Landscape

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At the Rough Trade East plate Lane, A Man store in London's Brick dressed as a giant Hot Dog , the introduction of a song On Stage .

"Put your Hands Up if you are afraid of spiders," says frontman Murray Matravers, the fast-rising band Easy Life , prior to the Start in one of the typical quirky compositions.

Easy-Life ' s in-store live appearance a mass of enthusiastic teenage fans, all clutching newly purchased copies of her new album, Junk Food. has attracted The majority of the target group, the pre-ordered The Album online, and the admission to the concert is included in The Price .

Perhaps you have thought, Young People don't buy records and CDs? Or the streaming is killing physical album? Well, welcome to the new reality of music retail.

"The idea that the physical and digital are incompatible, I think, is outdated," says The Shop assistant manager, Alex Bailey. "We sell more records than we have ever seen. "

change the

instead of to see digital music as The Enemy , Rough Trade embraced podcasts, and playlists, keeping a sharp eye for new talent and promotes its stores as community hubs.

The edit Rough Trade podcast, re-launched last week, is billed as "your first port of call for new music", with staff picks, recommended albums, and guest appearances by bands.

Three-quarters of Rough Trade , the sales of vinyl albums

customers to visit Rough Trade shops are also invited up to his Rough Trade edit the playlist on the Apple Music platform.

"We are proud and hot-streaming advocates discover as an affordable way to enjoy music, it is very much a driver of vinyl sales," said Rough Trade Retail director Stephen Godfroy. "If someone developed A Love for recording, The Best way to appreciate that the follow-up to The Discovery by the possession and enjoyment of the vinyl is. "

Chartbusters

thanks to a mini-tour of Rough Trade shops, including The Chain of stores in Bristol and Nottingham, Just life sold enough physical albums you have to earn a place in The Top 10 albums of the week.

And many of the people who sing the songs of The Band at Rough Trade East, travelled specially to London for The Performance .

the receptionist Conor Austin and waitress Rebecca Foulger have come to the city for The Day from their home town of Sandwich, in Kent.

Conor, 18, explains that he has a record player for Christmas and is keen to expand his vinyl collection, even if he has Spotify on his phone. "I think it sounds different, it is a different kind of atmosphere," he says.

Rebecca, 17, bought to listen to the CD in your car. "I have no Spotify Premium, so I get all the ads," she says. "It's easier to just CDs. "

As the runner-up artist, Just life are still building their fan base, and speak to Murray Matravers, before he sees his Hot Dog suit, Rough Trade as The Ideal place to do it.

"people go to Rough Trade , just to see what happens, and nine times out of 10, they curate a really good balance," he says. "In this shop there are at least 20 or 30 people who have no idea who we are and who hears us for the First Time . "

Sales prosperous

Stephen Godfroy remembered that, when many people thought it would be "commercial suicide".

The MP3 and Apple iPod were a decisive blow to physical music formats, and many record stores closing were.

business is booming But More Than a decade later. "I'm happy to say that Rough Trade is positive, flourishing, with our like-for-like-2019 UK sale with up to 25% of the total," says Mr Godfroy.

Vinyl Rough Trade 's top seller in these days, accounting for three-quarters of all sales. "Rough Trade 75% of the total release-week vinyl sales for a Top 10 of the UK album chart entry can represent, with only four stores and Rough Trade . com," Mr. Godfroy adds.

Even so, Rough Trade East, Alex Bailey says CDs still have their market.

"We have a few customers that will come, Without Fail , Every Friday and buy a stack of CDs," he says. "I realize that More Than the people coming to vinyl releases. CDs are still a viable product, 100%. "

Remain to be fashionable

Rough Trade seems to be Riding High at the moment, but its last success?

Mr Godfroy admits that its transactions are "typical of the larger music retail", and The Chain occupies a "unique position" in a "very careful, very fragmented, very distorted" retail climate.

But after the music-industry observer, Graham Jones , Proper music, who has written two books about record stores and vinyl-revival, Rough Trade , the scale is still, to the other transactions, will be evaluated.

After the publication of his book " Last Shop Standing, Mr. Jones says he approached was due to A Number of people who wanted to ask him about the opening of a record shop.

"My advice was always to Go and visit some other shops," he says. "But The One I always recommended to visit them, was Rough Trade . As a model, it is The Best . You are The Ones you should definitely look before you open a record shop. "

In Mr. Jones's view, Rough Trade has flourished because "they have managed to remain fashionable - they are a stand-alone brand that music fans are as assigned".

But as he and Virgin Records in the 1970s, enjoyed a similar charisma as a hip place to go, before it expanded and lost that insider status.

as long as Rough Trade has its integrity, its place in the people seems to be affection to be sure. But credibility is hard to gain and easy to lose - a truth, the weigh-in well, the Mr Godfroy-spirit, as he guides Rough Trade Retail due to a change in the music industry Landscape .

retailing, apple, companies, music

Source of news: bbc.com