26 Music Week 05.10.12 RETAIL
www.musicweek.com
Manager: Mike Dillon APOLLO MUSIC
How long have you been on the High Street? The shop’s been going for over 26 years now. We’ve been through a couple of recessions before, but this appears to be one of the worst times. I think this year has been one
of the worst years for releases by the record companies but the retail sector has been hit from quite a few fronts: mainly the recession but also the continual sports throughout the summer. The Olympic Games being a prime example. The viewing figures for that were astounding, therefore the shops were empty. There’s nothing you can do about that. You’ve just got to hope that the
final quarter will bring some trade. I am a bit concerned that a
lot of the companies seem to be pushing everything out in the final quarter now. There’s only so much money to go around and people have other things to spend it on. I think the record companies forget that
sometimes. We’re competeing against computer games, mobile phones and everything else, the pie has definitely gotten smaller.
How much of a boost do you see in Q4? We can do around 50% of our business in Q4. It’s really that intense. Last year we did very well but if your other quarters after that aren’t so good then you’ve got problems.
You featured in the Last Shop Standing book, and the film of the same name. How much awareness do you think they have brought to the indie record shop’s plight? I thought Graham [Jones] and the production guys had done a very good job with the film and listened to what people said. But you can get a jaundiced view when everyone on there has the same interest. It will be on television and it’ll be interesting to see what the
INTERNET VS HUMAN
comments are after that. I look at Facebook sometimes and there are comments from people who wish that record shops were still around, but we’re in a period of massive change. Now, you’ve got music channels 24/7, radio stations available all over the world, mobile phones are connecting us to whatever we want and I think the next generation of TVs is going to have a huge effect on entertainment - not just music but video as well. I think video shops will be non-existent in three years time.
Is Record Store Day enough of a boost for record retailers? We’ve got to make sure that we don’t kill it. I’ve been making suggestions to the record industry to ask us what we
“The one word that doesn’t exist in our industry anymore is ‘partnership’. The industry needs to come to us and say “What do you want?” MIKE DILLON, APOLLO MUSIC
want. I’m fed up of record companies telling me what I’m getting. The one word that doesn’t exist in our industry anymore is ‘partnership’. Partnership is what makes an
industry work, no matter what that industry is. If you have a partnership then you’re working together for the same aim. At the last Record Store Day, I
was appauled at some of the records that the companies
48 Causeyside Street Paisley PA1 1YH t 0141 887 6293
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were putting out. Some of them were trying to use the day to break new acts and I don’t think that’s what it’s all about. People come into my shop and tend to buy rock and stuff that’s been about for a while. The record industry needs to
come to us and say, “What do you want?” We had issues with people who waited in the queue and, by the time they got here, stock had gone. That’s not good.
How confident are you about the next few years. Do you have any particular strategies for tackling the tough times? We’ve always had to evolve. That’s how we’ve lasted. What we’re now doing is second hand stuff, which I’ve never wanted to do, but if that means that the shop stays open then brilliant.
This week’s High Street Hero Mike Dillon takes on his digital rivals ...
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