Cool Jobs: Dead Media Records

Biking down 25th Street in the Seward neighborhood, a person wouldn’t think twice passing the ‘Dead Media’ sign painted onto an unassuming building.
On the inside is a store loaded with a collection of ‘zines (locally produced DIY publications, typically with a focus on art), vinyl records, tapes, books and even VHS, which makes it seems obvious where the name came from.
“It’s a record and tape store that’s mainly run for the benefit of the local arts community and the independent arts community in general,” said Theo Pupillo, a first-year transfer student who loves volunteering at Dead Media.
“No one turns a profit from the store, it’s all volunteer-based and organized. The staff is people who want to be there, people who want to talk about music. They want to show you what they’re listening to.”
The store was just started in 2014 and they regularly put on concerts and other events that support local and touring acts. Some of these events have included poetry readings, meditative performances, spoken-word, noise performances and even DJs.
While most record stores buy their items on consignment, which involves a lot of hassle and red tape, Dead Media buys all of their stuff wholesale and directly from the artist.
Dead Media is located at 3330 E. 25th St. here in Minneapolis and they’re open Monday 1-5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 12-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m-8 p.m.
Events and additional info can be found on their Facebook page at Facebook.com/DeadMediaRecords