Hot Topic, and the further demise of the goth/industrial scene

[kellie]

Now many of you may have bitched about Hot Topic being a "teenage mall-goth store", but it was the only chain in existence drawing teens into this scene. Now it has changed its entire look, and stopped carrying Metropolis Records releases. No longer can you buy a cool pair of knee high boots, and a cool vinyl coat. If you want a Metropolis Records sampler cd, looks like you are out of luck. Now its only full of clothing and music that could only be categorized as "emo" or "hipster".
This is just one more loss for the goth/industrial scene in general. Club nights across the nation are shutting down. CD sales are at an all time low. The goth/industrial scene record label Dependent is also closing their doors in the next 3 months. I heard a rumor that Lip Service clothing was also in danger of bankruptcy.
Whats going to happen to the goth/industrial scene in the next 5 years? Will there even be one?

[VoldtaEngler]

I can still find (and only reason I ever go into HT) Metropolis samplers and cds in ours at the Mall of Georgia.
Although i didnt know about Dependent going out of business. Thats sad to hear. I was going to send in a demo cd to them

A few years back me and the Mrs. opened a industrial store called Paradox inside a haunted house and did pretty well. Until the financer/owner decided to think we were stealing from him which is bull, and shut it down.

I still at one point like to open another industrial/ebm store that caters only to that genre. Although i do fancy the 99th floor in Chicago. But i dont think they carry cds. Just fashion.

[DeviantMommy]

Oh no,Metropolis samplers are my life line! Sigh..

[Kidthorazine]

The hot topic here carries metropolis stuff (even though i really dont like a lot of the stuff thats on them), and, they still have a decent selection of clothing that is either goth or can be easily modified to become goth, that being said id still rather buy my clothes in thrift stores.

[Black Spiral Dancer]

Think yourselves lucky you've had Hot Topic in the first place! The only goth chain that used to exist in Newcastle was the Phaze clothing shop, which closed many years ago. I find it very difficult to find a decent pair of Skin Tight jeans for men, that aren't hipsters or "cut for a woman's body" sall we say.
Phaze didn't carry music, but most of the independent music shops here have moved away from the tradtional goth music in favour of the emo.
We don't get Metropolis samplers, so don't know how good the are.
As for the clubs, the only true goth club in Newcastle is the one run by my friends, because they were sick of the local "Goth" Club playing Ministry of Sound:Trance Nation and far too much EBM. It got so bad that I spoke up about it and became Cyber-Goth Enemy Number 1 for quite a while, earning a threat of violence from a Cyber-Goth DJ, amongst other things.
People in the scene up here know that I am very vocal in things that annoy me, so I guess I'm now infamous for things I've said in the past. (I accused the Cyber-Goths that used to be Trad-Goths of wearing far too much PINK, my view being that PINK isn't really a Goth colour and the next time we went out almost no-one was wearing pink. The only one wearing pink was a girl that is renowned for being so out of it, she probably thinks she's wearing nothing!) I guess I was just saying what other people had been thinking for years, yet I was still "The Bad Man" because I'd dared to question the Status Quo.

[Velvet-Tongue]

It'll be reborn

[Kidthorazine]

As for the clubs, the only true goth club in Newcastle is the one run by my friends, because they were sick of the local "Goth" Club playing Ministry of Sound:Trance Nation and far too much EBM. It got so bad that I spoke up about it and became Cyber-Goth Enemy Number 1 for quite a while, earning a threat of violence from a Cyber-Goth DJ, amongst other things.
People in the scene up here know that I am very vocal in things that annoy me, so I guess I'm now infamous for things I've said in the past. (I accused the Cyber-Goths that used to be Trad-Goths of wearing far too much PINK, my view being that PINK isn't really a Goth colour and the next time we went out almost no-one was wearing pink. The only one wearing pink was a girl that is renowned for being so out of it, she probably thinks she's wearing nothing!) I guess I was just saying what other people had been thinking for years, yet I was still "The Bad Man" because I'd dared to question the Status Quo.

Yeah i get crap for pretty much the same thing, I think rave music is going to kill goth long before hot topic going emo does.

