A LEADING independent record store has celebrated the sound of success by becoming an accredited living wage employer.
Monorail Music began at a time when the industry was in trouble but the bold leap of faith has been rewarded and the store is now an integral part of the vibrant Glasgow music scene.
Since it was set up in 2002, the shop has grown in size, reputation and confidence to become one of the leading independent record stores in the United Kingdom.
“Our business is small and niche and our staff members are skilled,” said co-owner Stephen McRobbie. “A few years ago we costed it and realised we could afford to pay the living wage, which was an easy decision for us. This year we decided to formalise it by becoming accredited.”
The business currently has seven full-time and part-time employees.
“Rather than taking most of the money out of the business as a few owners do, we feel it’s better for the its health to not have a large disparity between owners’ and staff wages and to build things slowly and fairly,” McRobbie said.
“We’ve always been idealistic about our business and have tried to have good values in everything that we do. We’re part of a tight-knit music community in Glasgow that, at its best, is friendly, co-operative and sometimes political. We feel it’s important to uphold these good values and to treat our excellent staff fairly.”
The firm’s business practices have always been informed by a desire to be fiercely independent, fair and open, according to McRobbie.
“We regard our store as a community space, somewhere for customers and friends to feel welcome, somewhere that encourages people to take part in the global, independent music culture which sustains us both as a business and as individuals.
“Our stock is expertly and meticulously curated to reflect ours and our customers’ taste. We aim to introduce people to new sounds and ideas with the key focus on sharing the love of what we do.”
As well as working with local and international record labels to curate the stock, Monorail frequently organises concerts and book events.
“We believe we are integral to the fabric of the Glasgow music scene and in it we see ourselves as both instigators and participants. First and foremost, we are fans,” McRobbie said. “We always had an idea that our shop would not be strictly retail and that by taking a more community-based approach, we’d be able to make people feel part of it.
“At grassroots level we wanted people we respected in the music community to feel that it was their shop too, so we’ve always had an extremely close relationship with Optimo, Chemikal Underground, Teenage Fanclub, Belle and Sebastian, Mogwai and many others.
“It goes without saying that we’re close to our friends next door in Mono and although the two businesses are separate we’ve often been able to collaborate on events.”
The living wage accreditation programme in Scotland launched in April 2014. It is an initiative from the Poverty Alliance in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and is funded by the Scottish Government.
The living wage rate of £8.75 is significantly higher than the statutory minimum for over-25s of £7.50 per hour, introduced in April 2017.
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