LANSING - Though Ani DiFranco will perform at MSU’s largest on-campus venue next week, she wasn’t always so famous.
Ten years ago, she toured the country in her own car, selling her self-produced album as she went.
Independent stores, not corporate chains, helped DiFranco get out her music - and its messages.
Lansing’s Goldenrod Distribution, 1310 Turner St., was one of these stores. It became the first distribution warehouse to carry future stars DiFranco and Shawn Colvin on its shelves.
“Our claim to fame is definitely Ani,” Goldenrod sales representative Erica Werpetinski said. “We carried her CDs when she was just selling them out of her car.”
Today, Goldenrod not only carries a large and diverse selection of women’s music, but also Native American, Celtic, folk, gay men’s, blues and jazz, new age, world, children’s and dance. The distribution also carries local artists, such as Half Looking and Second Opinion, two Goldenrod favorites.
“So much variety will be lost with big stores like Borders and Tower,” said Goldenrod owner Terry Grant. “Think of how many people might have never heard of Ani if it weren’t for small, independent stores.”
Goldenrod was a part of the women’s music movement from the beginning, taking part in the second annual Michigan Women’s Music Festival in 1976.
Grant grew up listening to Joni Mitchell and Meg Christian, and playing the violin, guitar and banjo. While music was always important to her, she never imagined it would lead to the creation of Goldenrod.
“I had no idea that this was going to become a business. I always thought of it as a hobby,” Grant said.
But Grant’s hobby went on to make women’s music more accessible.
Both the music festival and Goldenrod bloomed, celebrating a quarter-century of music this year.
“When the women’s music movement began, few people took it seriously. I guess a lot of people didn’t think we were a threat to the industry,” Grant said.
Still, Goldenrod played a key role in bringing female artists out from underneath the rug.
Goldenrod distributes albums of lesser-known artists to large chains, including HMV, Tower Records-Video-Books, WhereHouse Records and Borders, as well as many other independent businesses. The distributor also caters to individuals.
“You either have to be a giant in this industry or you have to have a niche,” Grant said. “We have a niche.”
Goldenrod continues to fill that niche through new venues, such as its Web site, www.goldenrod.com. Site visitors can search for artists and albums, browse the Goldenrod catalog, view staff picks and buy records at wholesale.
The business also participates in community and campus events, such as Michigan Pride and the Circe Women and the Arts Fall Festival.
Werpetinski, an MSU alumna, wouldn’t be anywhere else.
“The ad in the paper said, ‘Must have a love of music and be comfortable with working somewhere that has progressive politics,’” she said. “That’s me in a nutshell. It was describing my dream job.”
