Head Records Closes
I confess, I have become fatalistic about record shops. A new one, Head Records, opened in Galway during the autumn, in a mediocre shopping center location. I am familiar to the brand – they had an excellent store in Belfast, and two ok stores in Dublin. The Galway outlet was bigger and they had an excellent range of CDs and vinyl – it really was a good store for those getting into vinyl. However, I found the place quite expensive, with very standard fare – no audiophile stuff, very limited Jazz etc – and my back catalogue is pretty full. I didn’t think that the store would last.
Just after Christmas, I dropped by and there was a 20% off sale (i.e. prices now comparable with the internet). I bought a few records. I came by the next day and the sale was over. I came by two days later and the shop was closed. As usual, when record shops close, I go into mourning. However, I figured that this was a cynical Christmas “pop up” shop, that closed after the holidays. I was wrong. The whole chain collapsed and went into liquidation – the employees were given no notice. This is devastating for anyone interested in owning physical product.
The music retail industry is on its knees – forget the vinyl revolution bump – I’ll address this myth in my next blog – if there is nowhere to flick through a vinyl rack – or impulsively buy a CD from the rack, physical product sales will plummet and die. Even if it is in a neglected corner of FNAC or Urban Outfitters, there has to be somewhere for us to buy records.
Head Records – Galway October 2017 (note – scarily empty of customers).
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