Lots of short updates !

As some of you will know the Tron Church was already booked out this year for mid July and August but we have not one but two excellent alternatives to cover so we will continue to be open seven days a week. Will make a decision on that soon but neither are far away and will give us more space for the busy Festival period. Plan is to return at the beginning of September permanently and I will be looking to tweak a few things and maybe more ! 

A couple of you have spotted that Espionage has only now just been bought out of administration which explains why the shop next door we were asked to look at was a problem but does not explain why we were told it had been taken out of administration in September of last year. Annoying to say the least and wasted a lot of time but at least there is finally an explanation of sorts. A real pity as it would have made a great temporary home.

http://news.stv.tv/east-central/1321218-espionage-to-stay-open-after-being-bought-out-of-administration/

You will find a recent update on the King’s Stables Road site on the blog and there has been no further news since. It looks like it could end up being a massive lost opportunity not just for the arts but in the long term aim to bring people to the castle end of the Grassmarket and continue either along the West Port or King’s Stables Road. While the current plans to turn the Grassmarket into the new Covent Garden look good on paper I’m not sure the public really care about the ideals espoused. 

http://www.avalancherecords.co.uk/2015/06/19/kings-stables-road-update-public-consultation-plans/

As for the City Art Centre the new exhibition is in and still there is a vast amount of unused space on the ground floor. I have been asked by several people not to give up on this one including a customer who thought the Scottish Music Centre was a fantastic idea and he should know as he had been part of the plans to extend the centre into the gap site before they were scrapped. I’ve had one informal meeting with the council since and the idea has not been completely forgotten however I really don’t have time to keep chasing this up no matter how well received.

My time at the Tron has shown the wider interest there is in Scottish music from Orange Juice and Josef K through to Frightened Rabbit and Biffy Clyro and visitors who I mention the idea to always think it would be great to see more of the history of Scottish music be that the bands or indeed the old labels and venues. A trial of sorts may happen in the not too distant future.

Finding a viable niche for Avalanche is not proving easy. People really love the posters and there is still huge interest in Scottish bands if not the same sales. More and more customers are happy just to accept my recommendations after describing the sort of thing they are looking for. A surprising number simply want my favourite album which is good news for There Will Be Fireworks, Withered Hand and a few others. However this is not enough. The second hand vinyl helps a lot and a core of supportive bands, labels and record companies make a big difference but generally shops are expected to live off crumbs.

There is always interest in the old Avalanche label and Snapper’s “Shotgun Blossom” will be the first to be reissued probably later this year. I’m currently looking at an offer to start a new label financed by a major local company and have offers to associate the Avalanche “brand” with other events and projects though as ever the problem is how this can bring in revenue rather than credibility. I’m very hopeful there will be something to announce very soon. It would be great to get more local band albums on vinyl and widely distributed while acknowledging that new vinyl sales are not all they are cracked up to be.

While HMV and FOPP’s vinyl stocks have improved immeasurably, which of course is easy to do when you are not paying for it, offers of help from both individuals and those in the music industry may mean we will be able to stock a far wider range in the future that gives a genuine alternative to the “look how cheap we have the first Stone Roses album concept”. More on that in the next couple of weeks.

Realistically I’ll need to see how all these possibilities pan out and choose to go with as many as I have the time for. It never ceases to amaze me how fondly Avalanche is remembered. Just recently it was a guy from Dresden who hadn’t been in for 17 years but whose first thought back in Edinburgh was to search us out and get a t-shirt to replace his rather worn bag. I can only say as I’ve said many times before thank you to everybody for their kind words.