A 60,000 square-foot building that housed inventory for many well-known independent music labels was burnt down during Monday night’s riots in London. According to UK’s Guardian, the building in Enfield was owned by Sony DADC and used by the Pias Group, one of the country’ biggest distributors of independent products. Among the labels potentially impacted are Domino, 4AD, Warp, and Beggars Banquet, along with a slew of smaller imprints.
Above, you can watch a BBC news report featuring footage of the building on fire. We’ll post more information as it becomes available.
Update: As feared, much of the warehouse’s inventory was destroyed in the fire. According to Pitchfork, Beggars Group lost their entire UK stock — 750,000 copies in all — to the fire. Thrill Jockey also reports a sizable lost, estimating more than $300,000 worth of merchandise was destroyed. Gigwise reports that the fire has also destroyed a stock of Arctic Monkeys’ upcoming single , “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala”. Now, the single will only be available in limited quantities through the band’s website.
Update #2: Guardian points us to a new website called LabelLove, which allows music fans to donate money to the affected labels.
