Off the Record

Time for a quick straw poll: Whilst you've been doing your Christmas shopping this year, how many of you have been to a 'proper' record shop?

I'm not talking about the likes of Virgin, Music Zone and HMV, I mean 'proper' record shops.






Beano's, Europe's biggest second-hand record store is set to close it's doors for the last time after seeing business fall in recent years. After competing with the multi-national chains and the Internet, the Croydon store has decided to throw in the towel and sell-off it's remaining stock.

It's just a shame that independent retailers are being ousted this way. Surprisingly, Dave Lashmar doesn't blame the rise of the Internet for his businesses decline. As someone who has always maintained that shops still have an edge over their electronic counterparts, Lashmar has resisted the temptation to branch his business onto the world wide web.
The web however could well be the death-nell for numerous independent music dealers. If we're not importing chart CD's from the VAT-free haven of Jersey or raiding eBay auctions, we're downloading music from legal, illegal and "miscellaneous" channels.

At worst, we're going into supermarkets and HMV and handing our hard-earned to anonymous shareholders who staff their stores with minimum wage workers, many (but not all) of whom will know little of the subject matter and who wouldn't be able to provide you with gig tickets for the next event at the Cockpit or Students Union.

In Leeds, we're lucky that we've still got two 'real' record stores. We've got Crash Records on Eastgate which is held in high regard in the music scene and we've got the lesser known Jumbo Records who still seem to be doing a strong trade despite having to compete with the nearby high-street chains of HMV, Virgin and Music Zone.

Hopefully these stores will still remain for years to come. The owner of Beano's is more critical of the decline of the local area, as evidenced from the number of people who 'used' to shop in Croydon. The same can't be said of Leeds.

Here in Yorkshire we have the biggest financial district away from the capital, much of that being based on the fact we have a successful city centre and retail district, one that attracts tourists from across the North.

Whilst most of us have shifted our spending patterns to supermarkets and computers, it's still a shame to see true retailers vanish in this way.