Gap in vinyl record market is Plugd

HMV are to reopen their flagship Dublin store, on Grafton Street, with 40% off all vinyl albums, on the same day that independently owned record outlets celebrate Record Store Day. The most high-profile independent record shop in Ireland, Tower Records, dismisses HMV’s ‘record store celebration’ as a marketing ploy.

Record Store Day was introduced in the United States in 2008 to celebrate independent record stores. Running on the third Saturday of April, the idea spread worldwide. Founded in Cork in 2002, Cork’s independent record store, Plugd Records, in common with most record shops, has endured a tumultuous decade, due to changes in consumer practice and recession. It was saved from closure by a passionate customer base. Independence doesn’t entail standing alone.

Albert Twomey, one half of Plugd Records, alongside store founder, Jim Horgan, sees little reason to exclude HMV from the festivities. “Our business has coexisted alongside HMV over the years,” he says (HMV long had a store on Patrick Street). “HMV staff have been valued customers and were also great to recommend Plugd to folks who were looking for more specialist titles. Smaller, or independent traders, depend on the support of local folks, but we appreciate the need for consumer choice. It’s preferable to have a busy commercial city centre.”