New release Monday
Monday, January 22nd 2007
Headed to FOPP this evening to buy a couple of the new releases mentioned in the last post, The Good, The Bad and The Queen and Field Music. It proved to me that, for me at least, physical product is still the thing. There's a thrill to heading to a record shop to buy a new release that you're excited about that you just don't get from downloading files onto your computer. It's not the same.
The anticipation was the best bit though as the actual purchasing was a bit disappointing. FOPP has always had a new release section at the front of the store and always had a healthy selection of that weeks new albums, I certainly don't recall not being able to find whatever new CD I was looking for. Walking in the store this evening, prominence was given to a whole bunch of records that they were knocking out for £1 and £3, which is okay, new year stock clear out etc. Beside that were the new releases which consisted of a display of about 4 columns across and 6 rows down all stocked with the debut album from The View. Beneath that were 3 rows of The Good, The Bad and The Queen and at the bottom 2 rows containing 2 or 3 other records. No Field Music to be found. Firstly am I to understand that there were only 4 or 5 releases today? Are the record company that desperate to sell albums by The View, do FOPP expect to sell that many? Why was the Field Music album not out with the new releases, a record that has been given strong reviews all over the place. I had to go and look for it on the shelves and the guy behind the counter said they only got 5 copies of it in.
It seems disappointing if FOPP are going to neglect new music like this and concentrate on knocking out cheap back catalogue and DVD's. The cheap back catalogue has obviously always been a strong attraction but as a shop on the route to the train station you would have thought they would do well from people popping in to pick up the new albums on the way to the train. I know January is a slow month normally and maybe that would justify one album dominating the space but not when you are not even putting out copies of all the new releases in the new releases section.
This is not the first time I've been annoyed at FOPP, I should have been offered a Candylion when buying the Gruff Rhys album last week. By the time I realised this on Wednesday they had none left. I demand my cardboard lion!
Should have gone to Avalanche next door. A feeling strengthend by my noticing they were selling Good, Bad and the Queen for £8.99. Bah!
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