How vinyl saved music stores across Scotland
IT is the annual celebration of independent record stores credited with reviving the vinyl industry and saving beloved Scots stores from closure. Now in its 10th year, Record Store Day was marked yesterday with new releases by two world-famous artists the world lost last year - David Bowie and Prince.
Dozens of stores across Scotland saw vinyl enthusiasts queue for hours to get their hands on limited-edition records. Now, the resurgence in popularity of the format looks set to continue, allowing independent record shop owners to breathe a little easier in the face of threats from streaming music sites like Spotify.
When compact discs came into fashion many of the biggest music outlets stopped selling vinyl, but a few stalwarts are now reaping the benefit of staying the course.
Ewen Duncan, 57, who has run Europa Music in Stirling for 35 years, said: “Whereas big stores ditched vinyl and forced people to buy CDs, we kept selling vinyl. I’ve now got the largest browsable vinyl shop in Scotland. CDs were not the perfect thing that was touted. When other methods of listening came along – such as downloading – CDs were dropped like a hot potato. Vinyl has remained impressive. It’s a warmer sound. You can read the liner notes. Sales of vinyl are going up and up. It went from one-third of trade 20 years ago to about 60 per cent of trade last year. Record Store Day has been a good method to promote independent record stores.”
Vinyl releases have been a core part of Record Store Day since its launch, with many artists now taking on the role of “champions” to promote the concept. In 2008, there were just over 75,000 vinyl albums sold in the UK. Sales reached 3.4 million in units in 2016 –14 per cent of the physical albums market.
Russell Elder of Monorail Music in Glasgow said: “There has been a revival in recent years and people are now far more likely to buy the physical product. Record Store Day brings a lot of profile to the format, which is what shops like ours have been doing for a good while. It’s a great financial boost too.”