Independent record shops team up

The recent demise of many independent record shops is very much mourned by the vintage music collectors amongst us, and indeed amongst most music lovers. So it is heartening to see them teaming up in order to stay relevant and financially viable in today's market place.

The Coalition of UK Indie Stores is a trade body which will fight for the interests of independent music shops across the UK. An initial grouping includes 15 of the larger stores, notably including London's Rough Trade and Sister Ray, Piccadilly in Manchester, 1Up in Aberdeen, and Jumbo in Leeds. The body will be run in turn by each of the participating shops. The coalition officially launches this Saturday 19 April, a day that has been declared the inaugural "Record Store Day" in the UK, Record Store Day is an American idea which has gained huge support over there in recent years. This awareness-raising campaign day hopes to express the allure of the local record shop and looks to capture both artist and public imagination. Many shops are having live in-store gigs as part of the celebrations.

We at Modculture say head down to your local store this Saturday and spend a few pounds on that soul/blues/jazz (delete as appropriate) compilation you've been meaning to pick up for some time now.