I presume everyone is aware that many London boroughs are currently little more than warzones. The riots of the last few days have left a trail of destruction with many homes and shops either destroyed or removed of all valubles (and some not so valubles). This has obviously caused huge financial losses for local buisnesses and it turns out that independent music was one of the many victims.
The Sony DADC warehouse in Enfield was set alight last night and has now burned to the ground. This warehouse holds stock for PIAS, a UK-based company involved in the sales, marketing and distribution of music (amongst other things). PIAS distribute for a staggering number of independent music labels (find the full list here), and although the extent of stock loss is currently unknown, it is likely that a large proportion of stock has been destroyed.
So how can the average music fan help? At the moment it seems the best bet is to buy as much music as you can by artists signed to any of the affected labels. If there is an album you’ve been meaning to purchase for a while, or a band you’ve heard good things about but haven’t yet had a chance to hear them (you could start by looking at some of the bands we’ve featured here at Wake The Deaf), then now is the time to get your wallet out. These labels desperately need our help and if every music fan bought just one or two records, it could significantly soften the financial blow of the destruction.