On 21st May, some of Europe’s leading independent labels will get together for a unique event in the heart of London’s Soho.
The event will take place on Berwick Street, where the heads of these labels will sell their wares directly to the customers, at that traditional goods exchange – a market stall. Peacefrog, Chess Club, Wall Of Sound, Fortuna Pop!, Mute and XL have now been added to Independent Label Market, Berwick Street. And for one label boss this won’t be their first time running a stall :
“I started making mixtapes and selling them. I had a stall in Camden market. That’s really what a record company is, apart from the fact it’s not legal. You sort the music, get the artwork done, do the manufacturing and then sell them. That was actually the most fun, visceral way of running a record label that I’ve ever been involved in, because you talk to every single person who buys something”
(Richard Russell, Founder of XL Records)
Armed with flasks of tea and punnets of 7”s, each label boss will man their own stall and spend the day meeting their public – and where better to launch this than on Berwick Street, where the first market appeared in 1778.
Berwick Street and the surrounding area has always been very well known for its independent record shops, especially through the 1990s into the early 21st century (including Vinyl Junkies, CD City, Sister Ray, Selectadisc, Reckless Records, Phonica, and Mr Bongo’s), however many have now closed due to the emergence of digital downloading.
Westminster Council are very supportive of Independent Label Market and it will be a fantastic boost to the trading community in the area.
There will be a host of exclusive releases, artist appearances and much more from the following labels, who are confirmed for Independent Label Market: Berwick Street on the 21st May:
* Angular Records
* Bella Union
* Chess Club
* Domino
* Fortuna Pop!
* Heavenly
* House Anxiety
* Merok
* Moshi Moshi
* Mute
* Peacefrog
* R&S
* Rough Trade
* Roundtable
* Transparent
* Tri-Angle
* Wall Of Sound
* Weird World
* XL
The event is supported by AIM.
http://independentlabelmarket.tumblr.com/
FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206684286016480
