Since it's apparently Record Store Day, I thought it would be timely to instigate a chat about our local record shops, or lack of, and whether we think they're still relevant, or are just musty relics from another era.

Independent record stores are particularly close to my heart because I didn't get the internet, let alone good internet like broadband, for a long time. I used to read about exciting-sounding music on websites or (the shame, but I was young then) NME, then wait for my parents to go to Derby or Nottingham, the nearest cities with good record shops, so I could tag along and spend my pocket money on Daniel Johnston and Swell Maps CDs. I'd buy Rough Trade collections, which without exaggerating, changed my life, and then go back and buy albums by bands with tracks on them. My fantasy was visiting Rough Trade in London, which I envisioned as an indie mecca, a place where I need not preface talk about my favourite band with the apologetic; 'you might not have heard of them'. When I was older I'd get the train myself, and sometimes, feeling bold, I'd ask the intimidatingly cool staff if they could recommend something I'd like. This was a strategy of varying success, but definitely worth it.

Reveal Records and Selectadisc, the Derby and Nottingham beacons of independent music, have since closed, Selectadisc just a few weeks ago.

I was sad when Selectadisc closed, but then, fighting my nostalgia, I asked myself, when did I last buy anything from there? It was December, months ago. In the meantime I'd listened to dozens of downloaded albums, and bought some CDs and vinyl online. Yet it wasn't like I hadn't tried to buy anything from there in the intervening months - I like CDs, browsing, the feeling of supporting bands and independent record shops. Selectadisc just didn't live up to its name for me anymore, failing to have the selection I wanted, apparently catering more for middle aged fans of obscure prog than indie kids wanting the latest Vivian Girls vinyl. You could tell by a quick scan of the people browsing the racks: bald heads, paunches and shifty looks abounded; but where were the angular haircuts populating gigs in the positively thriving local indie scene? I guess the unfortunate demise of Nottingham's only true independent record shop was both our faults: the indie kids moved to the internet, Selectadisc needed to survive so it started focusing on stocking reissues. We became different people, grew apart, the affair petered out and ended without much fanfare.

Now we have a Fopp, a Zavvi and two HMVs in Nottingham. There's Anarchy records, a second hand shop that seems to do pretty well, but I don't go there much because it doesn't stock what I'm into.

So, anyway, what I really want to know is, what's your town like for independent music?

Have you got an epiphany story, where things have just changed after buying a record? Do you buy CDs or vinyl from independent record shops anymore, or even from HMV? Or are you one of those kids (I'd find it hard to believe they existed if I hadn't met some) who has never paid for music? What do you envision happening to record shops over the next few years, mainstream ones too? In my mind it's looking pretty bleak for most, with even HMV hiding its pathetic collection of CDs at the back of the store, though I imagine Rough Trade will weather the storm because it's diversified and exists as part of a community.

Incidentally, I finally visited Rough Trade last year. It very much exceeded the expectations of my fifteen year old self, and if that ethos is still spread in pockets around the country then maybe the future for independent record shops isn't quite as dark as it might seem.

My town is shit. I have nothing. NOTHING. The best my city can do is a JB Hi-Fi that's smaller than usual. Which I don't think even has any records. I weep about this. I mean, it's not that huge a place, but it has 200,000 people and a university. Yours sound good to me.

I think maybe some second hand places somewhere have some second-hand shit from the old days that someone's parents didn't want. I imagine I could find a copy of Breakfast in America. Maybe even Frampton Comes Alive.

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Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

We have Cobb Records in Bangor, which is a smaller offshoot of the larger Cobb in Porthmadog. They sell new and 2nd hand CDs and DVDs, but their vinyl selection is pretty small (the CDs are pretty limited too, now I think about it...). I have bought about three CDs there since I moved to Bangor, but that's partly due to the fact that CDs take up little bits of space, and downloads take up less tangible space.

edit: I'd still rather use it than the HMV in town, though, because indie shops give me a warm fuzzy feeling and HMV makes me feel somewhat dead inside.

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See. Shitty. My city is much bigger than Bangor, and I can't imagine our university is smaller (though it's undeniably much worse), and we get nought in the way of secondhand musical goodies retail. Pfft. One good video store though, it snobbishly alphabetises its films by director's surname.

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

both the record shops where i live (oxford) have closed down and now theres just an hmv which doesnt sell vinyl anymore, not that there was much worth buying when it did. i used to live in leeds and tribe records there was wicked. so is blackmarket records in soho.
i prefer buying records on the internet though, whenever i go to record shops i always buy records i hardly ever end up playing