Idea for saving ROAD Records (1 Viewer)

[Goodbye]

Of Course

 

[Pantone247]

nice, but not as entertaining as the anger, filth and abuse

 

[Divil A Bit]

Amazing.

The last good few posts I have to say are nothing if not a predictable reaction to anyone actually getting up and doing anything positive. If it were easy we'd all be doing it...

Myself and NiallMc encountered all the same negative views when we were setting up a co-op many moons ago.

If and Dublin is closing the doors of it's last indie record store, will you still do nothing?

Yeah the market ain't there...!

 

[sweetoblivion]

Of Course

Divil A Bit, don't let the negative comments overtake the positive ones.

 

[Squiggle]

Amazing.

The last good few posts I have to say are nothing if not a predictable reaction to anyone actually getting up and doing anything positive. If it were easy we'd all be doing it...

Myself and NiallMc encountered all the same negative views when we were setting up a co-op many moons ago.

If and Dublin is closing the doors of it's last indie record store, will you still do nothing?

Yeah the market ain't there...!

I think that people were saying that we should support the remaining ones rather than go into competition against them, and so, hopefully, save them from closing up.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

BUT I do think that since Road announced they're closing, a lot of people have realised the importance of shopping local and supporting local retailers.
..

the problem is that this realisation will fade as soon as an alternative is sorted. Apart from the people who are directly involved in any hypothetical co-op people will begin to lose enthusiasm as it begins to get more established.
places like red ink also provided a unique outlet in dublin, but no ammount of initial enthusiasm/the enthusiasm of the people who set it up could replace the fundemental lack of demand for there products..
I think that great and all as road was, the lesson to be drawn from its demise is not that it should be replaced, but that people should be more aware of the likes of surviving shops like citydiscs/plugged etc and the ammenity they provide.
Im not sure how coherent all of that was....

 

[JohnnyRaz]

I think that people were saying that we should support the remaining ones rather than go into competition against them, and so, hopefully, save them from closing up.

exactly what I was trying to say(ish!)

 

[Divil A Bit]

Absolutely support the remaining ones, it's just that ROAD were my favourite.

How are the remaining ones surviving if ROAD couldn't. Anyone?

 

[JohnnyRaz]

How are the remaining ones surviving if ROAD couldn't. Anyone?

id say citydiscs location and big second-hand cd section is getting them a lot of passing trade. not sure how spindizzy is going, but again, georges st arcade would get a lot more footfall than fade st, even though its just round the corner.

 

[Cryptid]

Absolutely support the remaining ones, it's just that ROAD were my favourite.

How are the remaining ones surviving if ROAD couldn't. Anyone?

Road was my favorite too. And I haven't been there in years. I only go into town on Sunday due to other committments and Road is closed every Sunday. This Sunday I made sure I went in and bought a record in a local store.

Dudley's direct debit idea was a good one.

People aren't being negative and it's good to try to think of ways to secure the future of the remaining stores. I admire sweetoblivion's and others' enthusiasm and willingness to commit time and resources, but there are problems with the idea, vis a vis the current market situation and talking about them before they materialise is not a bad idea.

 

[lympog]

Amazing.

The last good few posts I have to say are nothing if not a predictable reaction to anyone actually getting up and doing anything positive. If it were easy we'd all be doing it...

Myself and NiallMc encountered all the same negative views when we were setting up a co-op many moons ago.

If and Dublin is closing the doors of it's last indie record store, will you still do nothing?

Yeah the market ain't there...!

and i'm being honest and straight with you
it's not one factor that is killing road, there are multiple factors involved (as explained in plain english by dave).

you can be positive all you like if you choose to ignore all the negative aspects of the industry; unfortunately it'll leave you with a very skewered view of what is a declining industry model

what might be more positive, would be trying to develop a new business model within the confines of independent and major organisations that also bring in the demographic that road has not being getting for the last number of years (i.e. - under 25's)

 

[JohnnyRaz]

what might be more positive, would be trying to develop a new business model within the confines of independent and major organisations that also bring in the demographic that road has not being getting for the last number of years (i.e. - under 25's)

hanging arround outside primary schools giving the kiddies united bible studies cd-rs??

 

[BonsaiSuperstar]

hanging arround outside primary schools giving the kiddies united bible studies cd-rs??

you stole my idea!
target the kids!

 

[sweetoblivion]

of course there are problems with the idea at this point it's all pie in the sky, and that's why it's good to bandy around ideas.

Right now, people are leaning towards putting their resources into supporting existing shops, which makes absolute sense.

So perhaps people will start bringing up new reasons to have a co-op - for putting on record fairs, for example? All-day record fair/gig events? There are so many things we could talk about. People will only do something if it's viable.

 

[lympog]

hanging arround outside primary schools giving the kiddies united bible studies cd-rs??

fucking a!!

 

[Pantone247]

Absolutely support the remaining ones, it's just that ROAD were my favourite.

How are the remaining ones surviving if ROAD couldn't. Anyone?

City discs has a huge second hand section, great location, it covers a very broad catagory of music, and (with all and huge respect to Road) has in the last six months been bang up to date with new release, where road just haven't been... probably as the business was in flux at the time

I'm not ragging on your idea, just saying IMHO your providing a solution (start a co-op) to a different problem (the problem at hand being keep record shops going)

 

[JohnnyRaz]

So perhaps people will start bringing up new reasons to have a co-op - for putting on record fairs, for example? All-day record fair/gig events? There are so many things we could talk about. People will only do something if it's viable.

I reckon this is probably the most viable idea. Have 4-5 a year? maybe have one in each major city every few months.

To do this you'd probably have to set up(used in it loosest sense of the word) some umbrella organisation of independent lables etc. which given the wide varieties of musical taste/politics you might encounter may prove difficult.

 

[Unicron]

what might be more positive, would be trying to develop a new business model within the confines of independent and major organisations that also bring in the demographic that road has not being getting for the last number of years (i.e. - under 25's)

Sell skinny jeans and garish hoodies as well as records. problem solved.

 

[ann post]

theres plenty to be learned from the thread for sure, i'd think in some light though (only from my perspective) that its a knee jerk of sorts, not being a dublin resident, i can see that this is one of the first instances of the recession hitting thumped on a large personal level; i think as the next year pans out, and as more things start dissapearing, co-ops wont just be a possible solution, they may indeed be complete necessity. co-op as a term can cover car pooling, it can cover sharing of equipment, a library is in some sense a co-op, like nobody can buy 30,000 interesting books, but everyone can buy one. if 20-30% of incomes are going to be dissapating in the coming year or two then there will be bigger fish to fry then wondering about how to preserve the local entertainments industry. cross border shopping will probably gut the parts of dublin closest to the M50 - its a see-saw that tilts in microcosm around the border regions of donegal. my petrol is bought southern and my beer bought northern, and if the prices change i switch allegiance.

 

[Cryptid]

City discs has a huge second hand section, great location, it covers a very broad catagory of music, and (with all and huge respect to Road) has in the last six months been bang up to date with new release, where road just haven't been... probably as the business was in flux at the time

I'm not ragging on your idea, just saying IMHO your providing a solution (start a co-op) to a different problem (the problem at hand being keep record shops going)

Hope all going good at the top of the food chain.

Just wondering, of the indie shops, are there particular ones that have an "Independent Irish Releases" section with zines etc.? These would be the best to support. Somewhere that will stock peoples' self released records, zines comics etc.