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Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to Record Shops?
Not long ago there was one in every High Street. But an astonishing 540 of them closed down between 2004 and 2008. Last Shop Standing lifts the lid on an industry in tatters. Graham Jones has worked at the heart of record retailing since the golden era of the 1980s. He was there during the years of plenty and has witnessed the tragic decline of a business blighted by corruption and corporate greed. Undertaking a tour of the last remaining independent record shops in Britain, he has collected a wealth of entertaining stories that explain why the best are still standing, and how the worst of them blew it. In telling the tale of the industry's sad decline Graham Jones has unearthed wry anecdotes about dozens of rock stars and music industry figures, including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Queen, David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Oasis, John Peel and many others. Last Shop Standing is a hilarious yet harrowing account by a man who has been there and sold that. It is a book that will bring a wry smile to the face of anyone who has ever bought a CD or attended a concert, and still has the T-shirt to prove it.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBusiness
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2009
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April 21, 2013
Imagine a world where pubs don't exist. Where people mostly drink in solitude and rely on internet deliveries of their favourite tipple to their doors. And where old giffers reminisce about the pubs of old and of the memories they have of good times spent in them. Whilst the youth say "yes, but they were expensive and inconvenient, and idiosyncratic, and anyway isn't this iLager2.1 that I just downloaded from alcoBay really brilliant."
Well, that's a bit how I feel about record shops, and of the memories I have of them. And it is mostly memories now. As an avid buyer in my youth, I guiltily confess to having largely deserted them of late, since I mostly feed my habit on downloads and deliveries these days. Shame. And I am certainly not alone - record shop sales have been declining steadily over the past decade, through competition from online stores, illegal downloading and (most scandalously) the big supermarkets. Tesco and their ilk often manage to sell popular CDs ahead of their release date lower than the wholesale price charged by record companies to independent stores (when they will sell to them, that is), and this charming book detailing the decline of the record store contains more than one anecdote about independent store owners clearing the shelves at their local supermarket. Shame.
This book, despite its defiant tone, feels like a snapshot chronicle that will one day be pored over by social and cultural studies students. A trail and tale of record stores and their owners up and down the country, and their determination to survive whilst around them others fail.
The recent surge in popularity of independent record stores (due in part to Record Store Day, which the author helped to get off the ground in the UK) will hopefully keep some of these stores going, I hope so. Because it is stores like these that have helped make the music scene fresh and vibrant in this country for the past 50 years, allowing new generations to find new artists, and for new friends to find each other, connecting people physically and bringing music to life in a way that the internet never can.
I recently visited my local store on Record Shop Day, and found an unexpected rush of emotion at seeing it so full, with a band playing in one corner, and the shelves full of vinyl and CDs, many of them specially released. And yet buying vinyl again felt more like a political statement, or digging deep for a benefit gig. Yes, I will try to visit more frequently, and try to order online less, but I suspect that by the time my son is of record buying age he won't know what a record store is, and he won't know what he missed out on, unless he reads this book. Shame.
Well, that's a bit how I feel about record shops, and of the memories I have of them. And it is mostly memories now. As an avid buyer in my youth, I guiltily confess to having largely deserted them of late, since I mostly feed my habit on downloads and deliveries these days. Shame. And I am certainly not alone - record shop sales have been declining steadily over the past decade, through competition from online stores, illegal downloading and (most scandalously) the big supermarkets. Tesco and their ilk often manage to sell popular CDs ahead of their release date lower than the wholesale price charged by record companies to independent stores (when they will sell to them, that is), and this charming book detailing the decline of the record store contains more than one anecdote about independent store owners clearing the shelves at their local supermarket. Shame.
This book, despite its defiant tone, feels like a snapshot chronicle that will one day be pored over by social and cultural studies students. A trail and tale of record stores and their owners up and down the country, and their determination to survive whilst around them others fail.
The recent surge in popularity of independent record stores (due in part to Record Store Day, which the author helped to get off the ground in the UK) will hopefully keep some of these stores going, I hope so. Because it is stores like these that have helped make the music scene fresh and vibrant in this country for the past 50 years, allowing new generations to find new artists, and for new friends to find each other, connecting people physically and bringing music to life in a way that the internet never can.
I recently visited my local store on Record Shop Day, and found an unexpected rush of emotion at seeing it so full, with a band playing in one corner, and the shelves full of vinyl and CDs, many of them specially released. And yet buying vinyl again felt more like a political statement, or digging deep for a benefit gig. Yes, I will try to visit more frequently, and try to order online less, but I suspect that by the time my son is of record buying age he won't know what a record store is, and he won't know what he missed out on, unless he reads this book. Shame.
