Following on a bit from Saturday’s bitch about Fopp closing. As I hate the big chains with a passion, I’m now starting to use the web more as a source of cool stuff, and word of mouth and recommends from mags like The Word are becoming increasingly important.
With traditional music retail and distribution going the way of the dinosaur, it’s blatantly obvious that small bands are much better off doing things in their own way. Myspace is the obvious example, but frankly you’re more likely to catch me in a dress than surfing that junkhole. Unless I get a very direct headsup to a specific band, I won’t be there.
Kudos, then, to The Craft Economy, who are using all the tricks of the new digital trade to get the word out. Posters to their local shows in Toronto have CDRs stuck to them with MP3s of their first EP, plus links to the website with tour dates, blogs and so on. If you like you can buy the album, complete with home-made covers. It’s a neat, cottage industry way of doing things, and I hope it works out for them. Plus the music’s good, which helps. Check out The Kissing Song.
Not sure if anyone’s doing anything similar on this side of the pond. The Horrors are good at throwing freebies around at their shows, including quite cool compilations, but nothing with quite this homebrew vibe.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 
Oddly enough, Fopp in Manchester has re-opened but having been bought out by HMV it now simply resembles an HMV camped out in someone else’s store.
Most of the stock is the same as the two HMV’s around the corner as is the pricing policy — and the price labels for that matter (big writing, little bar code).
It’s just lost its soul.