I also find it weird/sad that in Plymouth (where I live) the two stores we have left (Really Good Records and HMV) have pretty much zero connection to the local live scene except for having a tiny bit of wall space for gig posters. When I moved here, another shop (The Last Shop Standing) had cool instores and the space was used for rehearsals. They and the old Really Good Records also used to be enthusiastic about stocking records by local bands.
Seems to be pretty standard nowadays for any somewhat established act that you have to buy/pre-order the album to get in. I do remember older ones where you’d just turn up for free and then be on your merry way which is maybe less worthwhile for the artist beyond ‘exposure’ but they were always fun.
My local HMV have been letting local bands play free gigs in store a lot in the past couple of years - unfortunately it’s 99% very bad teenage bands that I don’t enjoy being subjected to whatsoever, but still, a nice opportunity for the kids.
I’m glad they’ve recently reopened the top floor which contains a stage for it as for a long time they were just playing in the corner on the floor where all the records/CDs were and you couldn’t have a proper browse because all their friends were watching from the aisles.
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Bristol HMV does this as well. It probably is about as grass roots as they come, it’s pitched at bands well below even the toilet circuit, mostly kids just starting out. Not always the highest quality, but good to see kids having a go. The Plymouth HMV is tiny though, not sure where they’d fit a band in!
To return to outstores in general, it’s nice to see a band you like in a smaller venue than usual, especially if they make an effort and use their usual line up / production. But they are essentially chart hyping machines - if a band does a run of five 400 cap shows in release week then that’s two thousand extra sales for the first weeks chart position, which can make a big difference these days, and then some indie no marks can boast about a number one album before it falls to number 147 the following week. It’s kind of a scam, but it’s a scam everyone gets something out of, so not a big deal.
The one thing about them I could grumble about a bit is that on the store side it’s often the bigger boys throwing their weight about at the expense of smaller independents - if Rough Trade do a series of outstores with, I don’t know, Public Service Broadcasting, then they hoover up a lot of sales that might have gone elsewhere, and if I was running a small indie record shop in that catchment area I’d be bit annoyed about it.
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Leave the Reytons alone
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NEVER
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I was gonna say how big it is, haha. I’ve def played smaller instores (in indie shops). But I guess I don’t know how moveable their racks are etc!
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tbf I haven’t been in there for a while now, but I do remember thinking how cramped it felt last time!