Music Millennium
Encyclopedia
Music Millennium is an independent
record store located in Portland, Oregon
. Its founding in 1969
has led it to claim it is the oldest continually-existing record store in the Pacific Northwest
. It is considered a Portland icon and a "national leader in the music-selling industry".
The store at one time had three locations: the original eastside location (opened on March 15, 1969), a store in Northwest Portland
, and a classical music-only store located next door to the main eastside location. The northwest location, which closed in fall 2007, was known for being a pioneer in in-store performances, which started in 1989 as part of the business's 20th anniversary celebration and were so popular that they were made a regular feature. Among the many musicians the store hosted were Randy Newman
in March 1989
, as well as Richard Thompson, Brandi Carlile
, Everclear
(in 1997
), The Shins
, Elliott Smith
(in September 1998
), and Weezer
. Notably, the northwest location saw a slew of in-store performances under the management of Fred Seegmuller, who had spent many years cultivating connections within the local music scene.
It hosts an annual Customer Appreciation BBQ, in recent years typically attended by around 1500 customers, with food, live music, and prizes determined by the "Giant Wheel of Wonder."
Music Millennium is a member of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS).
Independent business
In business, an independent business as a term of distinction generally refers to privately owned companies . Independent businesses most commonly take the form of sole-proprietorships...
record store located in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Its founding in 1969
1969 in music
-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
has led it to claim it is the oldest continually-existing record store in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. It is considered a Portland icon and a "national leader in the music-selling industry".
The store at one time had three locations: the original eastside location (opened on March 15, 1969), a store in Northwest Portland
Northwest District, Portland, Oregon
The Northwest District is a densely populated retail and residential neighborhood in the Northwest section of Portland, Oregon. Craftsman- and Old Portland-style houses are packed tightly together with grand old apartment buildings and sleek new condominiums, within walking distance of...
, and a classical music-only store located next door to the main eastside location. The northwest location, which closed in fall 2007, was known for being a pioneer in in-store performances, which started in 1989 as part of the business's 20th anniversary celebration and were so popular that they were made a regular feature. Among the many musicians the store hosted were Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
in March 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
, as well as Richard Thompson, Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is an American singer and songwriter.-Early life:At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother. She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen. At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis...
, Everclear
Everclear (band)
Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis , Craig Montoya , and Greg Eklund . Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994...
(in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
), The Shins
The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
, Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
(in September 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
), and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
. Notably, the northwest location saw a slew of in-store performances under the management of Fred Seegmuller, who had spent many years cultivating connections within the local music scene.
It hosts an annual Customer Appreciation BBQ, in recent years typically attended by around 1500 customers, with food, live music, and prizes determined by the "Giant Wheel of Wonder."
Music Millennium is a member of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS).
External links
- Official website, including a list of scheduled in-store performances
- Store profile (in PDF formatPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
) from the CIMS website - 1999 Interview with owner Terry Currier from Willamette WeekWillamette WeekWillamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....