Where have all our record shops gone?

[shooter]

.

 

[Covenanter]

Isn't it just simple economics? What "added value" can a shop provide when it comes to something like a CD? I don't think there is much that would justify the higher price that they need to charge to cover their overheads. I'm afraid they will disappear.

Chris

The owner of one of my local independant record stores (all now closed, as are all the hi-fi shops too) used to have an incredible knowledge of all genres of music: I'd happily spend most of a Sunday in there being introduced to all manner of new artists, and happily come out having spent £150+ on new material which I'd never otherwise have known about. That's added value worth paying for in my book.

Now I have to waste days... even weeks of my limited time scouring through oceans of dross on the inter-web thingy before I might find one credible CD worth buying.

Well yes if there is someone like that it could be useful but there are other ways of finding such information, like listening to broadcasts and going to concerts and reading reviews, and I suspect there just aren't enough like you to make it make sense financially.

 

[busb]

but stuff like cloths, shoes etc, I ain't going to buy online unless they are repeat purchases.

I went through a phase of buying quite a few clothes online. I really can't stand clothes shopping in town due to annoying shop assistants and horrible changing rooms. Sure, you end up returning up a lot, but there's a bigger selection, competitive pricing, it's geared up for returns, you can try in the comfort of your own home and you can just choose 3 similar items and keep the most appropriate one.

I actually don't mind shopping for clothes. I don't even mind being with my girlfriend when she's shopping for clothes! Doing so allows me to have considerable input - it's me that sees her in them (most of the time) >) so we both end up being happy! I generally enjoy the whole High St experience except for food that's a chore. We enjoy going to Guildford for instance. We buy some stuff, have a beer, perhaps shop some more, look in PJ HiFi or Sevenoaks, have afternnoon tea somewhere, visit the castle or cathedral where I take some photos, have another beer & by 7-8pm think about where to have a curry. If we still have time before getting the train home, we'll have a final beer. Sounds like a plan to me!

 

[tino]

I would buy CDs (or hi res files) from a hifi shop if they had a limited (and not necesarrily mainstream) collection on sale that they also used for demos. Sometimes when you are hear and are introduced to some music on a good system which you then go on to like, it would be convenient to buy it there and then.

 

[toyota man]

Hi Tino there used to be a record shop in hitchin herts which had a hifi shop upstairs the real bonus was that my Dad was a friend of the guy who owned it and we used to get a good discount on records and hifi:bounce: :bounce:

 

[the record spot]

Parking at weekends ain't easy, even the big multi-storey was often full. If you live in Skye a couple of sheep and a tractor constitutes a traffic jam.

That's Plockton's common grazing you're thinking of. Near Kyle of Lochalsh...got stuck in the main street there about ten years ago waiting for some of these fellows' mates to get by...!

 

[John Duncan]

I was in a record shop today. Well, a DVD Shop with some CDs and a smattering of vinyl...

 

[The_Lhc]

I was in a record shop today. Well, a DVD Shop with some CDs and a smattering of vinyl...

You're not in Ilfracombe are you?

 

[John Duncan]

I was in a record shop today. Well, a DVD Shop with some CDs and a smattering of vinyl...

You're not in Ilfracombe are you?

I don't think so, though my hangover is preventing me from knowing precisely where I might be.

 

[Anonymous]

First post by a newby - I feel I need someone to hold my hand...this is a great debate - I have to say the truly independent shop is the wsy to go. Up in the back of beyond, AKA Lincolnshire, we have a market town, Louth, which doesn't have a huge catchment population, but has (drum roll, readers quivering with anticipation??) 5 butchers, 1 poultry & game dealer, 2 greengrocers, more bakers than you'd know what to do with, AND a BRILLIANT independent record shop - Off the Beaten Tracks (and it really is).

Now I have no idea how the proprietor, Mark, makes a living in these days of price-driven purchasing, but I suspect its something to do with his enthusiasm, massive knowledge, personal service, and the fact that he sells new & secondhand side by side - so you can choose to spend £10 or £4 for the same disc (assuming his s/h stock includes what you are looking for). He buys in s/h stock, often vast collections & sells out at reasonable prices. Vinyl also features, new & s/h, as do DVD's, music books etc.

I got to know him a few years back, during that time my aproach to the music I buy, play, appreciate has expanded hugely - there's no way I would have started listening to World Music were it not for Mark's recommendations, in-store eclectic playlist & the best sales approach ever - "if you don't like it bring it back" - not that I ever do.

I can spend time in the shop, shoot the breeze with like-minded souls, and best of all play musical Russian roulette with the s/h CD's - for the buttons these cost I'm not going to lose sleep if I don't like. Just like being a teenager all over again (that was 30 years ago!!), except with a bit more money.

Personally I couldn't give a toss if national high street shops which don't provide a true service don't flourish - I DO CARE greatly that shops which provide a service stay around, a) because they deserve to and b) because the logical conclusion of the alternative is that we will have ever-fewer artists to listen to.

