Setting the record straight on famous music street

VINYL SELLER ON WHY WE STILL NEED SHOPS

- By BILLY GOUGH ECHO Correspondent

LAST month Mathew Street Records opened its doors to become Liverpool's latest vinyl record shop.

It followed in the footsteps of vinyl-vending giants Rough Trade who opened on Hanover Street last April.

The store, located in the Cavern Walks Arcade on Mathew Street, offers new and secondhand records; and coffee from the in-store Library Coffee House cafe.

Speaking with the ECHO this week, owner Peter Wilson, 37, described shops like his as “essential.”

Peter said: “Brick-and-mortars are definitely essential, because it’s that human interaction.

“We're humans, we want to see each other, we want to get out and do things. If you buy a record online, it’s a cold transaction: that’s the record, that's the condition, that's the price - and that’s it.

“The fact that people can turn up, can look at the physical media, speak to people and interact - that’s the beauty of [the shops].

“It’s organic and natural.”

The new shop has opened during a generational boom of interest in vinyl records. It's a trend which comes as no surprise to Liverpool, a city which boasts a number of famous record shops such as The Musical Box - the oldest record shop in England - and Probe Records, among others.

Peter explained why he thought vinyl records remain so respected.

“I think because it’s the original main format. It sounds great, it’s a nice big format, a nice big line of notes; it’s something physical to hold.