Random Play by Graham Reid

Thanks Graham -- great post. I ran out of time this morning to form a coherent thought on the Real Groovy news, but you've done it better than i could have.

December 5th - The Day That Auckland Got Its Groove Back.

Praise be Chris Bourke! It has been great having him as the writer-in-residence at Waikato this year.

Sadly Dunedin doesn't have its groove back - RG bought up the competition and then shut down ..... guys I used to drop over $1k a year on you and you went away .... now I'll have to turn to the internet .....

Graeme, you're looking at this through very, very, rose-tinted glasses.

As with Paul, I too was a big spender at Real Groovy's Dunedin shop. Myself and a lot of other people here are extremely cynical about how the Real Groovy saga has played out here. Basically we feel ignored and shafted by Real Groovy's owners, who have completely left us in the lurch.

I will refrain from bitching and moaning any further, as I've already given a Dunedin perspective on this issue on Russell's original thread.

Yes, I am aware that Real Groovy has not now got a store in Dunedin, and I am sure there are as many reasons as there are conspiracy theories about why/why not.

I guess what we tend to forget about when it comes to music is that a record shop is actually just another business. If it makes a buck it stays in business, if it doesn't then . . .

And also that Real Groovy, just like JB Hi-Fi, Uncle's and the Number 1 Shoe Warehouse was expansionist.

I'm a pragmatist when it comes to things like this: to survive they probably had to ditch a store and that was it. Also the deal they have cracked is because the managers of the stores in ChCh and Wellington bought the shops to keep them going.

I have no idea what happened in Dunedin. Maybe no one thought to, or wanted to, buy it? (If not, why not?)

If I am looking at it through rose-tinted glasses then so be it: but I am not so naive to think that RG is anything but a business.

This from Chris Hart's e-mail, the emphasis mine: "The Auckland store will join forces with the Wellington and Christchurch stores (purchased by local management) in order to bring the nation’s biggest retail chain, selling new, rare and second-hand music, back to its former glory."

Yep, money talks etc and while we might have emotional attachment to the corner record store (like Roy Colbert's etc) or love the smell of vinyl in the morning, the end of the ledger is where it is at.

And Solomon King on scratchy old vinyl at my house is still singing "there was music before, there'll be music again . . ."

Auckland has a woeful track record when it comes to looking after its heritage and I have often said that developers don't see an old building as anything other than a target.

Don't get me started. I have spent the last few months studying the redevelopment (for want of a better word) of Auckland in the 80s. It was shameful. And it has not really stopped: they simply ran out of old buildings to destroy.

This website of which you speak: do tell more.

As with Paul, I too was a big spender at Real Groovy's Dunedin shop. Myself and a lot of other people here are extremely cynical about how the Real Groovy saga has played out here. Basically we feel ignored and shafted by Real Groovy's owners, who have completely left us in the lurch.

I was wondering how the Dunedin lot would take the news. As someone who used to sink probably about $1k/year into the store down there, I still feel a tad empty that it's no longer around. And yes, a little cynical. Especially considering prior to its arrival, Echo records was performing well, had good management, stock, etc. I understand Graham's pleasure in seeing the store's return, it's just a shame that Dunedin is left without a specialist record shop. Not least considering its history.

While it's great the store is back all overthe country (although visiting the ChCh one I'm still surprised how depleted the stock still is- it's going to take sometime to get it back to anything resembling its previous status), it's all a little hollow at this stage.

This from Chris Hart's e-mail, the emphasis mine: "The Auckland store will join forces with the Wellington and Christchurch stores (purchased by local management) in order to bring the__ nation’s biggest retail chain, selling new, rare and second-hand music__, back to its former glory."

Yep, money talks etc and while we might have emotional attachment to the corner record store (like Roy Colbert's etc) or love the smell of vinyl in the morning, the end of the ledger is where it is at.

Of course. I'm just hoping the new managers learn from the mistakes that led RG to its current state. Here's hoping. It's going to be a long road back.

That said, I enjoyed the post. Nice bit from Chris Bourke, too.

Of course. I'm just hoping the new managers learn from the mistakes that led RG to its current state. Here's hoping. It's going to be a long road back.

And while I'm glad Real Groovy up here isn't going to be closing down for good (I don't delight in people being put out of work at the best of times, and this isn't even close to the best of times), I really hope Hart is going to be taking a good hard look at the human capital side of the business.

As Graham said:

I guess what we tend to forget about when it comes to music is that a record shop is actually just another business. If it makes a buck it stays in business, if it doesn't then . . .

Indeed. And as I said on the other thread, I'm still kind of shocked that people in an intensely competitive sector like retail treat customer service like an afterthought. You know -- people who know their stock, and don't treat customers like perverts hanging around the school gates.