Last Shop Standing (Whatever happened to record shops?)

[sidewinder]

I see Foyles have moved a hundred yards or so in Charing Cross Road to the former St Martin's School of Art premises. Surprisingly, they're still listing Ray's Jazz as one of their features. They've probably relegated it to a broom cupboard!

http://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Stores/Detail.aspx?storeid=1011

Haven't been into the new place yet but on the cartoon boarding outside the place during the recent conversion work there was a whole feature on Ray's so I guess it is still part of their DNA. Long may it stay that way (hopefully)..

Edited June 8, 2014 by sidewinder

[David Ayers]

It's one thing to lament the passing of a store, but why make fun of Foyles/Rays who continue to support a large jazz section? Well worth visiting, one of the few you still can.

[Stefan Wood]

While I'm glad there is a resurgence in interest and buying of vinyl, my recent visits to several independent shops -- in Richmond, VA and in DC -- have shown a very similar stock of titles, all new, all expensive. The stores that have a larger stock of used lps, no matter the genre, are few. I'm wondering if this similarity will hurt these stores in the long run, as they are competing with online retailers.

[A Lark Ascending]

Glad to hear Ray's has survived the move. I'd imagine it probably does reasonably well because there is virtually no competition.

Having said that, I've been in there maybe four times in the last 8 months and only bought two CDs. In both cases things that weren't available as downloads, so were a similar price online to in-store. I found what was there to be quite patchy, though strong on new releases. The latter were at least double the price I'm now used to paying (admittedly downloads). Which is why these places struggle with all but those who prefer physical discs.

Edited June 9, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[sidewinder]

Bought a Mosaic set on my last visit to Ray's so I guess I did quite well !

[Jazzjet]

Glad to hear Ray's has survived the move. I'd imagine it probably does reasonably well because there is virtually no competition.

Having said that, I've been in there maybe four times in the last 8 months and only bought two CDs. In both cases things that weren't available as downloads, so were a similar price online to in-store. I found what was there to be quite patchy, though strong on new releases. The latter were at least double the price I'm now used to paying (admittedly downloads). Which is why these places struggle with all but those who prefer physical discs.

Regrettably, this is pretty much the standard experience in shopping at the very few specialist jazz shops left. A few times I've even found myself buying CDs at prices considerably higher than I know I can get online, in a misplaced spirit of loyalty. Nowadays the only time I use 'bricks and mortar' shops is to buy second-hand CDs, mainly items no longer available online, or good old vinyl where the online option is rather more limited.

[JohnJ]

Glad to hear Ray's has survived the move. I'd imagine it probably does reasonably well because there is virtually no competition.

Having said that, I've been in there maybe four times in the last 8 months and only bought two CDs. In both cases things that weren't available as downloads, so were a similar price online to in-store. I found what was there to be quite patchy, though strong on new releases. The latter were at least double the price I'm now used to paying (admittedly downloads). Which is why these places struggle with all but those who prefer physical discs.

Regrettably, this is pretty much the standard experience in shopping at the very few specialist jazz shops left. A few times I've even found myself buying CDs at prices considerably higher than I know I can get online, in a misplaced spirit of loyalty. Nowadays the only time I use 'bricks and mortar' shops is to buy second-hand CDs, mainly items no longer available online, or good old vinyl where the online option is rather more limited.

Not in Tokyo. I buy a fair bit at Disk Union at prices cheaper than available online, often considerably cheaper (I always check Amazon on my iPhone).

[David Ayers]

There's no way round it is there? Shops will usually be more expensive than online. And CDs will generally be more expensive than paid downloads. And unpaid downloads are cheaper still. In all cases what we are paying for is the service we choose to use and it is where and how we shop that decides what will exist.

[ejp626]

There's no way round it is there? Shops will usually be more expensive than online. And CDs will generally be more expensive than paid downloads. And unpaid downloads are cheaper still. In all cases what we are paying for is the service we choose to use and it is where and how we shop that decides what will exist.

Yes, but the kicker is that it is only if hundreds if not thousands of other people share our shopping choices will the shops survive. I find it is really hard to convince Americans that their individual will is only a relatively small part of the story -- that it is collective decisions that matter. And there, the trends are not good.

[clifford_thornton]

I remember Honest Jons St Martins lane shop well. You could often find a treasure or three in there. A bonus was that it was generally run by Anthony Wood, an unsung good guy. Founded Wire magazine, put on gigs, Bill Dixon being a special memory. He still does I believe.

Sounds like it would have been my "dream shop."

[sidewinder]

I remember it being stacked to the gunnels with import avant-garde stuff in particular. Alas, not into that stuff at the time.

It would be totally inconceivable for such a shop to occupy those premises in that prime location today !

Edited June 11, 2014 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

Yes, Ray used to sell jazz from a tiny basement in Collets when it was in New Oxford Street. The ground floor was the Folk/Blues department (more a large room, actually) and there was always a running battle between the two departments about who was playing "their" music too loudly. When Collets closed the New Oxford Street shop in the early 1970s, they opened up a new book shop in Charing X Road which had the folk department in the basement. The jazz department under Ray Smith moved to the shop in Shaftesbury Avenue with blues being sold from the basement.

