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The Store is closing!
At the end of April, the Music Syndicate "Where the Music Matters" will cease retail operations after nearly 15 years. The lease
on the space it's occupied all that time is expiring, and the new building owner is not interested in renewing a rental agreement.
Mike's multiple sclerosis has also flared up, so he's not interested in relocating. Mike will continue to write his music columns,
which will continue to be posted. Thanks for all the years, of support!
The Music Syndicate - A Brief History
The story of the Music Syndicate can be simplified to the story of one man who let his hobby take over his life. That man is Mike Mahlum. He's always enjoyed rock music and popular music since he was a kid. In college so many years ago he wrote a few record reviews for the college newspaper, but that wasn't the important part of college to him. It was the record collections other students had. Mike would listen, expose himself to new things, and put it all in perspective. Along the way, he realized that as he read up on music, all sorts of otherwise useless trivia was sticking to his brain.
A decade later he decided to pitch new columns to several North Dakota daily newspapers. Early on, noting the rather stodgy and older clientele of these papers, he decided that he wanted to make the columns interesting enough so that even people who didn't know anything whatsoever about new music would read the columns and learn something. At the same time, he wanted to provide some critical perspective to the more knowledgeable rock fans.
All along, he's steadfastly resisted rating the records, either numerically or though the awarding of stars. Many of these columns can be accessed through this web site. The columns provided Mike with some modest remuneration and put him on some record company's mailing lists. More importantly, he started to look at his own record collection in living, vibrant terms and started to seek out collections baby boomers were disposing of. He ended up buying whole collections of several hundred albums, many of which he already had. That led Mike to start selling off duplicates by mail order or at flea markets and record shows.
After a year of planning, the Music Syndicate Inc., the shop we've all come to know and love, opened in July of 1988. Early on a slogan was coined: "Where the Music Matters." That, in a nutshell, describes the shop.
Everybody who's ever worked there has been asked about pop music they remember from childhood. Mike figures if you're able to tap into the emotions in your own deep-seated memories, you'll understand why someone is looking so hard for some other musical memory.
The "Inc." is an S Corporation with a limited number of stockholders. Besides Mike, who owns almost all the stock, he has two old friends who also invested. "The most gratifying as well as the most frightening aspect of starting the shop was that I had people basically investing in my dream," Mike says.
After the shop opened in 1988. Mike worked there full-time for three years, before he followed an opportunity to resume his career with the state's energy conservation programs. Each Saturday, though, you 'll see Mike down at the shop. "The kids let me hang out then because that's when I figure out the payroll," Mike says.
His life has certainly become complicated over the years. He and his lovely wife, Rebecca, have three kids now, and with swimming lessons, soccer, trips to McDonald's, and piano lessons - well, life is an adventure.
This website will extend the Music Syndicate's presence out into cyberspace. Check in often. Additions and updates will be made frequently. We're looking at including a broad range of links, fast-breaking music news, and additional commentary! Please send us any comments, suggestions or your favorite musical memories.
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