When it comes to vinyl records, Brad Johnson has found his groove

It was sometime around the late 1980s that the music world sublimely declared vinyl records were obsolete, having been overrun by the compact disc — a technology that in recent years has been displaced by downloaded music.

Brad Johnson is here to say that vinyl not only alive, but that music lovers still have a place in their hearts and their collections for what many have called a purer form of listening to anything from rock and country to jazz and R&B. There are an estimated 1,500 independent record stores in the U.S. today. Research firm IBIS World estimates about one-fifth of all surviving stores are located in the Southeast.

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There is no doubt vinyl has been making a comeback in recent years with more and more artists releasing albums on the format in response to the demand. It may not be a tidal wave, but the pressed record isn’t quite on its death bed.

For Johnson, 47, of Columbus, opening River City Records at 6600 Flat Rock Road in Columbus was simply an extension of his longtime passion for music in general and vinyl specifically. But don’t ask him to pick a favorite performer, group or band.

“I really like the Beatles a lot, but I can’t say that I have a favorite. That’s like asking me to say which one of my kids is my favorite,” he said recently at his store, which includes a listening area and sofa, with free water and coffee handy for those wishing to stay a bit and listen to a few tunes before making a purchase. He also sells stereo and phonograph equipment — aka record players — to those needing them.

During the visit with the Mississippi native, who just happened to play in a Beatles tribute band a few years back, the Ledger-Enquirer asked him about his job and his love for music and what he’s bringing to music fans in the area.

Q. Why did you decide to pursue this type of business?

A. I wanted to share my love and interest in music, and specifically the vinyl format. Coming to Columbus gave me the opportunity, because I realized Columbus was not being served with a record store, and felt like a town this size and as artistically inclined as the people of Columbus seem to be, that there seems to be a good music scene and lots of live music. I felt like there would be a lot of like-minded people here that would be interested in music, and I feel like vinyl records are the most natural way to listen to recorded music. It just has a more pleasing sound.

Q. I understand that vinyl is making a resurgence?

A. Right. The pressing plants can’t keep up with the demand right now. There’s not enough pressing plants. Vinyl was on the decline in the late ’80s and ’90s. The resurgence, I saw it coming back in the mid-2000s. But you’re right, in the last five years it has been going up and up, and hopefully that trend will continue. As a matter of fact, one of my customers in here the other day was a 7-year-old boy and he bought a Kiss album. The look of joy that was on that child’s face was great.

Q. What did you do before records?

A. I was a purchasing manager for different companies, meaning I purchased commodities to use in the production of various goods. I’ve purchased steel. I’ve purchased electronic parts. I’ve purchased adhesives, paint, fasteners. You name it and I’ve probably purchased it at one point or another.

Q. But music has stuck with you through the years?

A. It’s always been a passion of mine. I was in a Beatles tribute band in Mississippi called Rubber Soul. I played the John Lennon part and did that for about 10 years and really enjoyed that. I’ve always really liked music and got heavily into vinyl and vintage stereo equipment in the late ’80s, and it’s just stuck with me all this time.

Q. Where do you get your merchandise, some from your own collection?

A. I’ve got a few of my records in here, but once I get one that I love it’s hard for me to turn it loose. I get an attachment to it. I’m sure other vinyl lovers can understand that. I do have some new releases in that display case over there. … But I do want to buy vinyl that people don’t have the need for. There are collectors like me that prefer the original pressings, and then there are some that don’t want any flaws in it at all. They want something that’s newly pressed and sealed, and I have that as well.

Q. Do you buy product online?

A. No, I’ll be scouring the ads and making contacts and going to estate sales. Garage sales used to be a good resource for this. But that’s not been the case for the last 10 or 15 years.

Q. You’ll buy from individuals walking through the doors?

A. Sure, but sometimes they get a little confused. I’ve had some people come by and just have hugely inflated prices. They think their stuff is worth hundreds of dollars. I hate to be the bearer of bad news to them, but I want to be honest with people … I do offer vinyl cleaning. I offer vinyl de-warping, like if you’ve gotten a really valuable album that’s gotten hot and warped. I’ve got a machine on order that can do it. It depends on the situation. If it’s really bad, I don’t think this machine can take (the warp) out. I’m going to experiment a little bit.

Q. I’ve got a few of the old Elvis Presley records tucked away at home. Are they worth anything?

A. The value of his stuff has really dropped dramatically over the last 10 years. I don’t know the reason for it. Maybe that generation is no longer collecting like they were. But it’s disappointing that some of the artists that were just hugely popular in their day, like Glen Campbell sold millions of records, but nobody seems to be interested in him anymore.

Q. Why did you choose this area rather than downtown?

A. There seems to be a lot of people moving out to this area … I thought about (downtown) really hard and I really feel like this is not an impulse-buy type of store, unlike a lot of things downtown, like yogurt stores and restaurants … Down there, you’re walking down the street and you see an ice cream store and you’re like, ‘oh, that would be good. Let’s stop in here for a cone.’ I do it all the time. But with a niche market like this, you’re not going to have somebody walking down the street who’s not already a collector and say, ‘hey, there’s a record store, I think I’m going to go invest a couple of hundred dollars in equipment so I can play a 40-year-old obsolete format.’ So the foot traffic thing I don’t think is a benefit in this type of business.

Q. I see you have some interesting posters on the walls?

A. Yeah. Here’s the Beatles “Yesterday and Today” album. I don’t know if you know the story behind that. Capitol Records put out this album in ’66 and that picture is pretty shocking to say the least (bloody dismembered baby dolls). It’s just not the Beatles image. There was an Australian photographer … he was trying different things and being silly. For some reason, Capitol Records thought it would be a good idea to put that out as a cover and the response was so negative immediately that they recalled them. And they were so cheap that they didn’t destroy the old jackets. They just pasted this (more normal) cover over it.

Q. Finally, is Columbus a rock ’n’ roll town or a country town or something else?

A. I think it’s a music town. I don’t think it can be pigeonholed into one genre. I think people here like a big variety, and that’s a good thing. I’m the same way. I’ll listen to anything from country to jazz and rock. My tastes kind of tend toward the ’60s more. But I just like any music. There’s only two kinds of music to me: Good music and bad music. I stole that from Ray Charles. (laughs)

This story was originally published May 5, 2017 at 11:59 PM with the headline "When it comes to vinyl records, Brad Johnson has found his groove."