no longer needed the physical copy! Now someone else can theoretically have the music, too!"
Ian Scot Price (the Naturebot): "My thoughts are generally 'So who is it that broke into my car?'"
Ken Camden: "I was working the buy counter at Reckless Records [in Chicago] when my first record came out. Someone sold back a copy to me the day after the release date not knowing who I was. It didn't feel great."
Dewey Mahood (Eternal Tapestry, Plankton Wat, Spectrum Control): "I'm always stoked to come across my albums in shops, best when it's some old second hand store. My daughter called me when she saw one of my records in a used clothing store on the edge of town recently. I think we all just like having our music out there, and hopefully someone else will check it out."
Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy (Lesbian, Fungal Abyss, Shitty Person): "It always a good feeling to see it’s still making its way around, second only to finding our T-shirts at Red Light."
Celene Ramadan (Prom Queen): "I think it's cool! I've never had distribution so it's a thrill anytime I see one of my albums existing in a record store! I think it triggers the reward center in my inner-16-year-old-brain."
Veronica Dye (Rose Windows): "I'd understand that no one loves my own record more than me... but honestly I'd be sad! Initially, at least. And then I'd probably send a pic of it to my Mom to deal with my true feelings with humor, and go on with my day."
Chris Cheveyo (Rose Windows, Dræmhouse): "*puts his records back in car and leaves Easy Street*"
Reita Piecuch (Dialing In): "What’s this garbage; looks dumb."
Jason Holstrom (U.S.E, Wonderful, sunstrom sound): "Better there than in my garage."
Dave Webb (Wah Wah Exit Wound, Girth, Spacebag): "I'm just happy they aren't still in a box in my closet!"
Wanz Dover (Mazinga Phaser, Blixaboy): “Woohoo! Space rock is still circulating in the used bins!”
Tom Butcher (Codebase, Oquid): "If it’s just after the record came out I’m a little disappointed. If it’s years later i think, hey cool. Also the price matters; don’t like seeing my blood sweat and tears on sale for $0.59."
Mike Schulman (Slumberland Records owner): “If it’s at a fair price I don’t mind. I’d rather have records circulate and wind up with people who will listen to them than languish ignored in someone’s collection.”
Ben McOsker (former owner of Load Records): "Used records are the sign that all is well. I love seeing my former label’s chud in the bins."
Lamont Thomas (Obnox, Bassholes): "Heroin." [followed by two laugh-cry emojis]
Kenneth Piekarski (Slashed Tires): "'I finally made it.' Bonus is if I find it at Goodwill."
Kevin Coral (Witch Hazel): “If it’s super cheap, it’s pretty depressing tho. This may sound like a humblebrag but we’ve sold so little that I have only seen like two used copies of our albums in the wild. And same with singles. I guess those 25 people kept them!”
Joel Butler: "Have spotted my teen choir's Christmas LP hundreds of times at the thrifts. It belongs there. Fun fact: engineered by Steve Fisk, same studio/summer as early Screaming Trees in Ellensburg, WA."
Blake Lewis: "Holy shit! I made it into the used bin! I'M SOMEBODY."
AC Lewis: “It’s only happened to me once. And I bought it as I didn’t have one. Haha.”
Bill Weita (Fuzzhead): "Locally it’s no big deal. What excites me is finding my music in used bins far from home. Finding unsold consignment CDs from 20 years ago and debating whether it's worth the effort to try and take them back is kinda sad."
Andy Sells (Afrocop, Select Level): “Glad someone bought it in the first place. Nostalgia.”
Marcus Price: "Saw a copy of one of my records used for $2. Makes sense lol."
Andy Rohrmann (Sientific American, Scntfc): "I think that whoever dumped it probably has good taste but isn't as bright as the person who tried to sell it on discogs first."
