[UPDATE With Comment From Polyvinyl Owner Matt Lunsford]: Rioters Torch Sony Warehouse and Burn Many UK and Ireland Record Stocks to the Ground


UPDATE, August 10, 2011, 2:41 p.m.: Sony issued a statement today regarding its plans following Monday's disastrous warehouse fire set by London looters which destroyed significant quantities of independent label merchandise. According to the statement, the company is operating from a new control room in the Enfield burrough of London and adds, “Sony DADC have identified a temporary distribution partner [yet-to-be-announced] and it is envisaged that they will be in a position to pick, pack and ship orders in the course of next week.”

Of course this doesn't address the fact that independant labels will have to scurry to manufature more product and ship it across the Atlantic.

Matt Lunsford, who owns Polyvinyl Record Co., known for its work with indie bands such as Of Montreal, Braid and Pele said from what they've been able to gather about the fire, none of their product is salvagable. “Insurance is only able to go so far when it comes to being able to cover the actual product,” explained Lunsford. “But the time invesment in remanufacturing things as well as getting it all back over there is going to take us on the newer releases a few weeks and some of the older catalogue a few months.”
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This comes at an inopportune time for the label who is set to release seminal emo band Braid's album Closer to the Closed
next wee,  the band's first 13 years.  Its UK release was cheduled for
next Monday. “We're still trying to figure out if (the fire) occured at
that pivotal moment when the shipment was going out (to stores),” said
Lunsford.

Original Post August 9, 2011:
Rioting in the UK may have some grave implications for music fans on
the other side of the pond as well as record companies over here
according an article posted on Pitchfork's Web site yesterday.  

The music blog reported hooligans torched a distribution warehouse owned
by Sony entertainment containing CDs and LPs from a long list of record
labels stateside. The Arctic Monkeys are among the bands affected. Many record labels, such as Thrill Jockey and the Beggars Group, a conglomerate of labels (which includes Matador
records),  reported significant losses.

Pacific northwest label Sub Pop, known for its work with Nirvana, Sunny Day Real Estate, Postal Service and the Shins was also affected. Co-founder Jonathan Poneman released this statement yesterday, ” First and foremost, we are incredibly thankful that there were no fatalities or injuries in the fire. As information comes in we are assessing the situation and figuring what comes next.” 

The severity of the repercussions from this event are still unclear but Sony says more information will be released; we will update with more news as they come in.

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