Soundmerch launches record store in Melbourne

Independent Australian music merchandise company Soundmerch has launched a new record and merchandise store in Melbourne.

Open now, the store can be found on Oxford St, Collingwood and is open every day. The store is set to host in-house performances, exclusive merchandise drops, album signings and more.

In addition, January will see the store open a gallery space to host visual art exhibitions.

Soundmerch owner Tim Everist said the sales spike caused by COVID-19 helped facilitate the need for the company to open an in-person retail store.

“When Covid hit…..touring died off, and we found a massive increase with our online sales. The business flipped on its head overnight," he said.

"The online store went insane and became the main part of what we do. Artists were pushing their merch online, for many it became their main source of income. We were the facilitator between bands and their fans.

"Previously we were all about the production of merch for touring. Then it turned and was all about the production of merch for online. With that came a massive uptake and demand for vinyl records. So we started stocking more and more titles. To the point where we could (and did) open a real life record store."

He also said the store sells more records than merch, with a 600% increase in vinyl sales.

To celebrate the store's opening, Maple Glider will be delivering an in-store performance on December 11, and Amyl & The Sniffers will be doing an in-store signing in the same month.