June 12, 2017
This book makes a very interesting start but becomes tedious and repetitive in the middle and after. I agree with other readers expressing the opinion that it could have been written in a more interesting way.
April 23, 2012
Last |Shop Standing by Graham Jones
Last Shop Standing Whatever happened to record
shops? By Graham Jones (proper music publishing)
This book is essential reading for anyone like
me who has spent a large chunk of there lives
addicted to record shopping or who would
describe themselves as either vinyl junkies or
record shopping maniacs as Graham Jones
describes what has happened to record shops in
the last 10 years or so as the internet has
destroyed large amounts of shops and the record
industry has probably destroyed even more!
Graham explains that he has spent almost all his
working life either behind the counter at his
own market stall or at HMV before becoming a
sales rep for various music wholesalers in the
UK and has seen first hand the bizarre business
practices that have ruined the industry from the
inside.
He tells great tales about the hype machine
behind certain records and what various reps
would do to be able to manipulate the sales
figures and the book makes clear that the charts
have never reliably reflected actual sales as
much as the marketing budget of certain record
labels.
While telling the tale of Phyllis Nelsons move
Closer he managed to prove that song was lodged
in my brain as I can't stop singing the damn
thing and I hated it when it was being hyped and
pretty much still do!
My favourite part of the book is where he takes
a tour of his favourite 50 surviving record shos
around the uk selected on a 1 shop per town
basis and interviews the owners and staff and
asks about some of there odder customers. Yes he
finds there are people who only collect records
featuring pictures of birds on the covers or
songs about birds and ditto for trucks! That and
a long line of weird requests.
It also show the anger at the major record
labels dealings with the shops in such a way
that the wholesale price of chart cd's is often
more expensive than the retail price the
supermarkets charge for those cd's, hence if you
wish to survive as an independant these days
don't bother stocking chart music!
As for who will survive in these days of
downloading and rampant file sharing it is
pertty much the shops with the best staff and
more eclectic selections who will invariably
have a good online website that will be linked
into an aggregator like amazon or play.com.
The book makes me want to visit many of the
shops that I've not been to and search through
the shops to find some cool things I need to add
to the mountain behind me, or to just go in and
ask for some Todd Bazouki albums and let the
staff figure out who I really mean as that is a
real sign of a good record shop figuring out
what misheard band and song names really are!
You only need to read this if your obssessed by
music and if you are this is a must read and you
could do worse than buying some cd's from
Grahams current company Proper Music
Distribution although you probably already have
even if you don't realise it. oh and whatever
you do don't upset Roy Harper!!
Last Shop Standing Whatever happened to record
shops? By Graham Jones (proper music publishing)
This book is essential reading for anyone like
me who has spent a large chunk of there lives
addicted to record shopping or who would
describe themselves as either vinyl junkies or
record shopping maniacs as Graham Jones
describes what has happened to record shops in
the last 10 years or so as the internet has
destroyed large amounts of shops and the record
industry has probably destroyed even more!
Graham explains that he has spent almost all his
working life either behind the counter at his
own market stall or at HMV before becoming a
sales rep for various music wholesalers in the
UK and has seen first hand the bizarre business
practices that have ruined the industry from the
inside.
He tells great tales about the hype machine
behind certain records and what various reps
would do to be able to manipulate the sales
figures and the book makes clear that the charts
have never reliably reflected actual sales as
much as the marketing budget of certain record
labels.
While telling the tale of Phyllis Nelsons move
Closer he managed to prove that song was lodged
in my brain as I can't stop singing the damn
thing and I hated it when it was being hyped and
pretty much still do!
My favourite part of the book is where he takes
a tour of his favourite 50 surviving record shos
around the uk selected on a 1 shop per town
basis and interviews the owners and staff and
asks about some of there odder customers. Yes he
finds there are people who only collect records
featuring pictures of birds on the covers or
songs about birds and ditto for trucks! That and
a long line of weird requests.
It also show the anger at the major record
labels dealings with the shops in such a way
that the wholesale price of chart cd's is often
more expensive than the retail price the
supermarkets charge for those cd's, hence if you
wish to survive as an independant these days
don't bother stocking chart music!
As for who will survive in these days of
downloading and rampant file sharing it is
pertty much the shops with the best staff and
more eclectic selections who will invariably
have a good online website that will be linked
into an aggregator like amazon or play.com.
The book makes me want to visit many of the
shops that I've not been to and search through
the shops to find some cool things I need to add
to the mountain behind me, or to just go in and
ask for some Todd Bazouki albums and let the
staff figure out who I really mean as that is a
real sign of a good record shop figuring out
what misheard band and song names really are!
