There was a point after 1987 when record fairs flourished, of course. At the very end of the 80s and across the beginning of the 90s, record fairs bloomed. Some of the London ones were legendary and absolutely gigantic. And it wasn’t just about the number of dealers, either. There were always added attractions. I remember one in about 1989 that had a whole room showing Madonna videos back to back. Random, but why not? The queue to get in was around the block all day.
Not long after then, the vinyl market started to crumble. Fairs held on for a while, but CDs, downloads and at least two recessions almost wiped them out. Now it’s 2019 and we’re in the midst of a full-on vinyl revival. I know there are exceptions and that fair organisers have a very tough lot – and that they try, and deliver, the essentials tirelessly and often thanklessly. So why was the last fair I went to almost identical to that first one in 1987? Why have they not developed, expanded and broadened their audience?