[ScarlettSin]

Eurgh. I've always said that the-store-that-shall-not-be-named was a bad bad thing.

what ever happened to buying your fishnets at Fredrick's and hitting up the thrift/vintage stores for really good stuff that might need a little modifying? Kids these days are lazy... and i guess now emo. *sigh* In my day things were so much different...
gah, now i feel old.

S

[aXa]

i'll have to go check out my local hot topic to see if they have changed. ive bought the occasional item from them over the years.

[VoldtaEngler]

Eurgh. I've always said that the-store-that-shall-not-be-named was a bad bad thing.

what ever happened to buying your fishnets at Fredrick's and hitting up the thrift/vintage stores for really good stuff that might need a little modifying? Kids these days are lazy... and i guess now emo. *sigh* In my day things were so much different...
gah, now i feel old.

S

i used to go to this thrift shop that had a invite only "backroom" they called it.
In the back behind some curtains was a whole different world with candles, clothing, jewelry, cds of the goth industrial crowd. Very strange, but intriguing none the less.

[Black Spiral Dancer]

I've bought some great things from vintage stores and charity shops. I got my first tailcoat from a vintage shop for 25 quid, and it only had about 1 or 2 holes in it. One of my friends works as the seamstress for Beamish Museum (an Victorian open-air museum in the middle of County Durham) and she has brought some very nice clothing like this Victorian-style 3/4 length coat...

[inox]

The scene got along just fine before chain stores and massive retail support; some would say it was better without those things.

[Morning Glory]

DIY

it can easily be revived by a grass roots approach by simply having the people that are intrested in be the ones that continue it.

No wonder it's fading when the people that participate in it have no control over the content that is supposed to represent them. did you really think that a GAP affiliate company gave a shit about your scene? newsflash: they just want to make money. so they are going to sell whatever is popular. the reason that they started out as a gothic store was for the same reason that people liked them, there wasn't any others. but that wasn't because they had any affinity to it, it was because they saw it's growing popularity and the chance to corner the market by monopolizing it. once they brought it into the spotlight and helped pave the way for alternative to become mainstream, then they ditched it in favor of the latest flavor which will suffer the same fate next summer.

[Kidthorazine]

while i dislike hot topic greatly, why does everyone seem to think they are affiliated with GAP? They are an independently traded company and i have found nothing that substantiates such an affiliation.

[Amelia G]

Hot Topic announced today that it has shown a 16% drop in profit this quarter. They may be making adjustments to deal with decreasing profits or they may be showing decreasing profits because the community they have purported to cater to is finally noticing that it takes more than cheaper prices to truly serve us.

The Gap owns Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Forth & Towne.

A member of the Hot Topic board of directors also is a director of BeBe. Another member of the Hot Topic board is also a director of Men's Wearhouse. I am unaware of any Gap connection, but big business does tend to cross over a lot, so I guess it is possible.

To me, the most troubling component of the Hot Topic board is Andy Schuon who was previously the President of Programming of Infinity Broadcasting. During his tenure at Universal, I understand he was indirectly responsible for shutting down Blue Blood's first extremely popular web site, which some fans of the magazine had hosted before we had our own domain. He may or may not have been responsible for the demise of that site, but it is difficult to be certain. It is certain, however, that as Executive Vice President of MTV in charge of programming from 1992 to 1997, he shepherded what had been an emerging potent new media, which was impacting art and even politics, into something which ran shows featuring unexceptional young people bored in a living room.

[CherryCola]

Black Spiral Dancer i love that jacket

[Mr Karl]

Never had that store up here and gotta get metropolis cd's mailorder

[evilstonermonkey]

i dont know how big they are, if its a chain or if its just a small one off (and frankly i dont care enough to look - im happy enough with the one i can actually get to) but in the city (brisbane, for those of you playing at home) is an alternaculture store that sells wristbands, belts, kinkgear, band shirts/posters, drug paraphernalia (of course, purely for novelty and/or decorative purposes ), does tatts and piercings, advertises local bands and music festivals, that kind of thing. more punk than goth, though, but a very cool place. if youre a brisbanite and you dont know the place yet, its Off Ya Tree on the queen street mall.

also is Underworld Realm, a goth store that sells the COOLEST stuff i have ever seen in an actual store as opposed to online counterculture shops. its just off the queen street mall, again if your interested (though im fairly certain that im a lonely aussie here ) The only problem i have with that place is that their stuff is pretty expensive.

so in my area im fairly well srved. and im teaching my littlest sister the art of DIY for your stuff, and we on occasion hit the charity stores looking for interesting stuff.

