Rough Trade to open music superstore
Noting that today is April Fool’s Day, I’m nervous that everything I read will be some form of prank. This story, however, was printed in the UK’s The Independent newspaper a few days ago, so I’m trusting that it’s true. Despite that, there’s a somewhat comic edge to the article’s headline, whatever time of year it is: ‘Rough Trade opens massive record shop to fight internet‘. It conjures images of Don Quixote tilting at windmills or King Canute ordering the waves to stop.
Rough Trade was established in 1976 as a shop and two years later as a record label (for further details read their own succinct history). The new store will occupy 5,000 square feet of floorspace London’s East End, which will make it Britain’s biggest music shop. Brick Lane is currently one of London’s most fashionable areas, second only to neighbouring Hoxton/Shoreditch. Given current developments, it’s a brave move, but I’ll be cheering them on.
(Rough Trade also offer an interesting recommendation service in the form of The Album Club and an online MP3 store, Rough Trade Digital, both of which I intend to cover in the not too distant future.)
Link: Independent news story
Link: Rough Trade
Via: Dissensus
