British retailer Rough Trade opened a massive record store in Brooklyn - a risky move considering how easily consumers can download music online.
Co-owner of Rough Trade Stephen Godfrey talks about the perks from opening a the store, “a music store, a record store is far more than simply being a place of purchase. It’s a place, it's a hangout for people of all ages and tastes to congregate and celebrate music as an art form and not simply a commodity.”
And that’s what co-owner Stephen Godfrey, says will differentiate Rough Trade from record stores of the past that were forced to shut down brick and mortar outlets when digital sales took off.
This store has a bar, a music venue and a café. And while the focus is on records, they have a room sponsored by the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper, where shoppers can hop on Twitter and other social media sites and read music reviews online, “a record store, this store is about maybe having one thing in mind when you come to visit, but it’s the three, four other things that you discover while you are here that you previously didn't know existed that make the store a really, as I say, a destination that delivers a surprise and serendipitous joy.”
Godfrey may be on to something. According to Nielsen SoundScan, vinyl LP sales were up 33.5 percent in the first half of 2013. Digital album sales were up 6 percent too.
In the Internet age Rough Trade’s concept is a gamble and you can bet the industry will be paying attention, to see how this remix of old school formats and new digital and social media plays out.