[Morning Glory]

In the US, Hot Topic is a nationwide chain store that is usually in shopping malls that specializes in what may loosely be called "alternative" styled music and clothing, as well as various other pop-culture items.

I guess the verdict is still out as to whether or not they are affiliated with the GAP, another store of the same type that sells contemporary casual wear geared toward upper-middle class young professionals.

and does it really matter if they are or not? Do you really think that there is a difference between the two in a signifigant way in regards to lifestyle?

[Kidthorazine]

i dont think its that signifigant, but but theres really no evidence poiting towards them being in any way affiliated with the gap, id rather bash them for things they actually do, not senseless rumors.

[CherryCola]

theres still a strong scene up where i live its mostly independent stores here,
personaly its not often i even use them. i order from one off companys online (and they open and close like crazy) or buy band/charity stuff and customise it. music wise...i dont think i listern to much "goth" stuff anyway

never got anything from hot topic.

[Lady Alias]

Haha, this topic never dies.

Quite frankly, I don't think it would matter. Though, when I did go to look at the HT closest to here [about a month ago?], everything was green and khaki. o.0

[DeviantMommy]

I use Hot Topic to pick up cd samplers and a few accessories here and there..I really think that's all they're good for.

The clothes and shoes are very generic "goth/indie" and of a very poor quality in my opinion...it's for rich kids trying to piss off their parents

I always used the thrift store/DIY approach...I mean,in my opinion..you put safety pins in something that has a hole because it's a quick fix,you can't afford a new one right away,and you just don't give a damn what anyone thinks...I don't go out and purposely buy clothes w/ safety pins or rips in them,I think that's being a poser..your well off enough to buy really expensive clothes,but you buy the clothes that look like they've been through hell so people think your "edgey" and rebelious...your just a sheep in wolves clothing.

[Velvet-Tongue]

Only ever went to Hot Topic to get a bettie page shirt and to pick up a Dj Ferret cd with Lady Alias.

It has its niche.

[Wickedanima]

Rave kill Goth? Are you kidding?

It could be just this Rural Western North Carolina, but I literally haven't seen a Raver in years. Goth kids? Skaters? Cybergoths? Emo kids? Yes yes and yes... I was unaware that the 'Rave' scene was strong enough to kill anything anymore.

Seriously though, its not just Hot Topic. The Goth Scene has slowly faded in areas when it had been 'going strong'. I don't think that its dying so much, but it is changing... Those of us who have been around a while should be patient. With time, things will come back around. Not to say they will be exactly the same, but many of us -are- older now. I'm sure it'll look quite different as the new generations come up with their ideas of what Goth is and should be.

[Kidthorazine]

Rave kill Goth? Are you kidding?

It could be just this Rural Western North Carolina, but I literally haven't seen a Raver in years. Goth kids? Skaters? Cybergoths? Emo kids? Yes yes and yes... I was unaware that the 'Rave' scene was strong enough to kill anything anymore.
.

I was talking about EBM and Futurepop. Hell at my local "goth" night they often have DJs that play fucking Trance music.

[TheDeathKnight]

Scenes change. Music changes. Trends change.

All that stuff was really popular, so of course someone is going to try to make money off it, and open a store...

But don't think that anything lasts forever.

If you really want to be unique, you have to do it yourself.

I have nothing against being able to go grab some stuff I like at a store in the mall. If it has cool stuff that looks interesting, I'll buy it. But if it all looks the same, or everyone is wearing it, I'll probably go look somewhere else, or make it myself, or hit up the thrift stores.

I have always thought of Hot Topic as a good thing, because it introduced "normal" kids to the scene, the music, the clothes. They won't all stick with it. But if they at least explore it, they won't grow up to be totally closed-minded adults.

