Reinforcing a sense of community

The music store Amoeba is thriving in LA.

2/5/07, ABC News: Eschewing MP3s for a Modern Music Bazaar: "As owner Marc Weinstein explains, Amoeba's collection is so broad that just about anyone can go there to sell CDs, which drives its reputation as the central music trading post in Los Angeles.

Many of us also go there in search of something new. The store even maintains several unprofitable departments -- like posters and seven-inch records -- simply because no one else does.

Because the music is housed under one very high roof, Amoeba acts like a magnet for die-hard music fans or even casual listeners who want some exposure to coolness.

'There's a huge social event built in. It's the distillation of all the music-loving people around town all in one place shopping for music,' Weinstein said. 'What person from L.A. wouldn't be proud to look out and see all the way-into-music wackos out on the floor of that store?'

'It's like you're in New York,' he said.

What draws people to the store is a kind of network effect. That is, the more people use a certain service, the more useful that service becomes to others. Being around other Amoeba shoppers is desirable on its own."

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