Ha ! I can recall regular 'sonic battles' between the basement blues/folk section and the upstairs jazz at Shaftesbury Avenue. That hollering stuff got very annoying when Miles's quintet etc. were playing in the background.

[sidewinder]

When in Bath I always pop in here:

Bath regulars will also worship this place an d hope it stays in business:

Quick Bath-area update - sadly I've just noticed that Broad Street Jazz, which took over from Music Matters and which relocated to the Classical CD store across the street, finally closed for business at Xmas. Very sad news as always a fine selection in there, very knowledgable owners and some great music picked up from there over the years and fine afternoons spent scanning the racks.

So - Duck, Son and Pinker and Broad St/Music Matters both now gone. Fopp only in Bristol. The revamped HMV now have the town to themselves..

Edited January 1, 2015 by sidewinder

[BillF]

Saw this curiosity in Holt, Norfolk last month when visiting my sister in law:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/people_always_come_in_and_say_this_is_the_best_post_office_in_the_world_holt_vinyl_vault_post_office_sells_records_and_plays_the_rolling_stones_while_people_buy_stamps_1_3645436

Edited January 1, 2015 by BillF

[Big Beat Steve]

Saw this curiosity in Holt, Norfolk last month when visiting my sister in law:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/people_always_come_in_and_say_this_is_the_best_post_office_in_the_world_holt_vinyl_vault_post_office_sells_records_and_plays_the_rolling_stones_while_people_buy_stamps_1_3645436

Odd locations for record shops seem to thrive (for the time being?) in the UK:

I stopped by this store a couple of times in the late 90s when I was there for a festival weekend:

http://www.grammarschoolrecords.com/

Glad to see it is still in business.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Big Beat Steve

[sidewinder]

Saw this curiosity in Holt, Norfolk last month when visiting my sister in law:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/people_always_come_in_and_say_this_is_the_best_post_office_in_the_world_holt_vinyl_vault_post_office_sells_records_and_plays_the_rolling_stones_while_people_buy_stamps_1_3645436

Whatever next? Blue Note LPs in branches of Mothercare?

[mjazzg]

Saw this curiosity in Holt, Norfolk last month when visiting my sister in law:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/people_always_come_in_and_say_this_is_the_best_post_office_in_the_world_holt_vinyl_vault_post_office_sells_records_and_plays_the_rolling_stones_while_people_buy_stamps_1_3645436

It was closed on the saturday afternoon I was there in October much to my disappointment

Interesting to see two new independent shops have opened in Shoreditch - one a vinyl only Sister Ray, the other a third branch of secondhand dealers Flashback Records. Obviously reflects the changing geographical focus of the younger pound

[BillF]

Saw this curiosity in Holt, Norfolk last month when visiting my sister in law:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/people_always_come_in_and_say_this_is_the_best_post_office_in_the_world_holt_vinyl_vault_post_office_sells_records_and_plays_the_rolling_stones_while_people_buy_stamps_1_3645436

It was closed on the saturday afternoon I was there in October much to my disappointment

Interesting to see two new independent shops have opened in Shoreditch - one a vinyl only Sister Ray, the other a third branch of secondhand dealers Flashback Records. Obviously reflects the changing geographical focus of the younger pound

Yes, average age of the citizenry in Holt is probably 30 years higher than in Shoreditch :-)

[A Lark Ascending]

http://www.grammarschoolrecords.com/

How comprehensive is it?

[Big Beat Steve]

I can not tell you. I was there twice or three times in 1998/1999 and found a few nice and fairly priced long-OOP R&B and swing LPs but the impression from some 15-16 years ago obviously cannot be representative of what there may be today. What they state on their website reflects the impression i had then pretty well, though. But from a brief conversation with the shop owner I noticed that even then he was well aware of other (potentially more profitable) outlets. I mentioned a Jazz Couriers LP then released on MFP (originally definitely a budget label) that I had seen at quite high prices at London shops during my visite there the days before and he told me that Jazz Couriers LPs (even this one) would "go straight to auction", i.e. not finish up in his shop racks.

That shop did/do list items on eBay in later years too, BTW.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I visited Rye in about 1971, and it wasn't there then.

Should have gone back 30 years later

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

A classical shop but one I used to like visiting when I was a Bath jazz weekend regular:

Now gorn.

Edited March 28, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[sidewinder]

A classical shop but one I used to like visiting when I was a Bath jazz weekend regular:

Now gorn.

I had no idea that the Classical CD shop had now gone, although the Broad St Jazz section of it closed down earlier this year. The culprit is the damn excessive rents being charged these days in the centre of Bath. Has eliminated the smaller, interesting places that used to make the place a joy. The place is fit only now for Bankers wives, rugby fanatics and tourists ! Edited March 28, 2015 by sidewinder

[Bluesnik]

The culprit is the damn excessive rents being charged these days in the centre of Bath. Has eliminated the smaller, interesting places that used to make the place a joy. The place is fit only now for Bankers wives, rugby fanatics and tourists !

Same everywhere, I guess, at least here in Barcelona the situation is exactly the same.

[Scott Dolan]

I seriously doubt that the rent was the major problem. Jazz and Classical don't sell well to begin with, and folks are moving away from physical products in droves these days. Those two factors would kill any shop, even if the rent were dirt cheap.

The simple fact is that record/CD shops are a thing of the past because records/CDs are no longer the desired and profitable medium they once were.