34 MusicWeek 22.06.12 RETAIL Owner: Neil Clarke CLAMPDOWN RECORDS
9-11 Patton Street Manchester, M1 2BA t 0161 237 5932
wclampdownrecords.com
www.musicweek.com
Give us a brief history of Clampdown Records… We started out as a mail-order business in the 1980s and graduated onto the Record Fair circuit before opening our shop in Manchester’s legendary Corn Exchange in 1990. Those were the glory days – the store expanded and eventually featured a café too. Unfortunately our progress was
halted by the IRA bomb of 1996 which decimated the city centre and most of our stock, which was uninsured as our policy excluded ‘terrorism’ (there was a ceasefire at the time). It took 18 months to finally re-
locate to a large store near to our present location above the Rock Venue The Roadhouse. Rising costs and an increased development in our mail-order business meant we were able to downsize to our present location in 2004, fairly near to Piccadilly train station but close enough to the bohemian retail haven of the Northern Quarter.
I bought out my partner in
2008 and am now a sole trader, which means twice as much work and rarely a day off with seven- day trading.
Give us an idea of the kind of things you stock. Do you host any in-stores or similar events? We cover most genres of music but specialise in vinyl, particularly rock, punk, indie, pop and Manchester artists such as The Smiths, Oasis, Joy Division and Stone Roses. We have over 30,000 singles and 10,000 LPs of new and used collectibles plus books, CDs and T-shirts too. What isn’t in-store is online. We recently purchased a
collection of several thousand 1950s and ’60s 45s in great condition. Most of our stock is from private collections but we do stock the Music on Vinyl range of new reissues. Our present location is too
small to host In-stores but we try to support local artists with things like free CDs, flyers and so on.
INTERNET vs HUMAN
How is business today compared to when you first opened and throughout previous years? It’s completely different to when we first opened. Twenty years ago, 95% of business was in store, now that represents only 35% so we are an online retailer with a physical outlet. That offers mail-order customers some reassurance and still gives us the opportunity to buy and trade like we did in the old days. It also means much more hard work. Even quiet retail days are spent uploading stock to our website. We also ship all around the
world, with Eastern Europe, Asia and South America being growing markets. Also with cheap travel and massive redevelopment over the last 15 years, Manchester has become a great city to visit. We have the largest student population in Europe and two of the best football teams as well.
“A simple change would be an amnesty on PPL and
PRS charges for small shops. We should be rewarded for showcasing music, not penalised”
NEIL CLARKE, CLAMPDOWN RECORDS
How can retailers combat the rise of digital downloads and what many store owners consider tough times at the moment? Offer value for money and variety of stock. People like to browse and will revisit in-store or online if an efficient and friendly service is provided for them. The increase in free download
codes when buying vinyl is a good thing as well and, in my opinion, it should be an industry standard.
Do you participate in Record Store Day at all and if so, how
was it for you this year? We have had an increase in sales around Record Store Day year on year. Manchester is well served with around 18 Independent record stores which is healthy and long may they all prosper.
Is there anything that you think the music industry could be doing to help indie retailers? A simple one would be an amnesty on PPL and PRS charges for small shops. We should be rewarded for showcasing music, not penalised.
If you could change one thing about the music industry overnight, what would it be? The TV exposure of X Factor type talent shows. There are great bands, writers and singers out there producing fresh, original material, they should be receiving national exposure.
This week’s High Street Hero Neil Clarke takes on his digital rivals ...
WE SAID WE LIKED... KAISER CHIEFS Souvenirs
AMAZON RECOMMENDED... SCISSOR SISTERS Magic Hour
NEIL RECOMMENDED... ALABAMA SHAKES Boys & Girls
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