NARM, Rock Hall of Fame Celebrate the ‘Definitive 200’ at J&R

At J&R Music and Computer World in Manhattan, recording and retail executives revealed the “Definitive 200” albums.

March 2007 By Nancy Klosek

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No, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM, for short) isn’t telling consumers to buy another copy of The Beatles’ “White Album” again, in yet another new format.

But they are telling them their music collections aren’t complete without at least one.

Their forum for this message was the high-profile, World Trade Center-area-based New York City CD retailer J&R Music and Computer World, where recording artist Chuck D of Public Enemy, NARM president Jim Donio, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame president Joel Peresman, together with J&R CEO Rachelle Friedman, yesterday unveiled the “Definitive 200” – a list of 200 “must-have” classic albums and soundtracks selected by NARM member music retailers across the country. Genres represented included pop, country, R&B, rock, rap, punk, jazz, soul and reggae. Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” issued in 1988, holds the rank of #156.

“This list gives the industry a chance to highlight all-time favorite albums,” said Donio. “Albums are still relevant in this growing age of downloads. There’s a strong appetite for owning physical music -- and stores like J&R are not going anywhere. Lists like this stir up healthy debate, and underscore how important music is to people.”

“The important thing about the list,” said Peresman, “is that it gets people talking and into stores to rediscover and buy albums.”

Friedman, who is also a NARM board member, added, “Music retailers are uniquely situated to pick these, because they are firsthand observers of what sells.”

Eight national retailers, including Best Buy and Circuit City, are participating in the program in at least some locations, as are numerous regionals and four major online retailers, such as Amazon.com. At J&R, the 200 titles were racked in order of appearance on the list for browsers’ convenience, and promotionally priced.

The list’s announcement dovetailed with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2007 induction ceremony, which took place Monday night in New York. A complete list of albums and participating retailers may be found on www.definitive200.com. For the record, The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1967) ranked #1, while “The White Album” ranked #39.