Lost In The Flames

What a absolute travesty that so many independent record labels have lost stock due to the senseless torching of the Pias distribution centre. Owned by Sony, the Enfield warehouse, and all stock inside was incinerated on Monday night. Pias Group is the UK's largest promoter and distributor of independent music, and all the stock holding for the UK and Ireland was in the three storey warehouse. To give some idea of the scale of the blaze, all retail stock for the Arctic Monkeys' new single, 'The Hellcat Spangle Shalala' (Domino Records) ,  has been destroyed. However, while a major inconvenience for relatively established indies such as Domino, 4AD, Rough Trade, Jagjaguwar et al, it's the smaller more fringey independents for whom this is truly tragic. As one industry expert observed, it seems likely that "several of the smaller labels aren't covered by insurers", so for them it's the difference between "survival and going out of business."
                While much of today's music is downloaded (legally or otherwise) physical retail is still, as the same commentator put it, "absolutely crucial in the independent sector." Just think of all the collectors and completists, much like myself, who still like a physical copy of a cd or vinyl, in this world of intangible, digital music. Also, as they work on a much smaller scale, the effects of this loss are magnified tenfold. Anyone who has ever worked for a small business, I am sure, would concur.
           So while feral youth 'gets its taxes back' (whatever that means) it's artists and record companies who are forced to suffer. The senseless arson has created another headache for independents already struggling to eek out a living it today's less that congenial environment. So I urge you to follow the Quietus' noble lead and go some way to remedying matters by purchasing downloads or physical copies of the artists and labels most affected by the fire. By following the link below you can see their twenty recommendations of records you can buy which would go some way to recompensing those affected. Needless to say, they are often great records in themselves. Destroyer's latest is a particular favourite of mine.
  It is too easy to take it for granted that there will always be quality music for us to find should we wish. Yet this belief is contingent upon the existence of indies such as Drag City, home of Joanna Newsom and Bill Callahan. These labels are embracing challenging, interesting artists whose pure commercial value is negligible. It is indeed a dire peversion that these institutions should suffer from the empty headed anarchism of a few.

http://thequietus.com/articles/06731-help-pias-labels-by-buying-today-our-top-twenty