IN A CD WORLD, VINYLS ARE STILL HOT

OK, so there’s no longer any question--compact discs are here to stay. A year ago, many record stores stocked just a smattering of the small shiny discs, but now they are available everywhere, and record retailers say CDs account for up to 30% of their sales.

Orange County even has a handful of stores that sell nothing but CDs.

Although that may be good news for the CD enthusiast, it presents a problem for the technologically timid. For those who haven’t trashed their turntables yet, the good old black vinyl LP has become increasingly hard to find as many record stores have become retailers of an increasing plethora of “home-entertainment software.”

“Our business is based on consumer demand and volume,” said a district manager for the Sam Goody chain who asked not to be identified. “If CDs are what people want, that’s what we’ll give them.”

That sentiment reflects the phenomenal growth of the CD market and the simultaneous decline in LP sales. CD players have proliferated at an astronomical rate since they were introduced to consumers in 1983, jumping from sales of 35,000 players the first year to 3 million by 1986, according to the Electronic Industries of America, an association of manufacturers of consumer electronics equipment based in Washington.

The story is the same with the discs. CD sales jumped from $389 million in 1985 to $930 million in 1986, and this year CDs are expected to eclipse LPs in retail sales for the first time, according to the latest figures of the Recording Industry Assn. of America.

John Kundrat, a buyer for Santa Ana-based Abbey Road record distributors, which serves several hundred record stores on the West Coast, said the CD explosion has “cut into sales of vinyl more than cassettes. One of my accounts didn’t order any LPs this week because they don’t sell any more.”

In general, most stores in major chains now devote nearly half of their floor space to video rental departments. The remainder is split between cassettes, CDs, LPs, 45s, 12-inch singles and accessories. Often only 10% of the display space is devoted to LPs.

“In each store, there is only so much space to deal with,” said Bill Austin, compact disc buyer at Tower Records in Anaheim. “As CDs take off, we have to give them more room, which means we have to take it away from somewhere else.”

The good news for vinyl junkies, however, is that they can often turn to independent record stores when they want to find anything but the latest hits. Because they must stay competitive on popular new LPs, cassettes and CDs, independent stores are finding better profits in merchandise the chains have abandoned.

Around Orange County, there is a variety of stores with different LP specialties, including imports, reggae, Beatles, oldies, classical, jazz, folk and used records.

Exceptions and specialties are noted below in this guide to Orange County record stores:

MAJOR CHAINS:

- The Wherehouse (17 stores). Employees answer the phones at this chain with “Wherehouse entertainment,” which is a good clue that records are only a small part of the sales picture. Videos, CDs, computer software and accessories often take up more floor space than records, and in some stores, classical and jazz sections are reduced to one small bin. Rock album bins are usually stocked only with hits. The exception is the Wherehouse store on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa, where the chain has centralized much of its LP business. The store’s stock of 12-inch singles also is better than most.

- Sam Goody (12 stores). Former Licorice Pizza and Musicland mall stores operate under the aegis of this chain, which started in New York. The biggest of the Orange County locations is the Costa Mesa store on Harbor Boulevard, which has the chain’s best rock and jazz sections. Stores continue to stock classical and jazz LPs but offer very limited selection. The rock-pop sections generally have little beyond the Top 40 sellers and a few such sure-fire catalogue items as the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

- Music Plus (12 stores). This chain also has gone into video and CDs in a big way, but the Santa Ana store on Bristol Street has a strong 12-inch singles department. The Fullerton store also is big on singles, both 12-inch and seven-inch. Some stores have replaced classical records with CDs. Although most categories of LPs are lumped together, Music Plus still maintains separate bins for jazz and new-age records at most stores.

- Tower Records (3 stores). Tower’s El Toro store is the chain’s largest Orange County location with 7,200 square feet. Hard-to-find imports and independent label releases are among the store’s specialties. Tower stores have extensive classical LP sections, although the trend of classical buyers who prefer CDs has prompted some cutbacks in both classical and jazz LP departments. Tower stores also have solid blues, country, ethnic and sound track sections.

INDEPENDENT STORES:

- Beggar’s Banquet (1215 S. Beach Blvd., Anaheim). Specializes in imported and independent new music releases, also stocks ‘60s albums, lots of late-’70s punk records, used 45s, picture discs and other esoterica. “A lot of kids shop here, because why should they buy something (on CD) for $17 when they don’t even know if they’ll like the album, if they can get it on LP for $6.98?” sales clerk Gary Miller said.

