So what will we be doing next year ?

More accurately what things could we be doing next year. 

Well we will definitely be working with The Cake Shop NYC. I’ve held off on this as a government initiative covering exactly this sort of idea was announced and I expected some feedback by the beginning of December but now that will be January so we will go ahead anyway. More details on this very soon.

We will also definitely be working more closely with bands and labels on merchandise and in particular posters. Ever popular with our customers it  isn’t always easy convincing bands and labels that the “old ways” are the best. With the support of the UK’s top poster display company we will not only be commissioning a range of posters but don’t be surprised if you see posters advertising our favourite albums in cities around the UK.

I’m considering various offers regarding the Avalanche label both old and new. There is a lot of interest in our old New Zealand releases some of which I still own the rights to and others I’m sure could be arranged. I’ve been offered distribution deals so current bands could get distribution “under an Avalanche umbrella” and certainly there is interest in facilitating the release of some of our best sellers on vinyl while bearing in mind vinyl does not sell quite as well as people think. If I did go ahead with a distribution deal all the sales and marketing would be done in-house. The manufacture of vinyl would require some backing as though I would expect to recoup I think it would be a relatively slow process.

Some of you may remember an idea to send our 15 best selling albums to 30 of the best record shops in the world. Not abandoned by any means the sponsorship needed has not been forthcoming so far. However closer to home there has been a lot of interest in making Avalanche recommended albums available more widely. Interest ranges from a small box of our best sellers, to a rack with all the Avalanche signature albums to something maybe a little bigger including some of our posters and vinyl too.

Social media is nowhere as powerful as many make out but Avalanche does have a good record of steering people towards great albums and could equally steer people towards shops stocking them. Avalanche as a brand actually means something to people though it is slightly different things to different people. For some Avalanche is about breaking and supporting Scottish bands while for others it is more about the “miserable boy indie” genre I joke about going back to our Bright Eyes days. I always like to remind our hipster friends that we were well known of course for supporting Neutral Milk Hotel “before they were mainstream”. Others still remember all those New Zealand releases.

This would take some effort and support but top of the list is Aberdeen. I’ve had several requests to move Avalanche out of Edinburgh and again Aberdeen is at the top but while HMV there continues to stock so much vinyl on consignment it would not be feasible at all. Given I live close to Livingston and HMV doesn’t even stock vinyl that would be far more sensible but again who is to say they wouldn’t start ? It would however be quite possible to have an Avalanche section in a suitable shop in Aberdeen. It would be important that they played and supported the music but I have many Aberdeen customers who would support it. I would of course consult with my old friends at One Up to make sure they had no comeback plans !

I’ve other confidential offers that may or may not happen (I receive two or three offers a week to work with the Avalanche brand) but the other thing that crops up over and over again is the coffee shop idea. This is very simple in the context of the current shop. I would need a guaranteed income. I’m very happy to speak to people about any coffee shop ideas but running a record shop is unstable enough. I need the stability of a guaranteed income. What would be amazing would be a shop/venue that had everything. Music, vintage clothing, coffee, amazing cakes and chocolate and a bar. Not that dissimilar to the Cake shop NYC of course. For now that will need to go on the back burner but if anybody has the money !

First things first though and we need to clear a load of stock and pay a load of bills before we move/leave.