Last Shop Standing

[Starfish]

Last Shop Standing, new movie documentary on the rise and fall of independent record shops

http://lastshopstanding.com/
Last Shop Standing inspired by the book of the same name by Graham Jones takes you behind the counter to discover why nearly 2000 record shops have already disappeared across the UK. The film charts the rapid rise of record shops in the 1960′s, 70′s and 80′s, the influence of the chart, the underhand deals, the demise of vinyl and rise of the CD as well as new technologies. Where did it all go wrong? Why were 3 shops a week closing? Will we be left with no record shops with the continuing rise of downloading? Hear from over 20 record shop owners and music industry leaders as well as musicians including Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Norman Cook, Billy Bragg, Nerina Pallot, Richard Hawley and Clint Boon as they all tell us how the shops became and still are a part of their own musical education, a place to cherish and discover new bands and new music.

[The Dr]

http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/68454

[davedecay]

Watched it on Amazon Prime streaming last night, great documentary.

[BzaInSpace]

Last Shop Standing, new movie documentary on the rise and fall of independent record shops...

Watched it on Amazon Prime streaming last night, great documentary.

Gotta love a bit of irony.

[davedecay]

Well, yeah. Had they showed it on my local screen, I'd have paid to see it there.

And I buy more vinyl than most people i know, primarily at local shops.

[BzaInSpace]

Ha! I couldn't resist...

I can't talk really as the nearest record shop (a shitty HMV outlet doesn't count) is about 150 miles away. So like it or not, a lot of music comes via Amazon. Have to say though, as a student you get prime free for 6 months so getting an album the very next day feels pretty awesome.

I know this will be anathema to some, but needs must. Plus - free mp3 rips, even if the vinyl doesn't contain a code? I'm cool with that.

[semisynthetic]

I too am hours away from a "real" record shop; so I go on roadtrips to visit and purchase from stores I have been visiting for years; I have been buying from one store/ headshop for over 30 years now, and have much
Music and many happy memories. Because I am so far from these shops, and many of them feel no need for the Internet, I send letters and lists just like I did before the net became so important; now I buy probably 80% of the music I do buy on the Net; but the real Gems are often still obtained through individuals and shops I visit or write to. I do prefer wandering about, picking up things that are new and unknown to me, something that is possible online, but not quite as fun.

[davedecay]

I will tell you the exchange of funny comments and musical knowledge at the shop itself far surpasses online exchanges.

Not that this isn't good - it is. But it's not a substitute for talking to someone in person. Learning something from someone older, sharing knowledge with someone younger. Or even the other way around.

Sometimes ordering music online is great and convenient and saves time. Other times it feels soulless and sterile.

I'm glad that I live in an era where I have options; analog, digital, instant gratification, ordering and waiting for shipment from another country, and waiting for the shop to open so I can flip thru all the bins, seeking treasures. The thrill of the hunt is real. The dirt on my fingers that I need to clean off when I'm done. Looking at the names and initials that a former owner put on their record to make sure it came home with them from a party or visiting a friend. Signs from the past that sharing music wasn't done from computer to computer, facelessly, but in person with another human in the same physical space.

[semisynthetic]

Good job, dave; you concisely brought out several points and more which had been in my mind.

There IS something special about a private shop that is carefully and well stocked with quality and variety,
along with a sort of "caretaker" with the knowledge and details of being immersed in music.