THE NEW MUSICAL BOX

ROUGH TRADE HITS NEW YORK AS UK 1000th ALBUM #1 IMMINENT

These are interesting times on both sides of the Atlantic.

This week sees not only the likely announcement of the 1000th #1 UK Album since the charts started in 1956, but also the opening of a 15,000 square foot Rough Trade record store in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. For those who are quick to denounce albums and record stores as passé, this might comes as surprising news. Whilst it's true that the days of nationwide record store chains and million selling albums are largely over, there is a growing renaissance for the better aspects of these long-standing features of the music industry. Recent blogs have covered the rebirth of HMV (Back To The Future For HMV) and the huge increase in vinyl album sales (Vinyl Sales Explode) and so it's only fitting we explore this phenomenon a little further.

58 Years And Counting

The UK's first #1 Album - July 1956

The UK album charts first appeared in 1956 when a grand total of five albums achieved inclusion on 28th July. The long playing record was still a relatively new beast: sales were reliant upon a British public, freshly emerged from the end of war-time rationing and having spare cash to not only buy albums but also the equipment to play them on. The first number one was a landmark release from Frank Sinatra, "Songs For Swinging Lovers", an album that continued his productive working relationship with Nelson Riddle. It stayed in the top spot for three weeks being replace by the Carousel sound-track in August. Increasingly, when albums hit number 1, they tended to stay there for a few weeks - and it wasn't unknown for a release to climb back up the charts and reoccupy that top spot. Indeed, it wasn't until the autumn of 1971 that the 100th different LP achieved number 1 status - this was John Lennon's second solo album after leaving The Beatles, "Imagine". That's a fifteen year gap and meaning an average occupancy at number 1 for each release of nearly 8 weeks.

John Lennon - Imagine - 1971

In the forty years since Imagine, several things have changed the focus within the album charts. Firstly, sales became more diverse with fans buying releases from a wider range of artists. Secondly, competing pressures from  TV and videos saw a different focus on what fans wanted. And thirdly, the CD revolution saw back catalogues becoming increasingly available in a handy format. This all led to much more volatility in the charts and, for example, the next 18 years saw 300 different albums at number 1, the average stay being cut to little more than 3 weeks. And, for the record, that 400th number one was Erasure's "Wild". By the time of the 700th (The Coral's "Magic & Medicine") in 2003, that stay had fallen to barely two weeks and we were witnessing the start of a new facet of chart structure. 

Jake Bugg "Shangrio La" - The UK's 1000th
#1 album?

Download sales had started  having an effect and the concept of "buying an album" was gradually being replaced by fans cherry-picking selected tracks and buying those individually. The net effect was that for a band to hit number 1, far fewer actual sales were now needed and this allowed a much wider range of acts to have their moment in the sun. The last 10 years has been a real roller-coaster ride and now, 10 years on from the 700th album, we are likely to see the 1000th this weekend. For the record, that release will have an average occupancy in the top slot of 1.7 weeks, the lowest figure yet. In 2012, UK album sales declined by over 11% and whilst that still means significant numbers are sold, it is a continuing downward trend. Vinyl is the success story, as we have seen, and in some ways, I liken the current state of the charts to -beer sales in the past 40 years. Here, a situation where a handful of huge breweries produced most of the UK's beer requirements has been replaced by one in which the big breweries are struggling and a vast range of 800 or more small, local breweries have sprung up providing craft ales that serve a discerning niche market. Sound familiar?

So, I'll raise a glass to the 1000th different album to hit number 1, be it Jake Bugg and his second album "Shangri La" or the current favourite, timed for the festive market, Stoke's very own Robbie Williams and "Swings Both Ways". 

Rough Trade New York

Rough Trade NYC - Getting Ready For Opening

I don't imagine that the 1000th UK number 1 album will be bothering the owners of Rough Trade, an iconic record label, management company and increasingly niche record store operator. Their expansion into the USA looks like a savvy move. Their New York store - handily placed in Brooklyn at the epicentre of a lively music scene - has taken their successful UK template and applied it to the Big Apple. They describe the store as a "Cultural Hub" and emphasise that it's "not about the price" (on-line is cheaper) but that "it's about the experience". This is clearly underlined by that UK template which means a funky store (a converted warehouse) with 15,000 square feet of space, a performance area with room for 250 spectators, a cafe and coffee area - and plenty of racks of vinyl, CD and associated musical wares. Rough Trade will never aspire to become a chain store with a downtown site in every city, but they will become a destination for music enthusiasts, backed up by an eclectic and effective website. 

Rough Trade Interior

I've said before that Rough Trade's Brick Lane store in London has caught the zeitgeist, so much so in fact that HMV's re-opening of their original flagship store on Oxford Street has adopted a similar pattern, albeit in a more diverse shopping area than the uber-cool Brick Lane. I truly hope that Rough Trade NYC works for the US market and unless music trends charge forward faster than Rough Trade can adapt, I see no reason why it won't. Vinyl sales - the icing on the cake in the sweet shop window - will prove an attraction and with many hip bands these days issuing their releases on vinyl, CD and download, there'll be a wide range of stock on hand. And whisper it quietly, vinyl is often sold at a premium price in view of its shorter production runs and higher manufacturing costs - so who wouldn't want to try and sell it whilst the fans are still interested?

Spinnaker Records on Main Street, Hyannis
A good small-town store

The rest of the USA may look on with interest, but unless something in addition to the popular annual Record Store Day is developed, the remaining record stores must surely have a precarious existence: their numbers have declined by over 35% in the last five years alone. Enthusiasts and fans will always ensure that selected niche stores survive, but when even the big-ticket chains are ditching music, there must be some cause for concern. Perhaps the right small-town model is a combination of new and used music, knowledge and service - all backed up with the "experience" you just can't get on line.

It'll be very interesting to see what happens next year.

((Post Script - 24th November: Needless to say my usual skills at predicting chart hits continued to fail me as the 1000th UK Album Chart #1 has turned out to be Robbie Williams, rather then my preferred choice, Jake Bugg. No doubt his bank manager will be a little happier now)).

Alan Dorey

23rd November 2013