Avalanche update – Looking for a new home – PledgeMusic, crowdfunding and streaming is the future. iTunes doomed !

I’ll keep this short but you won’t be surprised there is more to come. So what have I learned in our break ? Well while all our various pop-ups/stalls were well received they were hard work especially given how heavy vinyl is to move around. People were very supportive but generally would like us to have a base they can visit every day and therein lies a problem as that isn’t economical most days of the week. Don’t get me wrong I have also discovered that we can do well on Discogs but I don’t intend to have a shop that exists by filling all the quiet times with online sales. A perfectly reasonable strategy but not for me. I’m more than happy to supplement sales online but not to the point that is what keeps the shop open !

There are however other things I could fill my time with while operating a shop and what I have done is break down the various components that make up Avalanche and realised that unsurprisingly there is way too much for one person to cope with even working all the waking hours. More of that later.  One thing that is constantly mentioned is what a “loss” is would be should Avalanche not resurface and there has been some recognition of this from Edinburgh Council which may or may not amount to anything. 

One key problem is artists think they can do what I do and most can’t. I have no talent for what they do but they see no skill in what I do. Of course our approach in the shop translates through to our social media presence and works there too. For those interested there is a plan. PledgeMusic, crowdfunding platforms and Spotify/streaming in general are the future but not as they are used by bands now cutting out shops completely. I see a future for shops with these models but why anybody would pay for a download is beyond me and the iTunes model is doomed. 

I’ll be looking for partners in some areas but for now I’m open to suggestions as to where we locate. Make absolutely no mistake FOPP/HMV are our competition with regards to new stuff. They don’t pay for it so they can stock what they want and if they are nearer to a customer than Avalanche we will normally not get the sale. Maybe we just don’t try to compete and concentrate on other areas. Sister Ray is about to open in a cool hotel and other shops have opened in art centres and eating places. We need low overheads and some footfall to supplement our regular custom. Our base needs to be permanent and ideally I need to have something as soon as possible. I’m not ruling out a stand alone shop in fact I’m actively looking but they are hard to justify. If Edinburgh Council have any buildings as was suggested then …………..