Public Polls – Best Band, Best Record Shop etc

I‘ve been asked recently about this after the Record Store Day poll as we didn’t really lobby at all for votes and to be honest my opinion is that we just try to do our best doing what we do and I have no wish to be seen as better or worse than any other shop. Any poll is more to do with how many friends you have and how hard you try to win and nothing showed how daft the result can be when the only “proper” independent record shop in Northern Ireland Cool Discs of Derry was beaten to best shop by Head  Records of Belfast.

Sandy now running my old shop in Glasgow won the best Scottish shop while not even being nominated (see below) in the Scottish Music Industry Awards which sort of says it all. Despite being asked several times to enter for the Music Week best retailer award this year I had to decline as it too has been greatly devalued over the last few years by dubious decisions since Rough Trade were worthy winners for their new Rough Trade East store.

13. MUSIC RETAILER of the YEAR

Avalanche Records (Edinburgh) – for more information click here
Footstompin (Edinburgh) – for more information click here
Fopp (Glasgow) – for more information click here
Coda (Edinburgh) – for more information click here
Monorail Music (Glasgow) – for more information click here
One Up Records (Aberdeen) – for more information click here
Oxfam Records – Information Needed
Unknown Pleasures (St. Andrews) – Information Needed
Vinyl Villains (Edinburgh) – for more information click here

As for any sort of vote for which bands are best then everything from X Factor to the celebrity dance programme I can’t remember the name of has proved that no matter how many votes are cast you are unlikely to get a sensible result. As soon as people start taking them seriously it is worrying.