with us, nobody knew until yesterday I swear (well maybe one person did be he claims he did not)

Quote Seye:

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Quote Jamus:

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Quote comradec:

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Well said, Seye. It's the fat cats at the top of the company and in the banking sector who are responsible for this problem, not the ordinary workers on the shop floor.

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Actually the bank pulled the plug on Sound Control. The directors were trying to get private investment in to save jobs but the Bank of Scotland pulled the plug on them before they could

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In all fairness I think all of us inside the company know exactly where people should be pointing fingers. I wish there was a way of punishing people for corporate negligence leading to the collapse of a company.

We all knew where the company was haemmorraging money. We kept saying it but no one listened. There was no excuse for things getting this bad.

Its a bit late for that now though. I cant see the point in dwelling on it.

As I say, I'd just like people to spare a thought for all those who have been made redundant with no notice.

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at cats at the top of the company and in the banking sector who are responsible for this problem, not the ordinary workers on the shop floor.
the irony is that those fat cats on the top they will be awarded some award or another for their services in finance sector and the growth of UK economy at some point, regardless of the billions of money and they thousands of jobs that deliberately lost...remember me!

--------------------
www.coorecords.com
www.last.fm/music/cloudcub

Advertising and self promotion breach, and just generally in bad taste bearing the nature of this thread.

Take this as a warning..................and I never give two.

Post deleted by Zukan

Edited by Zukan (01/05/08 04:33 PM)

Quote SMOKYB3:

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You could go to Dolphin Music but better still pick up the 'phone and dial ***** ****** for **********! They will accept any Sound Control money off vouchers you may have AND give you 10 months interest free credit with the backing of The Arts Council!

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This, from someone who has never posted before, is just exploitative advertising.

And when did the Arts Council start backing interest free credit schemes? Bullshit.




Edited to remove self promotional contact details from the quote.

--------------------
Steve Cooke
http://soundcloud.com/stevecooke

Edited by 0VU (01/05/08 04:53 PM)

Skyline....2 words...BROADBAND INTERNET!

TAKE IT AWAY SCHEME....Look it up!

Quote comradec:

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And when did the Arts Council start backing interest free credit schemes? Bullshit.

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Its here Arts council scheme

This is for information only - I am not going off topic and explain why I really dislike the Arts council.

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No longer a forum member.

I don't think we should give too much sympathy to the directors....they never did when they destroyed local music stores when they were flush with RBS's money!

Quote SMOKYB3:

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TAKE IT AWAY SCHEME....Look it up!

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this does not excuse the fact that it is, as was pointed out, a post designed to capitalise on another company's misfortune.

most of the people here have been well-mannered enough to think first of the employees who have been affected by this before their profit margins. it's a shame you clearly can't.

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hourglass | random thoughts | doubledotdash!? collective

There are enough emotions around at the moment so I'm assuming SmokyB3 as a new member is not familiar with the rules on advertising here (which he signed up to a few minutes ago...) and will instead just extend a warm welcome.

As a generality, all posters can assume that all forum members can find alternative suppliers for their needs in future, in the unlikely event that they were not already aware of several!

And actually that Arts Council deal probably is worth a bit of a mention... I had not heard of that particular use of taxpayers' funds before now.

--------------------
Dynamite with a laser beam...


Edited by Steve Hill (01/05/08 03:11 PM)

No...I'm with Dolphin on this one. Business is business.
And I certainly shan't shed any tears over Sound Controls downfall! They won't be the last this year that's for sure!

Quote SMOKYB3:

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No...I'm with Dolphin on this one. Business is business.
And I certainly shan't shed any tears over Sound Controls downfall! They won't be the last this year that's for sure!

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In which case I hope you're the next one.

Business is business, that's true, but this is not a forum for advertising.

The tears to be shed are for the many workers who've been thrown out of work by this debacle, not for the company as such. Lots of families will be badly affected by this, but all you can think about is the potential for personal/business gain.

--------------------
Steve Cooke
http://soundcloud.com/stevecooke

Quote comradec:

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Lots of families will be badly affected by this, but all you can think about is the potential for personal/business gain.

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well said.

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hourglass | random thoughts | doubledotdash!? collective

more to the point, advertising and self promotion are specifically prohibited in the forum rules to which each member has to actively agree prior to being able to post here.

as such..... any retailers seeking to make capital out of the unfortunate demise of the markets largest player, by posting here, and in these threads specifically, is going to do nowt but earn the despite of many users hereabouts.... NOT a clever plan...


(and one that will very quickly lead to being banned form the site)

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if you don't know who i am, i aint gonna tell you.

Musicworld just made it onto my list of people never to buy anything from.
Good job SmokyB3.

