Music shops struggle, but Road Records rocks on

A year ago, much-loved Dublin music shop Road Records faced closure. But when 30 people stumped up €1,000 each to maintain the business, the owners took up the challenge. The doors are still open, though not all record stores have been so lucky, writes SINÉAD GLEESON

EXACTLY one year ago, Dave Kennedy from Road Records in Dublin city centre was preparing to make some big changes in his life. In the closing weeks of 2008, his son Paddy was born, just as he was preparing to close the business he had built up over 15 years with his partner Julie Collins. The independent record shop had been hugely popular with music fans and bands looking for an outlet for their releases.

Recession and the decline in trade affected the shop’s viability, and Kennedy reluctantly decided to shut the business. “In November [2008] I realised we’d have to close, but I didn’t accept it. I kept thinking: ‘Christmas will save us’. On Christmas Eve, I closed the shop on my own, because Julie was home with our newborn son. I pulled down the shutters realising that after our big sale in January [2009], we’d close and that would be that.”

His son was crucial to the decision. “I knew if we carried on, we’d get into debt and that he’d suffer the most. For me, he was the deciding factor.”

Kennedy posted a farewell post on Irish music site Thumped.com, and an article about the shop was published in The Ticket. In the weeks that followed, three things happened. First, a benefit gig for the shop sold its capacity of 600 tickets (with many more people donating the ticket price and not attending).

Second, bands who had a stock of records/singles insisted the shop keep them – and any monies raised from the sales.

Third, and most extraordinarily, 30 people came forward and made donations of €1000 each in a bid to keep the shop going.

“I was so flattered, but originally said no because I didn’t want to feel I’d be letting anyone down if didn’t work out. It was an act of altruism by people who had a deep love of the shop. Everyone said they didn’t want a share of the shop, but felt they were buying a personal shopper for life.”

With money from the benefit gig and the donations of friends, Road faced into 2009 with the prospect of staying open. Kennedy and Collins knew changes would have to be made to the business, even though they felt they hadn’t “done much wrong” with the shop. Downloading (both legal and illegal) had affected sales, but both knew a different approach was needed.

“We don’t stock every new album now, concentrating instead on a mix of stuff we like and stuff that will sell.” The shop’s website and mailing list also flag albums of the week and the month, and there is a big emphasis on vinyl. “People are really going for vinyl again, and they want albums new, not secondhand.”

Kennedy also signed up to Twitter, initially out of peer pressure, but the brevity of 140-character tweets suit him, and he thinks it’s a great way to tell people about new stock.

Shortly before Christmas, Plugd Records in Cork also decided to close its doors. Owner Jimmy Horgan says that business peaked a couple of years ago and after that, they began to notice a gradual fall-off in sales.

“Over the last year we became concerned about the decline in trade. It really hit home over the last few months that things were not going well and it could not continue as it was.”

Horgan says he was delighted to see Road remain open, and is taking time out to re-evaluate things to see if it’s possible to open Plugd again in the future.

“If it does open again there would have to be a lot of changes to the business, and we’re thinking about moving the shop online.”

Both record shops had loyal customers who really knew their music, and Plugd, like Road, has taken some solace from the regard people have for the store.

“The response from everyone here has been a big surprise. We didn’t realise it meant that much to people and the support is one of the reasons we hope to get something going again in the future.”

Road was resurrected in what was, in terms of the state of the economy, easily the worst year of its 15-year existence. Are they out of the woods now?

“Not at all, but we’re in a much more stable position than we were,” says Kennedy. “We broke even at the end of the year, which was our target, but this year won’t be as bad. We have short-term aims – last year it was week to week – but now we can plan two to three months ahead. We’re realists though; we’re not going to run the shop if we’re only breaking even.”

Jimmy Horgan thinks it’s a tough time for independent music shops, and he doesn’t see things getting any better. “It’s going to get more difficult just selling CDs and vinyl. Of these, only a few who have a particular market cornered will survive. It would be a real shame if they were to die out altogether. But no business can survive on people’s goodwill. In these times it’s necessary to adapt and change the business model if necessary.”

Dave Kennedy of Road Records believes record shops willsurvive. "In the future, there will be fewer independent record shops, but they'll always be there."

Let’s hope he’s right.