Music Millennium

Last updated

Music Millennium
Industry Retail
Founded1969 (1969)
FoundersDon McLeod, Laureen McLeod, Dan Lissy and Patty Lissy
Headquarters Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Key people
Terry Currier (current owner)
Website www.musicmillennium.com

Music Millennium is an independent record store located in Portland, Oregon. It was opened by Don McLeod, his wife Laureen, and Dan and Patty Lissy in 1969. [1] It is currently the largest and oldest record store in the Pacific Northwest. [2]

Contents

History

Neon sign and marquee at the chain's former main store (1977-2007), in Northwest Portland Marquee at Music Millennium, Northwest Portland store, Feb 2007.jpg
Neon sign and marquee at the chain's former main store (1977–2007), in Northwest Portland

At one time, Music Millennium had three stores: one at the original eastside location, which opened on March 15, 1969, [3] a store in northwest Portland's Northwest District, and a classical music store located next door to the main eastside location called Classical Millennium that opened in 1977. [4] Terry Currier acquired the business in 1996 from McLeod's estate following Don McLeod's death. [1]

The northwest location was a pioneer in in-store performances, which started in 1989 as part of the business's 20th anniversary celebration. [3] Currier later coined the term "Keep Portland Weird", which has become a rally slogan for the city and its culture. He is currently considered "The Father of Portland's Weird Movement". [5]

The northwest location closed in September 2007. [6] In 2009, Music Millennium was ranked ninth in Spin magazine's list of the fifteen best independent record stores in the country. [7] A year later, The Oregonian described Music Millennium as an iconic Portland business and a "national leader in the music-selling industry". [3]

Feud with Garth Brooks

During a 1993 feud with Garth Brooks, Currier barbecued the country star's album In Pieces after removing Music Millennium's entire collection of his other CDs, cassettes, and LPs. Dubbed "The Barbecue for Retail Freedom", the event was staged to protest Brooks's stance against used record stores selling his music. [3] As of 2017, Music Millennium was still refusing to stock Brooks's albums. [8] The store continues to host an annual "Customer Appreciation BBQ" every August and the feud helped inspire the foundation of Record Store Day in 2007. [9]

Millennium Enterprises, Inc. v. Millennium Music, L.P

In a lawsuit dismissed in 1999, Music Millennium filed a trademark claim against Millennium Music in Charleston, South Carolina, asking them to change the name of their business. Millennium Music operated two stores in South Carolina and Terry Currier believed it caused too much confusion and was concerned about "unwanted competition". [10] [11] [12] [13] The court held that simply having an interactive website was not enough to have personal jurisdiction. [14]

Reception

The business won in the Best Record Store category of Willamette Week 's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2025. [15]

References

  1. 1 2 Vondersmith, Jason (March 13, 2019). "Music Millennium Marks a Half-Century". Portland Tribune . Retrieved June 28, 2023.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ Haskins, Devon (March 15, 2019). "'It's been a real roller coaster ride for us': Music Millennium celebrates 50 years". KGW. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Carlin, Peter Ames (December 24, 2010). "Terry Currier and Music Millennium: The growth, and near-death, of a Portland icon". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  4. ↑ Stabler, David (July 30, 2012). "Classical Millennium, Portland's classical CD mecca, shrinks inventory, cuts staff". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  5. ↑ Peterson, Danny (May 16, 2001). "Father of Portland's Weird Movement Says..." KOIN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  6. ↑ Richmond, Paige (September 2, 2007). "'The death of a friend': Music Millennium NW's Last Night". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ Everdell, Abigail; Aaron, Charles (April 17, 2009). "America's Best Indie Record Stores". Spin . Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ Singer, Matthew (April 20, 2017). "How a Portland Record Store's Feud With Garth Brooks Helped Create Record Store Day". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Elijah Holley, Santi (March 14, 2019). "Music Millennium Celebrates 50 Years of Hawking Records, Hosting Shows, and Charbroiling Garth Brooks CDs". Portland Mercury . Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Vol. 40, No. 4, SUMMER 2000 of Jurimetrics on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  11. ↑ Yokoyama, Dennis (June 1, 2005). "You Can't Always Use the Zippo Code: The Fallacy of a Uniform Theory of Internet Personal Jurisdiction". DePaul Law Review. 54 (4): 1147. ISSN   0011-7188.
  12. ↑ "Millennium Enterprises v. Millennium Music, LP, 33 F. Supp. 2d 907 (D. Or. 1999)". Justia Law. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  13. ↑ Binole, Gina (February 8, 1999). "E-commerce precedent set by court". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Internet Contacts Insufficient to Confer Personal Jurisdiction". Findlaw . Thomson Reuters. March 26, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ "2025 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Goods and Services". Willamette Week. July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.