Terry Currier is the owner of Music Millennium record store in Portland, OR.
HISTORIC MOMENTS IN CAREER.
- Pioneered live music in a Record Store. In 1989, while deciding what to do for Music Millennium’s 20th Anniversary, he turned to his then partner, Don MacLeod and stated “Let’s have 20 straight days of live music in the store,” After looking at renting a system, they decided to buy a system and put a permanent stage in the store. Since then Music Millennium has hosted over 4000 live performances including Soundgarden, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper with the only ever instore performances of Randy Newman, Joe Strummer and Keith Emerson.
- Currier and Music Millennium dubbed “modern day folk heroes” for their role in the brilliantly effective crusade against used CD policies. Discontent with policies instituted by 4 of the 6 major distribution companies, Terry fought to overturn the policies. After Garth Brooks announced his new album would not be available in stores that sold used product, Currier immediately responded with a “West Coast Bar-B-Q For Retail Freedom” tour – actually roasting Brooks CDs, VHS, Posters and cassettes to dramatize the retailer’ plight. The tour started in Bellingham, WA and hit 9 stores between there and San Diego, CA. The protest captured the attention of TNN, CNN, Forbes and People magazine, and resulted in a repeal of the restrictive polices.
- In the aftermath of the Bar-B-Q For Retail Freedom, Terry realized the common concerns and interests in the 9 stores on the tour as well as stores that reached out about the issue from around the country. He presented a proposal to Mark Cope, Retail Editor of Album Network and arranged for a meeting at the NARM convention in Florida. The idea was to create a group of retailers who could work records together and make a difference as well as act as a support team. This germinated into a meeting in San Francisco at the NAIRD convention in May 1995, with 25 retailers from across the country meeting in a room for a day to see if they could find commonality to work together. CIMS was born.
- After a several year germination of an idea to support local unique businesses and talking multiple times to John Kunz of Waterloo Records about a new slogan in his city, “Keep Austin Weird”, Currier created “Keep Portland Weird.’ at the suggestion of Kunz. It has organically become the city of Portland’s motto and most used phase.
