Road Records
Road Records was an independent record store in Dublin, Ireland. Hailed as part of the cultural identity of the city, its closure after eleven years of existence[1][2] as part of the global credit crunch in 2009 came to the attention of the national media when its owner, Dave Kennedy, highlighted the difficulties facing his store and the music industry in general on the store's website, difficulties which included being priced out of the market, the rise of illegal file sharing on the internet, the changing leisure pursuits of modern teenagers, the spiralling costs of running a business in Ireland and the rapid decrease in the number of people visiting Dublin. Kennedy stated:
We don't see any young people in the shop any more; so as we lose older customers, we don't gain any new ones.
The store was a popular topic amongst the Irish blogging community and its closure was greeted with posts expressing much disappointment. ThrillPier's blog had the post: "Road was the place to go for decent indie stuff. I especially loved the photos from local gigs that were up on the walls. Everyone from the White Horse generation of punk/indie fans will lament the passing of this great shop. Where will I get my Burning Love Jumpsuit CDs now?".[3]
Hot Press praised Road's willingness to sell the sort of music "not readily available" in other stores, describing it as "a much-loved fixture" in the Dublin music scene.[4] The Irish Times described Road Records as "to Irish independent music what Richard and Judy are to new authors", referencing the British television presenters' renowned bookclub and pointing out that, even after having won an Academy Award, Glen Hansard regularly visited the store when he was at home in Dublin.[5]
References
- ^ "Road Records to close". State. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Road Records to Close". entertainment.ie. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- ^ "It's the end of the Road". Irish Independent. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Road Records to close". Hot Press. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "May the Road rise up". The Irish Times. 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
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