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Good BBC News article on closure of record shops
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:15 pm
by dublinstep
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6707255.stm
Sorry if this has already been posted today by someone else.
Good piece on the death of second hand shops around Berwick Street in London.
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:31 pm
by rob_booth
Ive really noticed the change in Berwick Street since I first shopped there back in 1998. So many record shops back then compared to now. It is a real shame but a sign of the times.
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:55 pm
by cozagada
R.I.P.

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:02 pm
by *decibella~~
awww, i feel very sad. I was always very against digital downloads until the other day.... .. .
I was desperate for an old and rare house tune from '89, i proceeded to search the vinyl stores worldwide and it was totally out of stock and when i did find it due to not having a job i cant afford to pay the heafty price for the vinyl and for the shipping...... then to my surprise it was on itunes availiable for download at 79p!
it was the 1st time i had ever used itunes (like 4 days ago!) and it made me realse how amazing and scary the digital technology is. Getting hold of a tune like that would have been muder back in the day, would of had to hunt it out, and then save up and get it imported.....but doesnt that jus add to the satisfaction of finally finding and purchasing it, handing over the cash and racing home to play it?? i think so.
its crazy.... i will always be buying vinyl and when i have cash i will eventually get that record!
But for the meantime, downloaded in 1 min for less than a quid .....
madness...
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:03 pm
by *decibella~~
nice read btw dublinstep
x x x
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:14 pm
by linedamage
cozagada wrote:R.I.P.

Fat lady aint guffed yet mate.
Totally agree with DeCiBella. Found some great stuff on the web that would have cost a fortune on wax or be hard as nails to find but I like being able to walk into a record shop and spend a few hours messing about & talking to people.
The store I work for makes its bread & butter from people coming in every week for vinyl. As nice n easy as internet shopping can be, most people I serve will always want a place to sit down/ sip tea / hear their tunes & talk shit with the staff.
Skanking about in dank record shops crate-digging is half the fun, thrill of the chase etc...
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:32 pm
by *decibella~~
yea line, agree with that too... record shoping being a DJ ritual/social thing
standard friday procedure for me, roll down to the record shop, see what new offerings are there for me, always end up buyin at least one thing (i have no self control)!
Always a pleasure to chill, catch up with the guys down there and meet new people buying the same stuff...talk about events, the secne, new artists etc.
even if i cant afford anything its nice to have a listen to bits, have a chat and bag em up for next time...
long live vinyl!!
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:52 pm
by skrewface
Just another sign of times. We develope and evolve and rae rae
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:54 pm
by thomas
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:48 am
by cogent
good read... real shame to see these shops slowly dissapearing, i remember going to them whilst in London...
Deffo a sign of the times tho... Most of the vinyl shops round Northampton way have either gone or a really struggling at the mo...
We still have sidewinder but to be honest i don't use them anymore... I do miss digging through the racks and held of using online vinyl stores but with Juno being able to get my records to me withing like 18 hours its hard not to use the service...
as for CD i still think most shops charge too much! a mate of mine is a manager at HMV and he reckons they won't even be here in 5 years time...
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:27 am
by evol g
Could it also be a change in the taste of music that people are willing to purchase on vinyl? It seems that certain "genres" are disappearing, which may be a good thing. And since people are downloading tunes now, it leaves the market WIDE open for fresh, new vinyl to be pressed and sold. People will always purchase and play vinyl, period. Much like camera film usage is fading away, it leaves a wide open field for the true artist to prosper.
Big up the vinyl lovers!
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:31 am
by displaced
fuck it's a shame... nothing better then walkin into a record shop and diggin in tha creates, finding pots of gold

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:40 am
by BaronVon
A real shame i spent so much time on that street when i lived in that London.I dont buy much music online im too impatient and hate waiting for deliveries by post.Id rather buy a cd than an mp3.I like having a product in my hand.Unfortunately ive had to stop buying vinyl but i still buy all my cd's from my local record shop.I really hope Selectadisc in Notts survives this slump its a local institution will be very sad to see it close.

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:44 am
by dj phonetic
The vinyl shopping has always been a part of my life. I really hope theyre gonna stay. Its just so much more fun to go and dig between music you dont know and discover new things.
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:59 am
by [b]racket
Well fair play to Rough Trade i say.
In the face of adversity they are gonna open the UK's biggest independent music store just off Brick Lane...
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content. ... =east.html
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:11 am
by tappy tippon
sad news, but it's the future generations i really feel sorry for, you really can't compare the experience of downloading an mp3 with actually going into a record store, having a rummage and buying something tangible which you can hold, feel, smell, look at, and keep forever.
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:21 am
by hopper
Still a fair few good shops on Berwick street, my favourite being sister ray (old selectadisc) thing is for me if I want to visit an actual good record store its one hour on the bus and I just generally buy 90% from online shops. Thing I really like about buying records from stores is I'll go into a shop with an aim of finding something, then come across something I've completely forgotten about but want all the same, which you don't get from online stores. Really hope Berwick street in particular survives! Don't get anything near the satisfaction of an mp3 as I do an actual physical product. I've pretty much stopped getting cd's as well now as it just doesn't compare with having an LP to me anymore....
Also today I got an order in from Redeye and my copy of Neverland was cracked in 2, but luckily enough for me they're sending over another one and I've got a beautiful broken LP sitting up on a shelf in my room for decoration

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:23 am
by wascal
*DeCiBella~~ wrote:yea line, agree with that too... record shoping being a DJ ritual/social thing
standard friday procedure for me, roll down to the record shop, see what new offerings are there for me, always end up buyin at least one thing (i have no self control)!
Always a pleasure to chill, catch up with the guys down there and meet new people buying the same stuff...talk about events, the secne, new artists etc.
even if i cant afford anything its nice to have a listen to bits, have a chat and bag em up for next time...
long live vinyl!!
I agree, 10 years back when I was just gettin into DJing etc then friday afternoon record shopping was like an old wives meet. All the local residents picking up tunes, comparing notes and generally chewing the fat.
If that disappears and is replaced by forums it will be a very sad day. We'll have to set up some kind of vinyl buyers club like the WI
Thank god theres still Rooted Records in Bristol. Every time I buy vinyl online I feel major guilt for not going down there first.