we are not a rock band

Watching the communities across London and other riot-affected areas of the country pick themselves up in the wake of devastation has been truly inspiring. And what’s been really interesting is seeing social media play as large a role in that as the media claims it did in the criminal organisation that caused it all in the first place.

From the ad agency interns who set up a site to “Do Something Nice” for Malaysian student Asyraf Haziq, whose cruel mugging was videoed and plastered over YouTube, to the already bulging fund for Tottenham barber Aaron Biber who was facing closure due to looting and ravaging of his shop; victims have been given a human face by high-profile campaigns.

It was hard not to feel choked up watching both House Of Reeves in Croydon and the Sony DADC Warehouse in Enfield burn to the ground. Anyone with an ounce of compassion would have pause to think about how many lives are connected to these businesses and how their destruction would have long-term ramifications.

The loss of the Sony Warehouse in particular represents a huge blow for the independent music industry. The vast majority of readers to this blog will no doubt be aware of the impact it has has on [PIAS], a distributor for many many labels, including Warp, Rough Trade, XL amongst others, that stored a large quantity of their physical stock in the warehouse.

As [PIAS] themselves say “Labels and artists affected by the destruction of the Sony DADC warehouse are faced with incredible pressures on their businesses in respect to the re-manufacture, re-supply and marketing required as a result of the fire. Whilst it is expected that insurance will cover the lost stock, the reality for many labels is that they will not be compensated or insured for an interruption of trade or the additional capital to reproduce the stock that they have lost and the promotion in which they have invested.“

With the streets now clean and the sun shining, it is all too easy to resume daily lives without a thought for the urgent need to support these labels. Please, take a moment to visit the [PIAS] site to donate to the fund they’ve set up with AIM and find out what else you can do to help.

PettingParty

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