A popular music store on M G Road is opening a larger space right next to its original location, which it has occupied for over 40 years.
Ram’s Musique, in the Public Utility Building, takes you back in time, with shelves stacked with thousands of vinyl records in sepia-toned sleeves. The new store, named Rams Musique Experience, aims to generate interest in vinyl records and highlight their relevance in current music culture. It is set to open its doors on June 15.
Ramachandran, fondly known by his peers and customers as ‘Music Ram’, is launching the establishment with his son Sangeeth Ram. “We wanted to create a space for vinyl record lovers and hobbyists, to come and experience the music and equipment before making a purchase,”
says Sangeeth.
The new space will include a listening room, a performance space and multiple turntables. They will be available to use free of charge. One can also get their records cleaned at the cleaning station for a fee. They hope to use the interactive space for small-scale performances, album launches, and brand collaborations.
Avial, the popular Kerala-based folk-rock band, will be the first to perform at the store at the inauguration on Saturday.
Pique in interest
Bengaluru is in dire need of a space for all new-age analog music enthusiasts, believes the father-son duo. “During Covid-19, people’s interest in vinyl music peaked. Before, it was a small discerning group
— mainly NRIs — who would come looking for my store. But the pandemic renewed people’s love for it. The business has seen a boom,” Ram tells Metrolife.
Ram’s Musique sells about 150-200 vinyl records per week, and a majority of their customers are aged 25-35. Lately, the store has also been seeing younger buyers.
“Recently a seven-year-old, accompanied by his parents, came looking for very specific records. It was all western music. Many inherit their parents’ and grandparents’ collections and get hooked to them,” shares Ram. They now stock albums by new-age pop artistes to appease the Gen Z crowd. “The younger lot come looking for current artistes like Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar. Taylor Swift is the most popular. Her fans buy her albums even if they don’t have a record player. To them it’s memorabilia,” adds Sangeeth.
Ram’s Musique has a collection of over 6,000 records, both pre-owned and new. The store specialises in Indian classical music, but also has a wide range of western classical music, jazz, rock, and country, among other genres.
The new store will house exclusive records in varied genres, in addition to turntables, amplifiers, preamplifiers, and speakers. These will be available for sale.
A bit of history…
Kannur native Ramachandran moved to Bengaluru in the ’70s with the dream of joining the Indian Air Force. However, the plan never took off. It was a few years later that he would go on to start a store selling music cassettes. “I started with just one showcase in a store near the Blue Moon Theatre on M G Road, because many music enthusiasts would frequent this area. When that became successful, I slowly expanded and finally opened the store in the Public Utility Building in 1983,” he says.