The Drift is an independent record store in Totnes, Devon. One of the best shops in the country, and is to be cherished. We caught up with owner Rupert, and threw a few pointed questions at this passionate music fan:
What’s the best thing about running an independent music outlet in 2011?
I think we’re starting to now go full circle with how people are buying music. People want a physical product again, digital leaves everyone cold and more and more people are investing in packaging and artwork. For us, vinyl leads the market and I think the best thing is that all of our younger regular customers are buying vinyl.
It feels to me that the general public has suddenly realised (thanks in no small part to Record Store Day) that independent shops are fast disappearing and they hold now a sort of cultural importance. Whether people come in and buy something or not, maybe fifteen, twenty times a day we’ll get someone remarking ‘it’s just so nice to come into an actual record shop’
When it’s hard it does at least make you feel like you’re doing something worthwhile.
What’s the worst thing about running an independent music outlet in 2011?
It’s just tough sometimes. People want more albums than they can afford, the battle isn’t getting people turned onto new music… it’s getting them to afford it. I could gripe about online traders but it seems like an old rant to me; the internet has permanently changed the landscape, I think it’s now about trying to find your own little niche and connect with people. If you do what yo do well then you can build your community.
You rotate the store’s stock on a regular basis, name some albums that survived the cull and remain in stock.
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – “Master and Everyone”
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Matt Sweeny – “Superwolf”
Caribou – “Andorra”
Bill Callahan – “Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle”
It’s always nice to re-stock things, so we do look backwards… there’s just an awful lot of new music for a small building to hold!
What’s your favourite record so far in 2011?
I’ve got a couple of real favorites so far;
Suuns – “Zeroes QC”
Kurt Vile – “Smoke Ring For My Halo”
Arbouretum – “The Gathering”
Tell us in one paragraph about your store.
We are placed right in the middle of hundreds of square miles of farming countryside; it’s a deeply inappropriate place to have an independent record shop but we’re all obsessed with new music and it’s important to us, if nothing else, that we keep stocking, playing and talking about all the amazing new music we get to hear.
