1st one of the year: Back like a Bad Penny, new RINGO STARR, Best Album Poll, new CLAPTON LP, FKA Twigs, JOHN BLEK reissue, and Happy New Year

Hi Folks

We are back, like a bad penny!

Happy new year, hope it all went fine for ye.

Thanks for supporting the shop last year and over Christmas….the siopa had a good christmas thankfully ( thanks to ye) and was up nearly 5% on the previous Christmas….it puts fuel in the engine for 2025 , which is critical … .so job done…thank ye.

Back to our weekly hawks…

Releases in the siopa for this Friday the 10th Jan include




It’s time for our albums of the year poll folks … .please enter … .the more enter, the better the poll we feel … .50 euro voucher up for grabs for one entrant…..if you only have one album to enter….enter it! If you want us to enter for you, let us know and we will… or the best way for us is send your entries here …thanks again to Rick for taking the job off our plate…will remind again next week, but do it now!!

 

https://forms.gle/RagF5dpcoquS1b798



Then for the 17th of Jan we will have




Lots of changes in our industry there over the Christmas period…change equals upheaval….the company that ran the warehouse for Sony, Universal, Pias/Integral and Cargo was called Utopia Distribution and they went into administration on the 13th Dec….a new gang called DPWorld came in and took over 11 days before Christmas….it could have been way worse …all new contacts, invoicing etc….it could have been way worse…there still is a functioning warehouse…that piece of the puzzle seems to be in a state of constant change, you would wonder sometimes where it is going.

 

Another sizable change is the Beggars group and Secretly distribution have gone from under the umbrella of Pias/Integral to team up with Cargo .

Cargo were already distributor for  Fire Records, Hyperdub, Planet Mu, and Sub Pop but now will have the roster for the  Secretly Group which encompasses Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory, and Secretly Canadian, along with All Flowers Group (Ghostly, Drink Sum Wtr) and The Numero Group as well as the Beggars Group which spans huge labels like  XL RecordingsYoung RecordingsRough Trade, Matador and 4AD

Lots of big labels there now folks….i hope Cargo are set up for it properly….some huge acts going under their umbrella now , FONTAINES one of them….Cargo are sterling and i was worried about price hikes, but it seems okish, but time will tell with it all really….big preorders via Cargo now in the next month are David Gray  and Sharon van Etten.

Speaking of pricing, i know its a sensitive subject with all of us….we done our annual stock take over the new year and average retail price of a record in our shop was 33.27 euro….if it could go back 10% , it would be fine i think.



 

And the main stuff we will be ordering in the next few days is here….mainly 24th of Jan if not noted otherwise….SHOUT if interested in something below folks



 

John Blek has a coloured vinyl reissue of “  on ether and air” on the 31st Jan folks….brand new artwork.

 

Also myself and Shane did an interview with Simon from Irish Tech news  there before Christmas … .if you want something to read with your cornflakes , or some might say  when you’re in the lavatory… here’s the article…thanks again Simon for shining a light from a different place

 

https://irishtechnews.ie/music-retail-in-a-digital-age-musiczone/

 

Going to hand ye over to Shane now as he takes ye down the road as usual….firmly back in the saddle kid!!!

Exciting few months ahead for you, I think the test pressings landed?

Yup! They did. Unreal to hear my music on vinyl, Ray. Thanks as always for your help with it.
Hi everyone, hope ye had a lovely Christmas/New Year break. Back on the horsey, yee haw!
I will be putting out my debut album of original music this coming March. Under ‘bÚkl’, pronounced like ‘buachaill’. It will be on limited vinyl and CD under the Music Zone Records umbrella. Excited for ye to hear it!
I will update more next week or the week after!
Sound.

Bit behind (what’s new? haha) so I will rattle them off for ye.

Before the corporate list, just to let ye know that there’s a cool ‘Collector’s Edition’ Box Set of Paul Weller’s album ’66’ from last year available. It’s a lovely wooden box set and includes a bonus 10 inch, book and other merch items. Check the link there for more.

That’s all from me folks. Will get a few of the ones we didn’t get to up next week.
Sound.
Cheers, Ray.



Thanks Shane! 

 

Sin e really for this year ( so far) folks

Thanks for listening ( and supporting us) as usual

Ray, Shane, young Adam and Mia

First one of the year done….i think we do circa 49 or maybe 50 of these a year … .1 down 48 to go!!
Happy new year