- Condor Records (32341 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano; 63 Calle De Industrias, San Clemente). Imports, new music, reggae and soul are the specialties at these two south county stores. Condor boasts, “We will get anything anybody wants within one day on vinyl, CD or cassette, as long as it’s still in print.”

- Discount Records (2750 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa). Also known as Top Cash Records (for the sign that trumpets “Top Cash Paid” for used records) has a good selection of ‘60s rock albums, imported new music, used classical LPs and oldies singles. Shop is also expanding its selection of used CDs.

- Eldorado Oldies (P.O. Box 374, Garden Grove, 92642-0374). This former record store has converted into a mail-order-only business built around a stockpile of thousands of singles from the ‘50s through the ‘80s, most sold at very reasonable prices. For $1, refundable with a purchase, owner Bob Backay will send his catalogue, which lists about 2,500 titles. “And with my operation, customers don’t need to leave the house,” Backay said.

- Hyde Park Corner (4840 Irvine Blvd., Irvine). This tiny store caters to the new music fan, often getting new British imports days ahead of the big chains from an overseas buyer who ships them immediately upon release. “Anything available that’s rare, we try to keep at least one in stock,” said salesman Gary McGrath. “We’re in a hard-to-find location, so we depend on people who know us and word of mouth.”

- Mr. C’s Rare Records (148 N. Glassell St., Orange). For those nostalgia buffs to whom money is no object, this is a treasure trove of vinyl LPs and 45s from the ‘50s and ‘60s, with some dating back further.

- Music Market (2701 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa). The General Motors of Orange County record stores. At 9,000 square feet, Music Market is larger than Tower Records’ biggest Orange County location. The exhaustive section of used albums has more old blues and folk titles than some chains’ entire LP inventories. It also boasts vast sections with new and used classical, jazz, country, R&B; and sound track albums. And, of course, tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of rock albums from the ‘50s to the ‘80s. “It would be ridiculous for people to dump their entire album collections,” said manager-buyer Jef Fazekas. “But there has been a noticeable increase in people selling used albums as they are switching over to CDs.”

- Peer Records (3 stores). The store across from UC Irvine is the largest in the Orange County-based mini-chain and has stores in north Irvine and Newport Beach. Store manager Patti Garriepy says that Peer strives to hire “people who still know music. We can help customers find a song they want, find the album and get it for them if we don’t have it in stock. And we’re honest enough to refer people somewhere else if we can’t get it. We don’t ‘yes’ people to death.”

- Pepperland Records (9386 Katella Ave., Anaheim). Even the name says Beatles. Owner Mike Lefebvre is the county’s Fab Four connection with hundreds of new and used domestic and imported Beatles albums, singles, cassettes and CDs. His small store also carries a big selection of non-Beatles new and used rock LPs.

- Pop Culture Records (25351 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills). It is unique in the county in that the location is headquarters for a retail record store, a distributor (Twin Line) and an independent record label (National Trust). Focus is on new music and a full line of independent domestic and imported LPs. Owner Ron Jaycocks keeps a large inventory of records by Southland bands, punk, heavy metal and speed metal groups and late ‘60s and early ‘70s hard rock bands like Deep Purple, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin and Kiss.

- Record Trading Center (433 N. Tustin Ave., Orange). One of the county’s oldest independent record stores, this 3,000-square-foot store center maintains a large supply of used LPs and imports, with good availability of collector items. “There’s a lot of stuff that will never come out on CD,” owner Ray Miller said. “I still own a turntable--as long as vinyl is being made, we’ll have it. “

- Rizzoli International Bookstore & Gallery (3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa). Located in South Coast Plaza, Rizzoli devotes one small corner of the store to classical, jazz and new-age records, tapes and CDs. The mall location carries with it higher-than-average prices.

- Sound Spectrum (1264 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach). Reggae is the key word here. Owner Jim Otto, an avid reggae fan, tries to maintain the county’s best selection of domestic and imported reggae LPs, most of which are not available on cassette or CD. The store also carries the usual assortment of hit rock and pop albums, cassettes and CDs.

LIVE ACTION: Tickets go on sale Sunday for the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers-Georgia Satellites-Del Fuegos show at the Pacific Amphitheatre on June. 6. Tickets will be available Monday for the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC concert June 20 at the Pacific. . . . Pseudo Echo will play the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on May 6.

‘We can help customers find a song they want, find the album and get it for them if we don’t have it in stock.’