Music Millennium

Music Millennium is one of Portland's defining record stores, and Terry Currier's answers read like oral history: discovering the shop as a teenager, taking it over, fighting label policies, helping form the Coalition of Independent Record Stores, and watching vinyl help independent retail find its footing again.

Interview with Music Millennium

Music Millennium opened in 1969, you found it at 17 and called it your university, started working there in '84 and took over in '96 — and now, 57 years on, you're seeking a successor. Take me back: what made this place your life?

I did not grow up listening to the radio or records. I spent all my time practicing my clarinet and other wind instruments and hiking in the outdoors.

I got a car 4 months before I saw my first concert in August of 1972, Leon Russell and the Shelter People. This was a week after my 17th birthday. 2 weeks later I applied for a job in a record store. I got the job at DJ’s Sound City with not much knowledge of contemporary music.

A month later this girl I was going out with took me to Music Millennium. They had 1/2 the store as domestic and the other 1/2 imports. I would come there 2 to 4 nights a week after work and read album covers that we did not have and bought tons of imports. I most likely bought 200 of my 665 album collection that first year at Music Millennium. I went to all the stores in town but Music Millennium was my favorite.

Fast forward to 1984. DJ’s Sound City had sold to another company. After 5 months there I gave a two month notice. They cared about selling stereos and thought music was an add on item. I said I did not have the right inventory and they would respond “You have plenty of those.”

Then I got a call from Jack Gifford of RCA distribution. He asked if I know Don MacLeod. “That guy that use to own Music Millennium?” I asked. Don had it from 1969 to 1979 and sold it. The middle owners were going to file bankruptcy. He assumed a $500.000.00 debt and the expanded 4 stores, which had not got any new inventory for a year. I wanted the challenge to bring this place back to life. 3 years later and with just 2 locations we were out of debt

You co-founded Record Store Day in 2007 — famously out of a dust-up with Garth Brooks — right as record stores were vanishing. How did that fight turn into a movement?

In January of 1993 4 of the 6 major distributors came up with policies that stated if you sold used CDs, they were not going to support you with advertising or marketing dollars. Even though only 5% of our business was used CD, the principle of them telling me how I could operate my store hit a nerve.

I sent 125 hand typed letters to presidents and vice presidents of labels and distributors plus the trade publications of the industry at the time. They all wrote about it but Mark Cope at the Album Network and Mark Pearson at Hits Magazine ran regular articles.

In June, and none of the majors rescinding their policies, the biggest artist at the time, Garth Brooks stated he did not want his new album sold in stores that sold used CDs. Just weeks earlier he stated he had more money that he, his kids, their grand kids could ever spend but thought songwriters should be paid again if the CD was sold used.

Within minutes we yanked all his posters, T-shirts, VHS, CDs, etc off the shelf and wrote what we could up for return. I ran an ad in the paper and invited the public down to bring their Garth Brooks stuff down and we would barbecue on the grill. We sent press releases to all the local media and each one came down or called over the next week.

All TV stations came to the event, with me Bar-B-Qing say, a Garth VHS, putting it on a hoagie bun with BBQ sauce and sticking it in my mouth for a bite. It looked good on camera.

I set up a tour from Bellingham, WA by the Canadian border to San Diego down I-5. Hand typed a press release and sent to all the major national media, made tour T-shirts for the barbecue for Retail Freedom tour and had the 9 record stores on the back with tour dates. Media attention was gotten in every town, before and during. We had now taken the issue to the public and public sentiment was in our favor with lots of media coverage including full pages in Forbes magazine and people magazine.

In the end, weeks after the event, all 4 majors rescinded their policies. Out of that I came up with an idea to create a group of stores in non-competitive cities that could share ideas and work on projects together. In May of 1995, that became a reality in the Coalition of Independent Record Stores.

Out of that 2 other coalitions formed and in 2008, the 3 launch Record Store Day. April 2008 was ground zero for the renaissance of vinyl and it has kept growing ever since. This was at the lowest point of record retail. Vinyl saved the independent retailers. Yes, Garth was instrumental in this…thanks.

You've hosted four to five thousand in-store performances and coined "Keep Portland Weird" — how did Music Millennium become the beating heart of Portland's music scene?

Don MacLeod and I were talking for a few minutes about what we should do for the 20th Anniversary of Music Millennium. I said “Why don’t we do 20 straight days of live music.” He responded “Where?” I pointed to the mezzanine.

I went about reaching out to artists in the community. We looked into renting a sound system and decided to buy one as you never know when we might be able to get some national artist in. We did 40 straight days of live music and since have done about 5000 live performances in the store.

Across 57 years, what's the single greatest record or collection that's ever come across the counter?

We get cool collections all the time. They are all curated by individuals who love music. Once in a while you get a collection that is peppered with collectible records. Good clean, in good condition records and covers are the best to see come through the door.

Special collections come in where an individual has collected a certain artist or genre and was a completist. We have seen cool collections of the Portland punk scene from the 80s with most of those records being super rare because they did not sell that many.

Music Millennium sees more collections walk in than almost any shop in the region — after all these years, how do you personally size one up?

Being around for 57 years, we see a lot of customers come back to purge their collection, downsize as they move into a smaller place for retirement, etc. Being the oldest still operating store in town, we do see a fair amount of collections.

What do people most often think is valuable that isn't — and what's quietly worth far more than sellers expect?

Elvis Presley and the Beatles….a lot of people think everything is worth more because they were the big artists in their day. Some things are highly collectible, some not much at all. Condition is important, even on collectables.

You've sold records, CDs, 8-tracks and cassettes for decades — are there formats or genres you still get excited to see come in, 45s and 78s included?

Love thumbing through a great vinyl collection but a good cassette, 8-track, VHS or laserdisc collection can be super fun. I in particular love pre-recorded reel to reel tapes, which I still sold in my first years in a record store. And seeing a rare 4-track tape is fun.

For someone about to sell a lifetime collection — or take over a shop like this — what's the one thing you wish they understood first?

The quest is to find someone that is passionate about music, has some business sense and common sense and wants to be involved in the community. The community supports us and we in return need to support it. Anything that involves music in particular, I tried to get involved with such as NXNW, Musicfest NW, the Mayor’s Ball, Cascade Blues Association, PDX Jazz, Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

FAQ

Why is Music Millennium important to record-store history?

Terry connects the store to independent retail organizing, the Coalition of Independent Record Stores, and the early story of Record Store Day.

Does Music Millennium buy collections?

Yes. Terry says the store sees many customers come back to purge, downsize, or sell collections.

What condition matters when selling records?

Good, clean records with covers in good condition are the best to see come through the door.

Last updated: 2026-08-21

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