Key points
- Basement Discs has been a Melbourne icon for 28 years.
- COVID lockdowns and a drop in city foot traffic have resulted in a fall in customers for the store in the Block Arcade.
- Co-owner Suzanne Bennett says a physical store may reopen in the future, but probably not in the CBD.
Musicians and customers have described the impending closure of Melbourne CBD record store Basement Discs as a tragedy and praised the venue’s support of local acts.
Co-owner Suzanne Bennett said she was heartbroken and disappointed that she and her husband, Rod Jacobs, will close the brick-and-mortar shop, which is downstairs in the Block Arcade, after 28 years in January because of a drop in revenue.
Suzanne Bennett and Rod Jacobs at Basement Discs, downstairs in Block Place, Melbourne.Credit:Joe Armao
Although the couple will continue to run the online store and hope to reopen a physical shop sometime in the future, fans are lamenting losing an iconic gig venue.
Renowned Australian and international musicians, such as Paul Kelly, Billy Bragg, Donovan and Justin Townes Earle, have performed there.
Melbourne roots band The Teskey Brothers, who have since gained international fame, played at the store to promote their first album in 2017, and at another gig, Courtney Barnett accompanied Jen Cloher on guitar.
Customers have included The Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmit and country superstar Emmylou Harris.
Co-owner Rod Jacobs at Basement Discs, soon after it opened in 1994.
Bennett said during the COVID-19 lockdowns, revenue dropped by up to 80 per cent and is still down by about 50 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.
In May, musicians Alison Ferrier and her husband Jeff Lang raised more than $20,000 in a crowdfunding campaign to save the venue.
Bennett said the funds had paid debts and bought stock, but given the store’s reduced income and the CBD’s languishing foot traffic, the business has continued to struggle. Lease and rent negotiations have also failed.
Ferrier said she is devastated.
Tony Joe White on stage at Basement Discs in 1997.
“It’s not going to be the same city, without Basement Discs,” she said.
Singer-songwriter Yolanda Ingley II said the store’s closure was “a terrible shame”.
In 2015, the store played Ingley’s first album of original material, This Dangerous Age.
“And it sold a lot of copies and gave me a whole following of people who are still interested in my music and buy my stuff and come to gigs,” she said.
Northern Irish musician Brian Kennedy, second from left, and guitarist Calum MacColl with Basement Disc owners Suzanne Bennett and Rod Jacobs, date unknown.
Broadcaster Francis Leach said it was “more than just a shop” – it was a place to find your tribe of music lovers.
“It was part of a regular ritual to head there on a Saturday morning and see what was in the racks, and it’s very sad to think that it’s not going to be there anymore,” he said.
Melton’s Kevin Keay, a customer of 25 years who buys CDs here several times a month, said it was “very sad” the store was closing.
“It’s nice to come into a store and browse, and more importantly you get recommendations from the staff.”
Di-vinyl: Detail from a corner of Basement Discs.Credit:Joe Armao
Trevor Leeden, a writer for Rhythms magazine from Glen Iris, also described the closure as “just a tragedy”. He has bought thousands of records here and, before COVID-19, would visit weekly.
“Suzanne and Rod both know, back to front, what they sell,” he said.
“It’s an empathy and understanding of their client base that’s missing from your chain stores.”
He said Basement Discs had been “a fantastic supporter of Australian music and pretty much every major roots band in Australia has played at the stage downstairs”.
The closure was “a reflection of the tough times”, he said, and the independent music store was a “very quickly dying breed”.
One of the last Basement Discs gigs will be held on Saturday at 12.30pm, with Alyce Platt, High Ace (Jeff Lang and Alison Ferrier) and Tanya-Lee Davies performing.
Bennett said Basement Discs might reopen as a physical store in the future, but probably not in the CBD.
Bennett said many CBD stores were for lease and some close at 3pm due to poor pedestrian traffic as many office workers were still working from home.
“Who knows when it will bounce back … but the vibe of the city has changed so much,” she said.
“And we’ve lost so many of the small, independent, interesting stores that made the CBD a destination.”
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