News:
Poll names the UK’s best indie record stores
Resident – Brighton,
Love Music – Glasgow,
Tangled Parrot - Carmarthen,
Head - Belfast,
Curtainraiser for Record Store Day April 16
6 April 2011: The votes are in, the poll has closed and
IndieRecordShop.Org, the lobbying organisation devoted to
highlighting the contribution of independent stores to music, today
announces the names of Britain's best indie record stores, as voted
for by the public:
• England's choice is
Resident, based in Brighton's vibrant North Laine area;
• The best Scottish indie
is named as Love Music in Dundas Street, Glasgow;
• Carmarthen's Tangled
Parrot took the crown as Best Welsh Indie;
• Head, based in
Belfast's Victoria Square Shopping Centre, is Northern Ireland's
choice.
All four stores are participating in this year's Record Store Day,
due to take place on April 16.
The results are based on more than 4,000 votes logged in a public
poll on indierecordshop.org, a lobbying and online resource backed
by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), designed to
highlight the contribution of indies to the UK music scene.
Kim Bayley, Director General of ERA said, "Our four winners show
the diversity and dynamism which are still the hallmark of the UK's
independent record stores and which will be on full display on
Record Store Day on Saturday 16 April 2011."
Around 180 of the UK's 280 independent record stores will
participate in Record Store Day, a grassroots celebration of indie
stores when they will be exclusively selling a range of 250
limited edition releases from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Queen,
Lady Gaga, Tinie Tempah, The Smiths, Foals and Metronomy.
A full list of Record Store Day releases and activities is
available from www.recordstoreday.co.uk.
ENDS
For more information contact Steve Redmond on 07770 924720
ABOUT OUR WINNERS
Resident, Brighton
Resident is an independent record shop in Brighton's buzzing North
Laine, established in 2004. Resident started out run solely by the
husband & wife team of Derry Watkins & Natasha Youngs but
has gradually grown to a team of 8 serious music lovers who work
together to give Brighton's residents and visitors the kind of
record shop they deserve. From the weird & obscure to the
absolutely essential, they carry an in depth range of 8,000
constantly evolving titles across new releases, reissues &
catalogue, on cd & vinyl. Resident also sell a wide range of
gig tickets for local venues and host regular in-store PAs.
Co-owner Natasha Youngs said, "When we opened the shop 7 years ago,
against a backdrop of industry doom & gloom, we were told
repeatedly that we were crazy but we knew in our heart of hearts,
that if we did it right, there was a place for us to follow our
dream and open our own record shop. This serves as fabulous
affirmation that all the time, love & energy that goes into
running Resident is recognised & appreciated by the most
important people……our customers. We'd like to say a massive thank
you to every single customer who voted for us & to all the
people who have supported us, shopped with us & worked with us
to make Resident such a success."
Love Music, Glasgow
The rebranded and face-lifted Love Music - previously known as
Avalanche Glasgow has remained true to its formula of offering new
and pre-owned records and music DVDs. New items arrive six days a
week, and the store hosts in-store performances by local and
touring acts. Next in the diary is a performance by
Dundee'sThe View - who have recorded this year's Record Store Day
anthem, 'I Need That Record' - on April 7. Love Music is run
by Sandy McLean who has over 30 years of experience in the UK music
business , and has worked for Rough Trade , Fopp , Virgin , Fast
Product , Avalanche and Bruce's Records in Edinburgh.
Sandy McLean said, "I'm honoured that we've been chosen as
Scotland's best independent record shop. There's been a lot of hard
work put into winning this award; we've had to evolve with the
changing marketplace. As our traditional student custom dropped off
our demographic has gotten older and more discerning; we've had to
run faster just to stand still. Glasgow is such a music loving city
; there's a real passion for music here, and we're proud to be a
part of it. Thanks to everyone who voted for us."
Tangled Parrot, Carmarthen
Tangled Parrot specialise in the fringes (and sometimes extremes)
of popular music while also catering to the varied musical needs of
the local population of West Wales. The shophas just moved to new
premises on the upper floor of 32 King St which has a new
cafe/bar/venue on the ground floor. This is a move to a more
prominent position in Carmarthen. The store caters to most tastes
including rock, punk, indie, hip hop, electronica, reggae, dub,
roots, world and recent additions of jazz, folk, country and spoken
word, as well as offering an extensive stock of all styles of dance
music and hip hop. As well as new releases Tangled Parrot also
offers a comprehensive second hand selection.
Matt Davies said, "It's a huge honour to be voted the best indie
shop in Wales and it comes at a time when we've undergone huge
changes to improve the shop. We would like to thank all our
customers for their support."
Head, Belfast
Success in the indierecordshop.org poll comes for Head just four
months after it opened in the Belfast's Victoria Square Shopping
Centre. Part of the five-strong Head chain run by Les Whitfield,
Head offers frequent promotions and is a keen user of social
networking tools.
Shop manager Kenny Hutchinson said, "We like to think we give our
customers great, honest, friendly service. This is achieved through
a team of individuals who possess fantastic product knowledge
across all formats and demonstrate a friendly 'can-do' attitude
that is often lacking on the High Street. We have strong in-store
merchandising to promote a large product range we believe is
unrivalled throughout the whole of Ireland."