Graham Jones - Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to Record Shops?

I n 2009 I released the book Last Shop Standing (What ever Happened to Record Shops). I did so because I really love record shops but they were closing at such an alarming rate and nobody seemed to care. I felt that if I could highlight the situation then the public might support their local shop. When I set out to tour the UK and interview the 50 shops that I felt would be the Last Shops Standing, deep down I felt I was writing the obituary of the record shop. However, after interviewing the great characters that owned record shops I was convinced that they had a great future and I made it a personal mission to champion them. 2009 was the year that record shops fought back. One of the big factors in this comeback has been the impact Record Store Day has had on raising the profile of these great institutions. Record Store Day was the first time in years I saw queues outside record shops other than for a closing down sale. I decided to write a new edition of Last Shop Standing to let the world know that the record shop has a future and for any music fan to put the third Saturday in April in their diary. Make sure you attend an event at your local record shop. Check out the website at www.recordstoreday.com

I asked two people at the forefront of Record Store Day, Michael Kurtz, one of the founders in the USA and Spencer Hickman who is responsible for Record Store Day in the UK, if they would contribute to an updated version of Last Shop Standing to help promote Record Store Day. I asked Spencer if he would give the reader a background to Record Store Day. These are his words:

A man walks into a record shop

No joke.

He really does.

If you pay attention to the music press and chatter of the online-communities you would be forgiven for thinking the humble record store had closed its doors a long time ago. A relic of the past viewed only with nostalgia; the footnote in a Nick Hornby novel.

Well Im sorry I just dont buy it. While its true that many stores have ceased to be over the last five years, there is a huge number that are not only still going but also thriving even in these uncertain economic times.

There are stores all over the world that still sell huge amounts of music on physical formats, help break new bands and engage with customers young and old.

The myth that record stores are finished is, well, frankly bullshit. On Rough Trade Easts packed shop floor right now there are a few record nerds scouring the racks, a group of businessmen in the snug having a meeting, teenage girls causing havoc in the photo booth and one of our regulars buying a lot of 7 singles. Hes 14 years old and hes BUYING RECORDS. It just goes to show how wrong the perception of music retail is. This kid and a lot of other kids and adults still come in and pay for a piece of plastic that they take home, listen to, learn the words and cherish forever.

Sure the industry as a whole seems to be careering into the toilet at an alarming rate after years of record company indifference about still trying to keep the product as a premium lifestyle accessory. Not having the inclination or infrastructure to address the emergence of the downloader was also a case of head-in-the-sand syndrome. By the time theyd realised it was too late.

Until recently the independent sector was crumbling due to people not wanting to lose their identity and share information. The Im alright Jack mentality, that perpetuated during the boom-time of the 80s is, in the noughties, retail suicide.