If you have the option of supporting a local independent retailer (e.g. there's one available and they don't charge hugely more than online) then please do so - because in the words of Ms Mitchell "... you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone...

 

[busb]

First post by a newby - I feel I need someone to hold my hand...this is a great debate - I have to say the truly independent shop is the wsy to go. Up in the back of beyond, AKA Lincolnshire, we have a market town, Louth, which doesn't have a huge catchment population, but has (drum roll, readers quivering with anticipation??) 5 butchers, 1 poultry & game dealer, 2 greengrocers, more bakers than you'd know what to do with, AND a BRILLIANT independent record shop - Off the Beaten Tracks (and it really is).

Now I have no idea how the proprietor, Mark, makes a living in these days of price-driven purchasing, but I suspect its something to do with his enthusiasm, massive knowledge, personal service, and the fact that he sells new & secondhand side by side - so you can choose to spend £10 or £4 for the same disc (assuming his s/h stock includes what you are looking for). He buys in s/h stock, often vast collections & sells out at reasonable prices. Vinyl also features, new & s/h, as do DVD's, music books etc.

I got to know him a few years back, during that time my aproach to the music I buy, play, appreciate has expanded hugely - there's no way I would have started listening to World Music were it not for Mark's recommendations, in-store eclectic playlist & the best sales approach ever - "if you don't like it bring it back" - not that I ever do.

I can spend time in the shop, shoot the breeze with like-minded souls, and best of all play musical Russian roulette with the s/h CD's - for the buttons these cost I'm not going to lose sleep if I don't like. Just like being a teenager all over again (that was 30 years ago!!), except with a bit more money.

Personally I couldn't give a toss if national high street shops which don't provide a true service don't flourish - I DO CARE greatly that shops which provide a service stay around, a) because they deserve to and b) because the logical conclusion of the alternative is that we will have ever-fewer artists to listen to.

If you have the option of supporting a local independent retailer (e.g. there's one available and they don't charge hugely more than online) then please do so - because in the words of Ms Mitchell "... you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone...

Hey Count

A warm welcome to the forum! I remember Lough well (had a friend who lived close by) for its magnificant church with a spire that can be seen for miles & miles away. I also remember the town for being virtually untouched by 20C architecture apart from a branch of Somerfield's tucked away from sight!

I feel far more inclined to pay a premium where the retailer is independant & knowledgeable but damned if I will in a chain like HMV. As for chain High St shops in general, some seem oblivious to the fact that the web exists but will survive as long as enough customers are willing to pay more than they need. I odten walk through HMV in Reading's Oracle Centre as a shortcut back out to Broad St & see people with a few CDs or DVDs in their hands.

 

[Petherick]

We buy some stuff, have a beer, perhaps shop some more, look in PJ HiFi or Sevenoaks, have afternnoon tea somewhere, visit the castle or cathedral where I take some photos, have another beer & by 7-8pm think about where to have a curry. If we still have time before getting the train home, we'll have a final beer. Sounds like a plan to me!

Yes that does sound like a plan. Unfortunately, we no longer have a hi-fi shop or a record shop, or for that matter a train home! We do have pubs, coffee shops and curry restaurants, but for the price of the taxi there and back I could buy 4 or 5 CDs on-line.

 

[busb]

Yes that does sound like a plan. Unfortunately, we no longer have a hi-fi shop or a record shop, or for that matter a train home! We do have pubs, coffee shops and curry restaurants, but for the price of the taxi there and back I could buy 4 or 5 CDs on-line.

We all have advatages & disadvanatges to where we live. My home town has little in the way of live music except for in a couple of pubs. Some people earn a lot more money than me so can afford long taxi journeys. I live close to a railway station but don't own a car. I haven't gone near Guildford or any HiFi shops for months because I'm not working at the mo. Swings & roundabouts.

 

[matthewpiano]

We are still pretty lucky in Manchester. Off the top of my head, we have:

A large HMV on Market Street, which has improved in its range of music of late

That's Entertainment, opposite HMV on Market Street, which offers mostly 2nd hand CDs, DVDs and games (part of a chain in the North)

Fopp, just off Market Street, part of HMV Group but a decent range of stock and some good prices

Piccadilly Records in the Northern Quarter

Vinyl Exchange in the Northen Quarter

Then for classical CDs there is the record department at our place.

I still regularly visit these shops and buy from them when I can. I enjoy browsing a record shop and although most of my reading is now on Kindle and thus downloaded from Amazon, I still buy most of my CDs in physical shops.

 

[the record spot]

You reminded me MP, we have a Fopp in Rose Street plus the excellent (and you might be familiar with them) McAllister Matheson Music, classical music specialists just down from the Castle. Well worth a visit (or see their online site).

 

[eggontoast]

"Where have all our record shops gone?"

