The classic independent record store, a la High Fidelity, is on its way out. That trend has been happening for some time, of course, as more people download music, buy music online, and drift toward other forms of entertainment.

With that in mind, Yahoo! Music has a particularly poignant look at the closing of L.A.'s oldest record store, House of Records. In the story, the owner comments on the above, and offers up some numbers on his costs of doing business.

We're hoping that online music communities grow and help everyone discover new music. That's part of the big push toward social-networking-enabled sites like Lala.com, and online music stores like the iTunes Store and Yahoo! Music with their community-based reviews and custom collections such as "iTunes Essentials."

The wireless carriers haven't figured any of this out yet. The over-the-air music services are still difficult to use, even when browsing for new music. And it's certainly not the same as chatting with a knowledgeable record store owner about hard-to-find albums.

L.A. indie music retailers closing their doors [Yahoo! Music]