You only need to read this if your obssessed by
music and if you are this is a must read and you
could do worse than buying some cd's from
Grahams current company Proper Music
Distribution although you probably already have
even if you don't realise it. oh and whatever
you do don't upset Roy Harper!!
June 8, 2009
Record shops are disappearing, fast - most British cities have one left, at most.
This book is written by a man whose career was driving around the shops in their heyday, plugging records.
It could have been written in a more entertaining way : it all feels as un-edited as a conversation over a pint. But it's an important story, and I am sure that 17 year old boys now don't feel the loss of record shops as keenly as I would have at that age. X-box, downloads, internet - many more ways to spend their time.
This book is written by a man whose career was driving around the shops in their heyday, plugging records.
It could have been written in a more entertaining way : it all feels as un-edited as a conversation over a pint. But it's an important story, and I am sure that 17 year old boys now don't feel the loss of record shops as keenly as I would have at that age. X-box, downloads, internet - many more ways to spend their time.
Read
August 7, 2011This book is brilliant, and I'm not just saying that because I used to work in one of the record shops that's mentioned in it!! If you've ever bought from an independent store then this is the book for you, it's amazing the lengths the record companies used to go to to get their products in to the indies and now the supermarkets have taken over. If you've still got an indie store in your town, use it or lose it.
September 27, 2024
I came across a reference to this book on a music forum and recognised the author's name as someone I knew from the dim and distant past - a former manager of the HMV in Liverpool.
Although it was written some 20 years ago, I thought it might be an interesting read from someone in the know, charting the UK's remaining independent record shops.
The first chapter is autobiographical (at first I wondered if I'd bought the right book) but this served to set the scene around Graham's music industry credentials which prompted his epic journey around the nation's last shops standing.
It was interesting to learn the back stories of these businesses, the people who own and run them and how their halcyon days were dimmed by technological advancements, the changing retail landscape and disregard/ineptitude of the wider music industry.
Gratuitous rewards in the Gallup chart era from pluggers and sales reps in exchange for shop staff turning a blind eye to sales ledger enhancements, and freebies for meeting promotional targets, were enlightening. It made me wonder if any single/album ever charted on its own merits.
But soon after, record companies would turn their back on independents in favour of weighty supermarkets and digital sales and streaming platforms.
In turn, most of the businesses featured have survived by diversifying: niche music genres, merchandise, ticket sales, even dual-purpose premises as cafes and bookshops.
At 344 pages, the book does get a little repetitive - particularly use of the phrase 'last shop standing' after every shop's story - but it is a journey and best read as it was taken, in small sojourns. Every time I picked up the book, I travelled to a different area - many of which I knew and could therefore picture myself walking through the door and chatting to those behind the counter.
Could it have been more succinctly edited? Yes, but occasional spelling and punctuation errors not withstanding, it was still a good read.
It was only marred by my coming to it rather late...in the process of reading it, I worried that many of the shops I was reading about were no more and indeed, this edition updated 10 years after its initial publication, had a final chapter that referenced those that had weathered the storm, those which were no more and delightfully, others that had entered the market on a vinyl revival.
Last Shop Standing led to a film of the same name (now ironically showing on Amazon - an online competitor to many independents) featuring many famous names revealing what record shops meant to them. I will add this to my 'to watch' list.
This is a book which conjures up many memories of the basements and tiny shops were riches could be found, old and new music discovered and lives enriched.
Thanks for making this journey Mr Jones!
I think that it's time to get my vinyl down from the loft and buy a new turntable.
Although it was written some 20 years ago, I thought it might be an interesting read from someone in the know, charting the UK's remaining independent record shops.
The first chapter is autobiographical (at first I wondered if I'd bought the right book) but this served to set the scene around Graham's music industry credentials which prompted his epic journey around the nation's last shops standing.
It was interesting to learn the back stories of these businesses, the people who own and run them and how their halcyon days were dimmed by technological advancements, the changing retail landscape and disregard/ineptitude of the wider music industry.
Gratuitous rewards in the Gallup chart era from pluggers and sales reps in exchange for shop staff turning a blind eye to sales ledger enhancements, and freebies for meeting promotional targets, were enlightening. It made me wonder if any single/album ever charted on its own merits.
But soon after, record companies would turn their back on independents in favour of weighty supermarkets and digital sales and streaming platforms.
In turn, most of the businesses featured have survived by diversifying: niche music genres, merchandise, ticket sales, even dual-purpose premises as cafes and bookshops.
At 344 pages, the book does get a little repetitive - particularly use of the phrase 'last shop standing' after every shop's story - but it is a journey and best read as it was taken, in small sojourns. Every time I picked up the book, I travelled to a different area - many of which I knew and could therefore picture myself walking through the door and chatting to those behind the counter.
