RETAIL FOCUS: SOUNDHOUSE.

Since seeing Tom McRae perform as support to Dido, Soundhouse partner Paul Savage has been championing his eponymous album. "On the basis of in-store plays and recommendations the album has been flying out," he says. "I reckon he is the next David Gray."

Savage reports that the store's hot tips usually live up to high expectations, and other acts currently receiving plenty of exposure include Starsailor and India.Arie.

Directing customers to new acts is clearly one of the most enjoyable aspects of the business for Savage, who has worked in music retailing for 24 years. Soundhouse has been trading in the coastal town of Deal, in Kent, for the past nine years while its counterpart in nearby Broadstairs has established itself in the past six.

"The beauty of being a small store is that we can adapt to survive," says Savage. "One of the most noticeable trends recently has been the swing away from indie into rap and nu metal. Whereas at one time we would have sold 30 or 40 copies of a Shed 7 album, now we're only selling eight or 10. Instead we're selling loads of Outkast and anything to do with 2Pac."

Limp Bizkit, Tool and Linkin Park are all very strong sellers in both stores, and Savage is anticipating big sales for Faithless. "However, it rankled that a customer came in with a download of the album from the internet before we had even received a promotional copy," he says. "We should be presenting things to the customers, not the other way round."

This scenario is viewed as "frightening" and potentially damaging to the long-term health of physical stores. While the shop has ...