Philippe’s Rat Records Blog

“A quarter of all of the UK’s independent record stores have closed in the past year, according to trade body the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).

“ERA’s latest census of the struggling sector showed that there are barely 300 independent music stores left in the UK, down from 408 in 2007. Ten years ago there were more than 1,000 stores in the country.

Increases in sales of digital download, the encroachment of supermarkets into the entertainment market and the general economic downturn have led to the closures.”

Now I assume this is no news to any of you, yet I thought I’d alert the members of Rat records by directing you to this link :

http://media.causes.com/605228

A noble cause started on facebook and snowballing rapidly, hoping to raise the concern worldwide and hopefully make people more aware of where the remaining shops are, and the rest is for you, wherever you are and wherever you go, to make a difference really… so please join the cause and take the time to invite your friends too. Cheers.

But don’t worry, we’re definitely not anywhere near closure here, and as long as our Lord Tom is remaining fit to travel the perfidious Albion (at least from a French point of view for coveted dusty wax, we’ll be standing proud and keep waving the flag for vinyl lovers in London.

We’ve got some cracking Punk and New wave 7inches coming out as well as a few ultimate classics such as The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour in it’s booksleeve and a couple of the second press of the Zip sleeved Sticky Fingers. And with christmas coming, I can tell you those still make grown up men weak in the knees…

Other originals first pressings include Hendrix, Cream, Byrds, Joy Division, Miles, Coltrane, Specials, Big Youth, Dury, Pistols, Damned, Dylan, Buckley….

apart from those prehistoric relics, you’ll also be able to pick the remaining slices of mid 90’s Jungle and 2step classics sold to us by a top pirate radios veteran, and plenty left of Indie, Electronica Funk and Soul 12’s, all priced desperately low low low….

All right, so I hope to see some of you at the counter soon.

Until then, all the best from all here and indeed, keep it Vinyl!

Philippe at Rat Records.