[Wickedanima]

I was talking about EBM and Futurepop. Hell at my local "goth" night they often have DJs that play fucking Trance music.

*laughs* That's ok. One time this club had these two rappers come in and spin and rap live for their 'Goth Night'.

I laughed till I cried.

[Kidthorazine]

my freind played Baby Got Back at goth night once, as a joke, the sad thing is that packed the dancefloor more than anything else.

[Wickedanima]

( >< ) Noo!

[Amelia G]

Put 'em on the glass!

[Lady Alias]

my freind played Baby Got Back at goth night once, as a joke, the sad thing is that packed the dancefloor more than anything else.

I don't know whether to laugh or be frightened.
I'll laugh.

[TheDeathKnight]

Put 'em on the glass!

Hahahaha!!!

[Amelia G]

Hahahaha!!!

Phew. I was starting to worry no one but Forrest was going to get my, uhm, literary allusion. I think we have a disturbing overlap in our Venn diagram of interests.

[TheDeathKnight]

Me and Forrest can share our old-school gangster rap...

[ScarlettSin]

To be honest I feel that this over commercializing of the scene will eventually be the complete downfall of the pop-goth/emo/indie/hipster hybrid thing that is the "in thing" lately. Which will be either a really bad thing deleting the "scene" entirely or a good thing driving the rest of us back underground into our sub culture. All the music will return to the tiny labels that you must purchase while you're able, not one of those labels is stable. (Paraphrasing Voltaire, not the model or the poet, the musician. Not saying that the musician is not a poet but that is neither here nor there. These ppl need surnames or something.) That is if the music will survive. anyone heard the new Apop lately? (my hunny likes it but srsly it was a bit of a shock to hear THAT when i was listening for a successor to Starsign.) I'm tempted to belive that hte Vampires on Passions and the Lifetime serise about Vamps not to mention that every sitcom on tv has a weird goth/emo/etc kid on it. Heck they make appearances in commercials nowadays.And somehow this "look" that gave us a stigma way back when that is now the popular thing has spread to the unwashed masses to the point where i refuse to talk to anyone with multiple piercings or tattoos. I spoke to one of hte many at the local Barnes and Noble today and that killed it for me. Not only did it appear that this store has ONLY hired these unwashed masses, but my god are they STUPID! Asking for a book, do they have it? Had to repeat myself 5 times so the kid could type it in. "no we don't have any. oh wait, we have one." where would i find this one copy? "i dunno on a shelf or a table some where." *shakes head* Must not reach across counter and strangle moron.


err /rant

S

(no i am NOT drink typing despite the st paddys day occasion)

[Camby Savelle]

2 things.

I just bought a pair of lip service jeans from hot topic which I love!

It's so cool how much Black Spiral Dancer resembles his avatar. lol

[Camby Savelle]

Speaking of, I just ordered these because they were at too good of price to pass up!

http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/sto...45524442141018

[DeviantMommy]

anyone heard the new Apop lately? (my hunny likes it but srsly it was a bit of a shock to hear THAT when i was listening for a successor to Starsign.)

I'm right with you on that one...what crap! They used to be one of my favorites too,I was very disappointed.

[MrGoff]

OK well hot topic is in the mall just think about that. I have never seen anything good about the mall in the 1st place. Fuck big chain stores. The scene needs to take care of it self. not big chain stores. Do you think they give a fuck about you? NO why should they. All they wont is your cash. If you're looking for Lip Service go to the web site and git it there. I don't like Hot Topic I have seen so much bad Body Jewelry come from there and it hurts the kids that use it some I had to tell to go to a doc. and have it removed. I don't like the fact the store sells piercing tools. Now kids can go and git their hands on this stuff and not only hurt them selfs but other kids as well. and it makes body piercing look bad like we did this. Hell I have seen a pierce your tongue at home kit in the mall. Nothing is sterilized in that kit. Why can't we wake up from this G.W.Bush wet dream? I can remember the good ol days going out to look for that rare red wax trax vinyl. but not any more, no more record stores. they died cause of napster.If you wont to save the scene support your local biz and local music they do care about you and what you think.