Thursday, March 13, 2014

Independents' day

Congratulations to two of my favourite record shops, Spillers in Cardiff and Piccadilly in Manchester, both having received well-deserved nominations for the 2014 Music Week Awards in the Independent Retailer category. Also up for the prize is Nottingham's Music Exchange, a shop I wasn't even aware existed - great to know that the gap left by Selectadisc's demise has been at least partially filled, though I do feel a bit dirty for spending a fortune in Fop last time I was in the city.

The nominees in the Independent Record Company category include the usual suspects: Bella Union, Domino, Matador. I'd be inclined to give it to Bella Union, though Jagjaguwar also deserve recognition.

One category that's left me scratching my head is Music & Brand Partnership. The fact that music is widely (and arguably increasingly) regarded as nothing more than a tool for selling products is not something that should be celebrated.

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