Packed Selectadisc is too little, too late
IN the week since Selectadisc's closure was announced, the place has been packed.
For owner Phil Barton, it's gratifying to see... but too late.
Phil bought Selectadisc two years ago when it was on the brink of closure and for two months pumped money into a business that wasn't making any.
Finally, he said, he couldn't do it any longer.
As he prowled the aisles with a meticulously written note of everything he was looking for that day – a shopping list that included everything from Place Vendone to Saxon – Steve Perenyre said he was running out of options.
"My regular shop in Derby shut about eight months ago," the Derby resident said. "I've been coming here for about 25 years. I've always supported the local retailer.
"My option now is HMV in Derby or Amazon on the internet."
At 20 and 17, Alasdair Ambrose and Florean Hodgkinson fit neatly into the demographic that apparently gets music almost solely off the internet. But as they stood in the Selectadisc queue waiting to pay for their finds, they weren't buying that logic.
"I don't really buy off the internet," Florean said.
"I first discovered [Selectadisc] when I was about 11. It's the selection of CDs – you can always get really obscure things.
"You can look for them everywhere, but you'll probably find them here. It's more of a personal experience."
But not one that enough are willing to have, it would seem.. Phil has heard that as much as 95% of traded music is now traded free on the internet. Tough to compete with that.
As she waited to buy CDs from Death Cab for Cutie, Counting Crows and the Ben Folds Five, Nottingham Trent University student Chelsea Lovell, said she'd miss Selectadisc.
"It's good to be able to look through it and all," she said. "You can ask them their opinions."
And she said she pays for her music. But she doesn't go to music stores much.
"I buy CDs, but I buy them online more," she said.
42 Comments
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by steve martin, leicester
Tuesday, December 29 2009, 9:58PM
“I haven't been to Nottingham for months, there's no reason to go now. Barely bought a new vynil album since Selectadisc closed. I hoped it might re-open but I doubted that it could ever return to its former glory. Anyway a belated thanks for many happy hours browsing the racks and for the hundreds of great albums that I would never have got hold of without Selectadisc.”
by Jamie, Derby
Wednesday, April 29 2009, 5:23PM
“Im going to miss selecta disc used to jump on the red arrow from derby to notts every saturday and any other day i could make it, and id get a new vinyl or drum and bass cd pack every saturday at least, or other days i could make it into notts, since then i cannot find anywhere else better to buy my things from, what a drastic ending!”
by Stephen, Nottingham
Saturday, April 18 2009, 3:30PM
“All those people who down load muisc off the internet hold your head in shame, and to the people who down load ( steal ) music for free you are just as bad as shop lifters
Missing you already”
by Ian Hall, London
Monday, March 30 2009, 12:18PM
“I used to love going to Sleccy in the mid-to-late-1990s: a couple of Britpop albums maybe, a couple of fanzines (Brian and the Tricky Tree), plus maybe a t-shirt if I was feeling flush.... happy times.”
by Gareth Busson, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Monday, March 16 2009, 8:01PM
“Sign 'O the Times
I know, I know, a rather obvious, but somehow fitting, pun.
I can just hear myself
reminiscing to my children in ten years time.
"I remember when I was your age, I used to spend hours at a time searching through rows and rows of records in a dark, noisy store with my friends, and all in the hope of finding something new and fresh, then actually queueing up to hand over cash for it."
Ah well, I take comfort from the fact that tough times have always inspired people to create great music.”
by Simon, Nottingham
Friday, March 13 2009, 2:47PM
“Barry from St Anns -
Thanks for:
a) your opinion - everyone is allowed one and yours is very important
b) taking the time to listen to Luxury Stranger :o)
c) taking the time to write (or type) your opinion on this site :o)
Now then, what's your thoughts on Selectadisc closing..? :o)”
by Redeye, Sherwood
Sunday, March 08 2009, 12:27PM
“How very sad indeed. My first album bought from there - Ziggy Stardust - and (looks like) my last - Smoke and Mirrors by The Datsuns. And hundreds in between. The king (of record shops) is (nearly) dead. Long live the king.”
by william, sherwood
Sunday, March 08 2009, 10:04AM
“Used to go to the arkwright street shop where you always found a good deal in the "cut out" bins and actually made money trading LPs”
by indie boy, swagging it up
Sunday, March 08 2009, 8:55AM
“spent a lot of time searching and learning about my tunes in the shop”
by Barry, Stanz
Saturday, March 07 2009, 2:44PM
“Simon York, I've just checked your band out, wow, congratulations you seem to have really hit the mark in producing a droll predictable sound with lifeless lyrics.”