They are all closing along with lots of other retail outlets because of people like me. I can't remember the last time I purchased anything other than food, clothes and cosmetics from a retail outlet. Gadgets I will research online, decide which ones I want to look at, check them out in a shop to physically hold the item, then barter with the shop to try and get it the same price I can buy it for online. If they don't I buy it online as all that matters to me is the best price. Cd's, DVD's etc are automatically purchased online from the cheapest place, HMV is a dinosaur which will soon be extinct and quite rightly so, it serves them right for massively over charging for their products before the boom in online sales, good riddance.

 

[Diamond Joe]

Hi all I suppose We are lucky to have 2 Hmvs in Norwich + a thats entertaiment but over the last 30odd years we have lost Andys Records Our Price Robins Records Virgin Woolworths +

Hi toyota man, was Andy's records on Pottergate? I remember buying a lot of CDs at a good record store thereabouts in the early '90s but I couldn't remember the name. :?

 

[nopiano]

We are still pretty lucky in Manchester. Off the top of my head, we have:

A large HMV on Market Street, which has improved in its range of music of late

That's Entertainment, opposite HMV on Market Street, which offers mostly 2nd hand CDs, DVDs and games (part of a chain in the North)

Fopp, just off Market Street, part of HMV Group but a decent range of stock and some good prices

Piccadilly Records in the Northern Quarter

Vinyl Exchange in the Northen Quarter

Then for classical CDs there is the record department at our place.

I still regularly visit these shops and buy from them when I can. I enjoy browsing a record shop and although most of my reading is now on Kindle and thus downloaded from Amazon, I still buy most of my CDs in physical shops.

Hi mp, I'd forgotten you had Manchester connections. Is Forsyths still going, and more to the point, is that your workplace perchance?

I used to know the owner in the 1990's, Robin Loat, but have lost touch, that's why I ask.

They had a massive CD range, music too, as well as importing pianos.

 

[matthewpiano]

We are still pretty lucky in Manchester. Off the top of my head, we have:

A large HMV on Market Street, which has improved in its range of music of late

That's Entertainment, opposite HMV on Market Street, which offers mostly 2nd hand CDs, DVDs and games (part of a chain in the North)

Fopp, just off Market Street, part of HMV Group but a decent range of stock and some good prices

Piccadilly Records in the Northern Quarter

Vinyl Exchange in the Northen Quarter

Then for classical CDs there is the record department at our place.

I still regularly visit these shops and buy from them when I can. I enjoy browsing a record shop and although most of my reading is now on Kindle and thus downloaded from Amazon, I still buy most of my CDs in physical shops.

Hi mp, I'd forgotten you had Manchester connections. Is Forsyths still going, and more to the point, is that your workplace perchance?

I used to know the owner in the 1990's, Robin Loat, but have lost touch, that's why I ask.

They had a massive CD range, music too, as well as importing pianos.

Hi nopiano. Yes, Forsyths is still going strong and yes, it is my workplace. The same family still own it and Dr Loat is still around, making sure standards are kept high.

 

[nopiano]

Hi nopiano. Yes, Forsyths is still going strong and yes, it is my workplace. The same family still own it and Dr Loat is still around, making sure standards are kept high.

Hey, what a small world, Matt. I'll have to contrive a visit some time. I'll be in Leeds in September for the piano competition, so not too distant, and I have relatives in Manchester. I met Dr Loat when we were both trustees of the then new London International Piano Competition.

 

[matthewpiano]

Hi nopiano. Yes, Forsyths is still going strong and yes, it is my workplace. The same family still own it and Dr Loat is still around, making sure standards are kept high.

Hey, what a small world, Matt. I'll have to contrive a visit some time. I'll be in Leeds in September for the piano competition, so not too distant, and I have relatives in Manchester. I met Dr Loat when we were both trustees of the then new London International Piano Competition.

Let me know when you are in town and come and visit me on the piano floor.

 

[Rethep]

From the moment i used iTunes i started buying music there. Because i very rarely like a whole CD, i can buy single songs. I think the recordindustry, incl shops, have gotten enough of my money.

 

[busb]

From the moment i used iTunes i started buying music there. Because i very rarely like a whole CD, i can buy single songs. I think the recordindustry, incl shops, have gotten enough of my money.

My Modus Operandi is to check the price on iTunes, then Amazon - if cheaper I by the CD then rip it to iTunes at a minimum of 320k VBR up to lossless. The beauty of ITunes if you don't mind lossy is that you can usually if not always buy just the songs you want which I've started doing far more often. I've discovered so much stuff I've still got on vinyl or new stuff through iTunes. Spotify is also good for doing that.

As for the record industry, it's becoming less & less important. We do need some infrastructure for recording music, classical orchestras etc but distribution can & is moving to the web.

 

[toyota man]

Hi Diamond Joe Yes Andys Records was on Pottergate I seem to remember that they sold Second hand cds and Hifi vinyl I used to spend hours going through all of there lps

 

[plastic penguin]

Had a trip to Brompton hospital, Chelsea today with Mrs. P. On the way there we saw 3 boarded up record shops. They seemed to be in good locations. Sad.