Tomorrow is International Record Store Day, when independently-owned record shops across the US, Canada, the UK and around the world are joining together to celebrate the culture of record stores and the unique place they occupy both in their local communities and nationally.
It promises to be a great party and, as our industry and livelihood has been threatened tremendously over the past few years, it is an important opportunity to celebrate our continued existence in these troubled times, even if the number of independent shops in Scotland has more than halved in the past five years.
On Record Store Day we want to let people know we are still here, still selling great music and still a place they can go to hear what's happening now.
Independent record stores act as a focal point in the local music communities, where people can meet and share ideas, and where you can discover new artists by talking to someone behind the counter who is passionate about music.
In our store, you can talk to the people who buy in the records, who speak to the record companies on a daily basis, who know what's coming out and when.
There's the personal interaction you just can't get at supermarkets and megastores, where the buyers are nowhere to be found. And if you are buying online, you are really buying in a vacuum, buying something you know already; there's no personal contact or interaction.
Independent record shops give personal service, know their regular customers' tastes, and enjoy giving recommendations.
There's been a huge decline in the number of record shops in the UK. Over a quarter of Britain's independent music stores closed last year, and in Scotland we are now down to 30 shops, where there used to be over a hundred just a few years ago.
Remember Listen Records? Bloggs? Bruces? Echo? The Other Record Shop? Lost in Music? All consigned to history I was tempted to put a panda logo on our Record Store Day sign, as we are undoubtedly feeling threatened by several different factors, including the credit crunch, legal and illegal downloads, and the supermarkets selling CDs below cost price.
Getting young people into the shop is becoming more difficult, as the singles market has changed so much, and file-sharing is the norm for most people under 25. People have been treating music like just another TV channel, and we would like people to give it more respect.
Jack White recently said we should show respect for the tangible music we grew up with, and stop it becoming nothing more than disposable digital data.
I am very concerned about the lack of music on television these days. There's really only one place to see new artists, and that is the Jools Holland show. We notice a big difference in sales when an act is on there; I firmly believe that both KT Tunstall and Seasick Steve owe their careers to that TV show.
Of course there's no Top of the Pops anymore, which is a huge loss, and in the 1980s we had The Tube, The Word, and The Chart Show. Even MTV doesn't show music videos anymore - it's all reality shows. In Scotland it is bordering on scandalous how little opportunities there are for bands to get noticed on television - why isn't there a Scottish equivalent to Later With Jools, showcasing Scottish talent and new artists?
At Avalanche Records we remain optimistic that there is a place for us; Glasgow is a great city for music and for people who love music. So many great acts have come from Scotland, and a good portion of their members have worked in record shops, giving them a glimpse of how the industry functions.
Some of our former staff include members of Camera Obscura and Sons and Daughters, as well as up and coming bands like You Already Know, Stapleton and Metronomes.
This year for Record Store Day we have cleared a performance space in our shop window, and we'll be having a steady stream of bands and singers playing over the course of the afternoon. Hot New York band the Virgins are playing, as well as the Brakes, Ross Clark, Voluntary Butler Scheme, Fran Schoppler and Jay Slumdog, and a few others to be added as they turn up on the day.
We also have a load of exclusive products to go on sale on the big day itself, including a Tom Waits seven-inch single recorded at his Edinburgh show last year, some limited seven-inch singles from Iggy and the Stooges, the MC5, the Smiths, Sonic Youth, New Order, Slayer, a brand new Wilco DVD and loads more.
The labels have really got behind Record Store Day this year after they saw the great press we received last year, and most of them have come up with some new releases that we will be selling on the day in the shop.
The day is designed to bring people into bricks-and-mortar retailers, and these exclusive releases have been causing excitement among music fans. We anticipate a queue at the door when we open tomorrow morning.
If you haven't been to an independent record shop for a while, tomorrow would be a great day to do it. Hope to see you there. Sandy McLean is proprietor of Avalanche Records in Glasgow.
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