Comradec,

As has already been said many times it IS a shame for the employees as is always the case. But I didn't see any sympathy for the thousands of employees that were laid off because of Sound Controls ruthless aggresion with RBS's money! Not to mention music store owners who lost literally everything when a Sound Control put them out of business!

I always found Sound Control staff to be excellent when I went over to various branches to do training.

I wish them all the best in the world - I was in the same boat myself in the '80's when REW closed.

This is a sad day for the industry.

--------------------
John - Sound-Link ProAudio
President - Federation Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons

John,

As I was in the 70's....but thankfully employees are better protected these days!

Comradec

Good, now we have got the introductions out the way do you or other muso's think this may be the beginning of the end of supermarket, one size fits all, corprate music retailing?

no

--------------------
www.directresolution.com
home of the DARC audio computer

Putting things in perspective;
I worked for Sound Control for 8 & 1/2 years.
Fortunately, I moved on to other things.
Unfortunately, others did not.
In glasgow alone, I can think of three guys who've been with the company 20 years or more.
Colin down in Manchester (Salford)is another 'lifer'.
These are people with kids, mortgages and no great expectancy of walking straight in to another job.

While the casualties contain many 'minimum wage' kids, they'll be ok.

My thoughts are with Big Al, Martin, Kenny G, Paul R, Danny P, John B, Ollie, Sandy, Andy G, Paul G, Jamie C.
All people who put SC on the map.

Thoughts also turn to some of the distributors who may have overextended, themselves by sending goods on credit.
I hope no-one undeserving goes bust as a result.
I know of one small amp manufacturer who's chasing £40,000, while rumours put the debt to Yamaha & Roland in the £millions.

Edited by The muso (01/05/08 03:47 PM)

John

A sad day for employees of Sound Control?...definitely...For suppliers?...a bloody disaster most likely, and don't forget THEIR employees, for musicians?...probably not in the longer term, for the music industry as a whole?...I think not!

Quote The muso:

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Putting things in perspective;
I worked for Sound Control for 8 & 1/2 years.
Fortunately, I moved on to other things.
Unfortunately, others did not.
In glasgow alone, I can think of three guys who've been with the company 20 years or more.

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Gaz Morris in Birmingham has done 25 years, exactly half of his life! A very sad day.

Quote The muso:

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I know of one small amp manufacturer who's chasing £40,000, while rumours put the debt to Yamaha & Roland in the £millions.

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The total debt is approximately £30m.

Anyone been to/had any contact with Turnkey today? I haven't been able to get through and no sign of the item I ordered yesterday. Are they still trading, and is the shop actually open?

last I heard, the outstanding Yamaha balance was in excess of 5 million... and i've heard indications that the Roland one was of similar magnitude...


the only word that comes readily to mind is OUCH!

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if you don't know who i am, i aint gonna tell you.

Muso
You have put it into perspective perfectly!

The long term employees like the ones you have mentioned, who helped build the company from the beginning and are now of a certain age and with commitments this will be a terrible time for them.

As for the young kids of the last few years? Put it this way, when a Sound Control director told me last year how much stuff went "missing" every month via staff I was staggered! They will pick up jobs np problem!

Suppliers? I think Yamaha will be okay...thet were always wary of geeting "too much into bed" with Sound Control. Roland? Could be big problems there I fancy!

But the smaller suppliers and distributors might have real problems. Sound Control were not afraid to use their clout to put them into uncomfortable situations. I hope they will be okay but I suspect that some of them won't. And that will be a GENUINLY bad day for the industry!

Quote SMOKYB3:

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Comradec

Good, now we have got the introductions out the way do you or other muso's think this may be the beginning of the end of supermarket, one size fits all, corprate music retailing?

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From the last few posts you appear to be a small man with a big chip on his shoulder.

I hope your gloating makes you happy.
I certainly will never use MusicWorld now.

Muso - Colin was my boss until yesterday. He and the rest of the staff just looked broken when it happened. At least they get a bit of warning though. The manager at the Man City store had been (apparently) working there for nearly 20 yrs. He'd seen it be A1, Academy of Sound and then Sound Control. (Ironically it now has "A1 Locksmiths" posted on the door)
Everyone in that store was just turfed out and told that they were no longer needed.

Quote Seye:

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Muso - Colin was my boss until yesterday. He and the rest of the staff just looked broken when it happened.

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I bet.
Were you there when the store got raided by blokes weilding machete?

Quote:

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Everyone in that store was just turfed out and told that they were no longer needed.