Could it have been more succinctly edited? Yes, but occasional spelling and punctuation errors not withstanding, it was still a good read.
It was only marred by my coming to it rather late...in the process of reading it, I worried that many of the shops I was reading about were no more and indeed, this edition updated 10 years after its initial publication, had a final chapter that referenced those that had weathered the storm, those which were no more and delightfully, others that had entered the market on a vinyl revival.
Last Shop Standing led to a film of the same name (now ironically showing on Amazon - an online competitor to many independents) featuring many famous names revealing what record shops meant to them. I will add this to my 'to watch' list.
This is a book which conjures up many memories of the basements and tiny shops were riches could be found, old and new music discovered and lives enriched.
Thanks for making this journey Mr Jones!
I think that it's time to get my vinyl down from the loft and buy a new turntable.
September 11, 2018
Overall I enjoyed reading all the anecdotes. As I read them I looked up each store and was sad that so many of them had closed since the book was published. I don't even remember the last time I bought a record at an actual store.
On the other hand, I didn't like the tone and the attitude of moral superiority the author sometimes showed. Particularly when he criticises artists who sell their own records or give them away for free. I mean it's their music, right? As much as I love browsing at stores, I very much prefer buying directly from the artist.
This one time I think the movie was better than the book. Still, I look forward to reading the new one.
On the other hand, I didn't like the tone and the attitude of moral superiority the author sometimes showed. Particularly when he criticises artists who sell their own records or give them away for free. I mean it's their music, right? As much as I love browsing at stores, I very much prefer buying directly from the artist.
This one time I think the movie was better than the book. Still, I look forward to reading the new one.
August 27, 2017
I am particularly fond of this book since I have visited a number of the record shops which are mentioned.
March 21, 2018
Interesting read covering a variety of aspects of the music retail industry. A bit Partridge-esque in places but made up for it with a genuine love of music threaded throughout it.
June 12, 2022
Very good read and intetesting
June 23, 2016
As is documented record stores are dying so Graham Jones visits a lot of record stores and documents their histories and interviews the people who work there so us readers know what is going on with music as a physical format.
It's a good book: There are some great anecdotes however the problem lies that the book's not very well written and not all anecdotes are funny. There were some points where I just wanted to skip a chapter and go to the next store mentioned.
Still Last Shop Standing does get it's message through: Times are changing and establisments have to cope.
Incidentally there's also a documentary which is excellent - go watch it ASAP.
April 25, 2015
A trip through the record shops of the UK and the state of the music industry. Jones speaks to owners the length and breadth of the country looking at the challenges they face from the industry, the internet and the customers and in several cases the notoriously grumpy Van Morrison.
A decent enough read although it can come across as a bit repetitive and Jones is a pretty nuts and bolts writer.
For anyone who has spent hours of their lives in record shops.
A decent enough read although it can come across as a bit repetitive and Jones is a pretty nuts and bolts writer.
For anyone who has spent hours of their lives in record shops.
March 10, 2013
A really good idea but very repetitive. Nearly every chapter seems to finish with "Will this be the last shop standing?...Yes I think it stands a good chance". I admire the passion that the author has, and as a vinyl addict myself, I really wanted to love this book, but I just found it a bit hit and miss to be honest.
April 19, 2014
Whilst Graham Jones odyssey around the country visiting numerous independent music shops is amusing and entertaining, it's also rather formulaic and soon becomes very predictable and repetitive. It's worth noting that this travelogue doesn't start until some 70 or pages in, the preceding pages are a rather long winded explanation of his various adventures in the music industry.
May 24, 2015
"A very worthy book subject wise with some very funny anecdotes and some surprising facts about the record company and music distribution industries. Shame it was so poorly written - it was repetitive beyond belief and I'm pretty sure it had never seen an editor or proofreader..."
May 3, 2010
Entertaining read from a U.K perspective full of funny stories
and info about the rampant record company corruption that's helped bring the industry to it's knees.
and info about the rampant record company corruption that's helped bring the industry to it's knees.
September 4, 2010
It's ok
Read
April 12, 2012An absolutely brilliant, interesting and funny book highlighting the rise, fall and rise again of independent record shops and the fascinating characters who work and shop there.
February 11, 2013
Not simply an indictment of the way record company idiots have almost destroyed a fine business, but also (and chiefly) an affectionate look at record stores that yet survive!
May 29, 2021
A bit self absorbed stories
Some good insights but also a book about a journey of a musician that distributes music to these record stores.
Some good insights but also a book about a journey of a musician that distributes music to these record stores.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews