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Independent Music Shops Face The Music
By Mohammed Usman
THEY are often tucked away amongst the masses of popular retailers but for generations they have been the best place for unearthing the next big thing or to get your hands on that rare classic.
Devotees jostle for position and probe every last record in the hope that something entices their imagination, but it seems these encounters could soon be a thing of the past.
Independent record shops are suffering more and more at the hands of illegal downloading and rival superstore chains and online giants such as Amazon and Play. Unsurprisingly, the future looks far from rosy.
An alarming number of independent music shops in the UK have disappeared off the radar. 734 shops have become 305 over the last three years according to recent figures released by the Entertainment Retailers Association.
Kingbee Records, in Manchester, has been trading for over 20 years, selling all types of music and is one of the last remaining record shops in the North of England. But owner Les Hare is becoming increasingly worried by the lack of customers he sees in his shop and he knows where the blame lies.
He said: “People don’t realise the devastating impact illegal downloading has on a business like mine. We face enough competition from legal rivals, we could do without and it is wrong. It’s stealing.
“It has had a massive effect on my trade. I’ve lost countless customers who have actually told me that they are being sucked in by downloading.”
Mr Hare’s vinyl aficionados may not be dwindling as much but he lives in hope that a change will materialize.
“I’d like to see the government do more to curb this,” said Mr Hare. “No one is going to want to pay a single penny for any music if it is available for free. Something has to be done about this soon,” he said
Music artists have long since complained about the financial loss they suffer from illegal downloads but for some the idea of a world without independent shops unthinkable.
Lead singer of The Smiths tribute band, The Smiths Indeed, Jurgen Wendelen said: “It's such a sad state of affairs. I grew up on those places.
“It saddens me that the next generation will and have missed out on the experience but I also believe illegal downloading is wrong. It not only hurts the artists but the music industry as a whole.”
Given all huge threats facing the independents you would forgive Vinyl Exchange co-owner, Richard Farnell, for having a dire outlook but that is not quite the case.
He said: “As long as record shops offer exciting music with a wide range of choice then I see no reason for the future to be bleak. Obviously MP3s, Itunes, Spotify and downloading have all had a huge impact on the way we listen to and purchase music.
“But that doesn't have to mean that other formats will simply disappear - except perhaps for CD which have always seemed a bit disposable and are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time.”
Mr Farnell, who’s shop is based in Manchester, believes the evolution of technology is more to blame rather than illegal downloading but thinks a change in how we consume music would be beneficial.
“It would be a good thing if people were encouraged to listen to music in various ways and not made to choose one format over another” said Mr Farnell.
“At home I play vinyl, in the car I play CDs and whilst walking around I use the I-pod and I still think this is the case for most serious music fans.”
But it seems large retailers are also feeling the strain with the closure of key chains such as Zavvi and Woolworths.
Luke Bradley, customer service assistant at Asda in Oldham, feels the future looks dire for independent shops.
He said: “We have really good prices at our store and but they don’t sell like they used to because everyone downloads music. It's just the way it's moving and it is a threat to everyone not just independents.
“You are always going to have the die-hard fans that will forever fly the flag for them but whether there are enough people for the shops to sustain themselves is a different matter.”
Mr Bradley admits that he knows people who have downloaded music illegally but does not believe it is necessarily a bad thing for the music artists in question.
“There are so many good artists out there. There are too many albums and it is too expensive. Illegal downloading, in some ways, is a showcase for lesser known bands to be shown to a larger audience. They can then gain a following and people will see them live where the real money is.”
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In a bid to re-ignite the independent trend, Record Store Day was launched in 2007. Celebrated in the third week of every April it is the one day of the year when independently owned record stores join forces with artists to celebrate the joy of music. Exclusive vinyl, CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day. Additionally, fans are treated to rare performances at the venues. This year’s event was seen as a big success. Figures released from the Official Charts Company showed that sales of singles rocketed by 466% on the previous week and 96% on last year’s Record Store Day. Album sales were up 8.9% on the previous week and 11% on last year’s event. Unfortunately these days are rare for the once heralded music shops. Figures show that the independent record shops are gradually disappearing and unless changes occur their last play may be in sight. |