Terrance Robinson: “If it’s a CD, I’m not tripping. They most likely ripped the tracks and now have no use for the disc. If it’s a cassette of mine, I’m sad but they may have bought it intending to purchase a tape deck? If it’s my vinyl that’s where it really hurts. I take that personally.”
Greg Davis: "I think it's amusing and I hope that someone else gets to enjoy my music."
Andy Zax (former record producer for Warner Bros./Rhino): "Doesn’t happen a lot, but anytime I see a reissue I’ve produced in a record store’s used bin, I think: 'you idiots aren’t charging enough.'”
Stuart Arentzen (After the Flood, Lucid): "'Oh hey look!' then usually buy it to give to someone."
Lee Cizek (Same-Sex Dictator): "Part of me is happy to see it making the rounds, part of me is nervous about it turning into one of those records I see 10 copies of in the Used Crust Punk bin at Singles Going Steady."
Eddie Medina: "Beats being under the car seat next to a petrified fry."
Jim Biggs (Black Nite Crash): "Glad someone else might get a chance to check it out... Feelings are a bit more mixed, though, when one turns up in the dollar bin."
Kurt Alterity (owner of the Alterity 101 label): "Honored. Thrilled that my ideas are circulating."
Bob Husak (the Blakes, the West): "Always funny to see them in thrifts. Likewise seeing them (not) selling for under a dollar on Discogs."
Quin Dickinson (Jetman Jet Team): "I would think, 'Well at least someone will make some money, I sure as shit haven't seen a dime from the albums I have worked on.'"
Kevin Kogin: "I usually get a bit nostalgic for the time I was recording/playing out with my old friends."
Tim Hayes (former owner of Fallout Records): "Just gives another opportunity to bludgeon some overexcited and under-experienced nut (like me) to his/her yet refined senses... then afterwards, (hopefully) realize that they too can start a friggin' band!"
Patrick Neill Gundran (Uneasy Chairs): "I felt like $4.98."
David Chandler (Solenoid): "I often try to suss out who sold it or what their other tastes are/were based on the other fresh used records nearby."
Jason McGill: "Pretty sure any commercial releases I'm on are available for a penny on Amazon."
Rik Wright: "Somebody bought it in the first place, so that’s about 5000% more than I’ll ever make off it on Spotify!"
Paul Groth (Blue Light Curtain): "'Meet me in the dollar bin/It's a band I once was in/Haven't done much better since/This is no coincidence' -Les Savy Fav."
Eric W Mast: "When I was working at Ozone Records East (many years ago), the MD of KBOO would come in from across the street with a promo from my label to sell at the store days after they were sent out. I took them off the promo list, but luckily for Portland nowadays, there's better community radio stations in operation."
Diamond Jim Davis (Master Musicians of Bukkake, Koes Barat): "Wow, you bought that?"
Sean Curley (New Weather): "If they are vinyl and cheap, I sometimes buy them back."
Adam G. Taub: "Two thoughts: 1) Sweet! I am still alive in the stream of commerce or at least in a tributary. 2) Fuck whoever was too stupid, short-sighted, or self-absorbed to hold onto a record that will be worth thousands, maybe hundreds, someday when people are smarter."
Lawrence Daniel Caswell (This Moment in Black History): "At least once on tour, we bought a stack of our CDs in a used budget bin (at Ameoba, I think). Sold them all at the show that night."
Rob Noble: "I found one of my CDs at a thrift store and that first moment I felt my ego in shock thinking 'who would actually donate my CD?!' But shortly after I remembered how I discovered music pre-internet days living in a small town; I'd hit the used record store and start digging hoping to find something that inspired me and to this day I still adore those artists. So I put the CD back on the shelf and left feeling hopeful. I hope that one day a kid might find one of my old drum & bass CDs and finds inspiration from it... or at least looks at it before it hits the landfill."
Anders Covert (Wehrwolve): "Only time I've seen it was when I sold a pile of used CDs to a record store and threw one of my own in there. I don't think they even realized I was selling them a copy of my own album."