Independent Label Market from a label and a shop's viewpoint

http://songbytoad.com/2011/05/independent-label-market/ for Matthew’s thoughts and I have posted my reply below.

These labels are so out of touch that their original plan was to hold this market on Record Store Day itself. Despite all those releases by The Beach Boys, Roxy Music etc they claimed that RSD was all about supporting independent music and their market (competing directly with the few record shops left in Berwick Street) was an extension of this.

They were reminded that RSD was in fact in support of independent record shops and just maybe setting up outside Sister Ray would kinda miss the point big time. However so enthused were they with the idea that they decided to hold it this Saturday instead.

I enquired whether there were plans for more markets maybe outside of London. Say a nice wee labels market in the Grassmarket but I was told by the RSD co-organisers ERA that this was as far as they were aware a one off.

The “not getting” it never ends. Domino are just about to launch Domino Radio and as I have been typing this I have received an email saying it would be great if shops could help promote this and maybe there might be a link to shops who show support. Now Avalanche has supported the Domino label since it first began in 1993 and Laurence Bell is a friend I’ve known since the days Avalanche put out the Snapper “Shotgun Blossom” album. We are best known for supporting the Neutral Milk Hotel album selling 1,500 of the first 15 thousand Domino sold over several years. There were of course lots of other artists like Bonnie Prince Billy through to Franz Ferdinand and Laurence has always had strong links with Scotland putting out albums by both Josef K and Orange Juice. Domino are now very good at offering “extras” if you buy from them directly as well as things “not available in the shops”. Signing up to them on twitter is like signing up to hate mail for a shop.

I contacted Laurence a while ago to see if there was any chance we could get the Lone Pigeon box set they were selling from their website in December. He told me it would eventually be offered to the shops though clearly by then every one who wanted it would have bought it. All the Domino customers we nurtured over the years have been lost now and in particular our vinyl sales are negligible given vinyl’s resurgence.

What I would say is to his credit Laurence phoned me personally to say he very much appreciated all the support we had given them over the years but these days it was every man for himself and we should act in the same way. I’m sure if Domino could put supportive shops in some kind of protective bubble they would but clearly instead shops have become collateral damage in the Domino marketing strategy. So yes they may provide a link but in return for us promoting a radio station that will without doubt encourage people to buy from them directly.

Shops can still do a lot to help labels as many of the labels Avalanche has supported will testify and labels should be concentrating on how best to utilise that rather than set up in clear competition.