Interview: Emily Waller (Rough Trade)

Founded in 1976, Rough Trade has gone on to be one of the largest independent retailers of music in the UK with four destination shops plus a North American flagship and online retail hub in Brooklyn, NY.

Many vinyl records pressed at Precision Record Pressing end up on the shelves of Rough Trade and tasked with marketing them online and on social media is Emily Waller, who is also the host of the long running Rough Trade Podcast. We caught up with Emily this summer to discuss what keeps people buying vinyl records, her favorite releases of the year so far and what she thinks the future holds for the format.

Rough Trade was in prime position for the resurgence of vinyl when it opened its flagship East London store in 2007. How important has vinyl been to your customer base?

Hugely important. I think more than anything else, it’s how vinyl has been embraced by artists and labels, particularly young bands and creatives. There’s this revived interest, appreciation and love for a format that they realise allows for so much more expression. Increasingly we are seeing how creative artists can be and the level of detail they go to in the presentation of their work is really amazing to see. It’s not just about the music, it’s about the artwork, the sleeve notes, the overall look and feel of the entire album package. I think it’s made buying physical music even more exciting for a fan and we see that every day in our shops.

One look at Rough Trade’s social media channels would tell us that you love an exclusive vinyl color or effect. Have you seen any trends or marketing techniques emerge from labels in recent years to drive vinyl sales?

Sure. As mentioned previously, the sky’s really the limit when it comes to designing and creating your vinyl album. Colour probably plays the biggest part, having, as you say, special edition and limited variants. Picture discs are often being created for anniversaries or special reissues for example. Even if people already have an original pressing, a picture disc is just a nice thing to have, a keepsake or memento. I think labels are definitely targeting the collector in all of us and coming up with some very attractive products.

Which two releases from 2019 have featured your favorite packaging or vinyl effect?

Hands down my favourite from this year so far has been the Karen O & Dangermouse packaging for Lux Prima. The limited edition colour vinyl is a beautiful burnt red, housed in a super matt gatefold sleeve that is textured, the cover and inside detail is etched in silvery type/artwork. The overall product just feels really rich and luxurious and wonderfully compliments the very cinematic songs, which are also great by the way. We also have a Rough Trade Exclusive sparkle vinyl coming up toward the end of the year for Girl Ray… need I say more?

Rough Trade is known for getting people talking with its “Albums of the Year” lists. How does the team set about deciding who makes the cut each year?

So it’s funny. It’s not just about how great the songs are. We look at the impact of the album as a whole, mainly on our own Rough Trade community. So we take into account the reception with our customers, how an album may have affected us as individuals, made us think. Maybe we experienced it played live at an in-store in our shops. Maybe it was just the biggest staff hit of the year. It’s neither one or all of those things, it really depends. But what is for sure is that it is not a choice made by one person, it’s very much a team effort and I like to think our list reflects the diverse range of music we champion year in, year out.

Once a week you host the popular Rough Trade Podcast where you interview bands and discuss new releases. What has been your personal highlight since taking over hosting duties?

Such a difficult question. When I first started the podcast, I was really nervous and wasn’t sure if I could make it what I wanted it to be. But it’s evolved and grown over the last 18 months and now I’m really proud of it. Everyone I have interviewed has been so lovely and interesting, from musicians, to authors, to artists, it’s impossible to pick just one. But some highlights definitely have to be brilliant Joe from Metronomy, the wonderful Jen Cloher, the infectious Fontaines D.C and of course Jeff Goldblum (even though he made me sing). I feel so lucky to be able to make the show, even though I had zero experience in radio going into it and it’s 100% become my baby. Life finds a way…

What do you think the near future holds for the vinyl format?

I think the future is interesting. What is going to become unavoidable is the question of sustainability (as we are all aware, vinyl isn’t currently recyclable). I’m excited by the idea of finding a way to make physical music more environmentally friendly, so that the production of this amazing and much loved format isn’t threatened. I’m confident that we’ll see discussion and development in that area very soon. I think we have to, there is a climate crisis that’s very real. Aside from that, I don’t see vinyl being disregarded anytime soon. We have made steps venturing into the secondhand vinyl world this year with pop-ups at our Bristol and Nottingham stores, to great reception. I hope vinyl, new and old, can continue to be enjoyed for generations. There’s a history and nostalgia there that’s important to keep alive.

For more information about the stores and podcast visit roughtrade.com.