DOLPHIN OPINION
Dolphin unfriendly
Indies didn’t have a lot of love for Dolphin. Its low margin, high-volume model was the béte noire for many. But the firm’s fall from grace is still no reason to celebrate, says Ronnie Dungan…
L
ike super injunctions or Marmite, Dolphin Music is something that seems to demand that you hold a
viewpoint on it. It was simply not possible, it seemed,
for MI Pro to run a story on Dolphin and not receive a host of sneering online comments. And given the nature of some of them, it was simply not possible to allow them all through. Among High Street MI retailers, like
all dedicated online retailers that compete on price, Dolphin was simply not liked. Only Thomann elicits a more vitriolic response when you mention the name among indie folk. Suppliers had a less antagonistic
attitude because, at the end of the day, it shifted units. Ultimately, perhaps not enough. With rumoured debts of £1.5m, maybe the whole affair has left them feeling a bit chastened, not to mention a bit light in the wallet. Independent retailers in any sector will
always have a downer on a competitor that operates in a way that they can’t. And yes, the argument that it will damage the sector, close independents and could ultimately lead to the demise of the specialist music shop is a compelling one. But this is the struggle faced by independent retail in general. There’s a Dolphin in every market. And by the way, in this market, thanks to PMT’s buy-out, there still is. As to why the firm went bust? Well,
critics will point to its high volume, low margin business model and scoff, saying they knew it was unsustainable. Maybe they feel vindicated now. Well done. But
Dolphin co-founder Jason Tavaria
of course, as we know, there is tragedy in the tale, in the untimely death of its young co-founder Rob Williams. At its heart, Dolphin was an entrepreneurial business and was reliant on the energy and commitment of its two owners, Rob Williams and Jason Tavaria, to push it forward and provide the vision for its expansion. Any business would struggle with losing
50 per cent of its leadership and anyone would struggle with losing a friend and business partner in such a manner as Jason Tavaria did. That he carried on at all is remarkable in itself. That the firm ended up how it did, is somewhat sad. Even the firm’s harshest critics would
have to admit that. Which makes any high-fiving over the situation a mite distasteful. It’s only business, after all.
www.mi-pro.co.uk
July 2011 19
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