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Somewhere among the posts on the MI Pro article, someone said they are starting an action against SC over this kind of thing.
You should point them there;
http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/29485/BREAKING-NEWS-Sound-Control-files-for-a dministration?comment=100#comments

My comment there;

Quote:

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For those who are, or are about to be made redundant, take heart.
Many former Sound Control employee's went on to do bigger and better things.
Andy Haldane started Merchant City Music.
Kip started Guitar Guitar
Eric Joseph started Mediaspec
David Brockett plays with Gary Mullen
Davy Robertson now tours with Bryan Adams.
The list is endless, but I've seen so many people waste their lives and potential because it's 'cool' to work in a music shop', going from 16 y/o to 40 in a heartbeat.
Don't mull over the past, go chase the dream

As regards the impact of SC's demise, to me, it was better the Devil you knew, than the Devil you didn't.

Someone once asked me "What is the secret of Sound Controls success", to which I replied "It's not the they're better than everyone else, it's that they're not quite as bad".

That pretty much sums up MI for the last 25 years, but times, they are a changing.

For a chuckle though, I'd be interested to see MI Pro doing another interview with Pat Kelly and raising some of the points he made in the previous one, about how he'd open a small store and do very well offering service, or what he said about those moaning about hardship should take a look at their 'own' buinesses.
All somewhat ironic considering.

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Quote SMOKYB3:

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As for the young kids of the last few years? Put it this way, when a Sound Control director told me last year how much stuff went "missing" every month via staff I was staggered! They will pick up jobs np problem!

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This is just ignorant, untrue and possibly slanderous. These are decent hard working people who are now looking for work. Please show some respect for their situation.

Seye

At least I'm not a hypocrite by saying "this is a sad day for the industry". I don't think you will find many industry figures (outside of creditors) crying into their beer tonight!

Quote Pete Standing Alone:

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Quote Ian Stewart:

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It seems to me that so many companies start small, expand at a fast rate and then collapse. What is wrong with starting small and staying small?

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I've though about this too, I think the whole nature of business education in the Western world teaches the ideal of ever expanding business. You are a failure if you simply 'maintain' a set size and service level. I guess it's connected to how the measure of success used by industry and the government is solely profit, but never anything like a greater social value or the happiness, security and job satisfaction of the staff at the business!

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Actually if the measure of success were solely profit, things like this might happen a good deal less.

I think it's more to do with the fact that since the dotcom boom, people have gotten accustomed to thinking of the measure of success purely in terms of market share. It doesn't matter HOW much money you're losing, as long as you're seen to be getting bigger, even if only on debt. All you need is some woolly way of indicating that business is bound to be profitable "one day", as long as it's big enough.

True, this worked for Amazon and Google. But then there are several thousand failed dotcom startups that it didn't work for.

Expanding is fine, as long as your expansion is based on something real. There's a lot to be said for just continuing to turn over a healthy profit day to day. God knows that's hard enough a lot of the time.

Saye,

It was one hell of a "shrinkage" figure that's for sure! And it certainly cannot have Sound Control to turn a profit!

Quote SMOKYB3:

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At least I'm not a hypocrite by saying "this is a sad day for the industry". I don't think you will find many industry figures (outside of creditors) crying into their beer tonight!

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Nothing hypocritical by saying "this is a sad day for the industry"

It's a sad day for the staff and a sad day for the creditors and a sad day for the industry as a whole that another retailer goes to the wall.

In the ever extending search for the lowest price the retailers are going to the wall and everything will be on the internet only.

No-one is prepared to pay for service and fakes are getting more and more.

--------------------
John - Sound-Link ProAudio
President - Federation Internationale des Chasseurs de Sons

Wurlitzer

I totally agree!

Hey Smokey , if you gonna flame or bait on an internet forum ....
Might not be a good idea to put your full name in your public profile :P

Yeah it means people can find pictures like this...


Smokey is on the left.

SMOKYB3,

You've quite possibly managed to come across as the least likeable contributor ever in this forum. Not only are you dancing on the grave of Sound Control - which is probably forgiveable - but you're almost relishing the misfortune of the people who've lost their livelihoods as a result of this corporate failure. And then you throw in unsubstantiated accusations that those former SC employees who are now looking for work are an untrustworthy, thieving lot.

What's worse, you've done so in the name of your business, which I hope we'll all remember in future so as to avoid making any purchases there.

My advice to you would be to stop digging. You're not doing your company any favours.

--------------------
Steve Cooke
http://soundcloud.com/stevecooke

John

Now there is an interesting discussion subject.

But Wurlitzers comments were spot on. Sound Control's business model was all about market share with the full backing of the RBS! I disagree, this is NOT a sad day for the industry when a banking corporation that tries to buy the music market gets a bloody nose and backs off the music industry.

Quote SMOKYB3:

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Saye,

It was one hell of a "shrinkage" figure that's for sure! And it certainly cannot have Sound Control to turn a profit!

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Please stop posting in here. That didn't even make sense. I don't think anyone wants an argument and you are certainly not making yourself any friends.