“We sell unusual records every day”

Rise record shop in Bristol’s Triangle has become a must-visit place for musicians and music fans passing through this fine city. With shelves and shelves of vinyl, affordable portable record players and the odd in-store performance it offers something the world of digital music never will, says owner Lawrence Montgomery…

Tell us about Rise’s vinyl journey so far. What did your record selection look like when you started and where do you stand today?

We have always had a good selection of vinyl but the availability is much better than it is now and we have expanded our vinyl range from 8 to 14 browsers over the last few years.  Our vinyl sales are up the following amounts over the past few years: 2011 = 59%, 2012 = 33%, 2013 = 43% and 2014 = 44%.

And what about your customer growth? Is it the same type of people buying vinyl now than when you started?

No, there are a lot of new customers buying vinyl.  We are selling a lot of introductory level record players and this is indicative of the new customers buying vinyl.  It is great to see a wide range of ages and demographics getting into vinyl.

How’s the record players selling going for you?

It’s going very well.  We are selling introductory models at £100 and a £250 model which is based on the classic Technics 1210 player.  Although the £100 ones don’t have the same quality of parts – it is great to see young people buying an affordable player and get into the culture of vinyl and record shops.

How important is Record Store Day to you?

It is a great day but I think of it more as a cherry on top.  All our customers know we are a 365 day a year record shop and record store day is a great way to celebrate once a year.  

What’s the rarest record you’ve ever sold?

I remember the uproar when we only got 2 of 100 copies of the Stephen Malkumus plays ‘Ege Bamyasi’ by Can from Record Store Day a few years ago.  We could have sold 200, but there were only 100 in the UK!

And the most unusual?

We sell unusual records every day of the week.  That is the charm.  I love seeing the weird and wonderful range that customers buy from us.

How do vinyl prices compare to other formats?

I think its important that we keep sight on the affordability of vinyl.  I understand it is a niche product and it is very expensive to manufacture BUT it is integral that we can stock and sell a range of new and classic albums at sensible prices.  And if you look at the bad old days of music retail, couple with inflation then £15 for a copy of Velvet Underground & Nico or Arcade Fire ‘Funeral’ is great value in my opinion.   I get more excited about selling 50 copies of a classic Gil Scott-Heron album at £13 than selling 1 copy of a £500 boxed set.

Why do you think there’s this appetite for vinyl now?

It is a reaction against the disposability of digital consumption.  Vinyl is something tangible that you own.  It is a piece of art and debatably the purest music format out there.  I like to think a shop like ours can offer the customer a social experience and something that iTunes, spotify et al can never.  We understand and appreciate the convenience and value of digital services but we also understand our ability to offer our customers something pretty unique.  Live in store performance, good coffee, nice books, knowledgable staff and a great selection of vinyl.  

What do you think the future hold for vinyl records?

They will continue to be a niche product that appeals to a portion of the music buying population.  The fashion aspect may fall away, and customers will come & go but there will always be healthy numbers of vinyl fanatics out there!

More information on Rise at www.rise-music.co.uk, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

(Photos by Joe Pymar)