IMPALA has revealed that its Outstanding Contribution Award for 2020 goes to the #LoveRecordStores campaign. PIAS UK MD Jason Rackham created and led the campaign, which has grown into a successful international movement.
Started on social media as the Covid-19 crisis unfolded, Rackham worked with Jeff Barrett (Heavenly Recordings), Rupert Morrison (Drift Record Shop), Andy Saunders (Velocity Communications), Tony Crean (Fleet River Music) and PIAS art director Annelise Keestra to get the campaign off the ground.
A huge range of artists including Elton John, Paul Weller, Tim Burgess and Kae Tempest rallied with the wider music community under the hashtag #LoveRecordStores to encourage music fans to support their local record stores. The campaign was driven via digital marketing and social media, as well as media coverage including a Music Week cover story.
#LoveRecordStores’ aim was to help drive revenues for record stores forced to close due to the pandemic. The highlight was a one-day event, Love Record Stores Day, held in over 130 record shops on June 20 and generating over £1m of revenue, with several record stores reporting a month’s worth of profit in just 30 minutes. The initiative also partnered with the #SaveOurVenues campaign, raising money to protect grassroots venues. The year closes with a campaign promoting the best Independent Albums Of The Year.
IMPALA executive chair Helen Smith said: “Record stores play a vital role in our ecosystem and this campaign provided essential support and visibility, in what has been an unimaginably tough yet inspiring year. Jason’s energy made it happen and this award honours that, and the contribution of the whole team. Independent music companies and specialist record stores are essential partners in communicating with music fans.”
Record stores play a vital role in our ecosystem and this campaign provided essential support and visibility
Helen Smith
Jason Rackham said: “Myself and the rest of the team behind the Love Record Stores campaign are thrilled and honoured to receive the IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award. The campaign was born out of the Covid-19 pandemic and has grown into an incredibly positive movement that the independent sector has driven - the labels, the distributors, the artists and of course the record stores themselves. These stores are beacons of hope in turbulent times - we must cherish and protect them.”
Helen Smith added: “The crisis has been a catalyst for mobilisation within the sector across Europe and our award also goes to the other campaigns that adopted their own versions to support their local stores. The ambassador of #LoveRecordStores Tim Burgess also gets a special mention for putting the spotlight on how albums tell an artist’s story with #timstwitterlisteningparty.”
Subscribers can read our Tim Burgess Love Record Stores cover feature here.
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