Sad news for music lovers in and around Sevenoaks – The Compact Disc and The Record Shop are closing down

A memorial concert is being held for Martin Salisbury (pictured) on 5 July as part of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival.

IT WAS a great shock to many people when Martin Salisbury, the founder and proprietor of The Compact Disc Shop at 57 London Road, Sevenoaks, died suddenly and unexpectedly of cardiac arrest in October 2017.

Martin and his music outlets had been fixtures in the town for 30 years. His widow, Sarah Salisbury, and Phillip Drown kept the shop trading for another 18 months following his passing, but have now announced that they will be closing the doors for good on Saturday 1 June. In the short-term, the business has continued as usual with special offers on existing stock.

A Memorial Concert for Martin Salisbury in aid of The British Heart Foundation is also being held on 5 July as part of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival.

Sarah and Phillip have issued the following statement:

“It is with great regret that after 30 years of trading we are permanently closing The Compact Disc and The Record Shop, Sevenoaks. This has not been an easy decision to reach and has taken much deliberation. Due to retirement, moving on, and after what has been a very emotional 18 months for us, we have agreed that now is the right time to close our doors.
“We would like to stress that the closure of our business is not a reflection of the current transitions within high street retail. It is not widely reported that Independent Record Shops are enjoying a great resurgence. The prosperous period that we have been enjoying has made this an even more complicated discussion, a tribute to how well supported we have been over the years.
“We would like to thank our many customers for your loyalty and dedicated support. To supply you with your favourite pieces of music, introduce you to amazing new artists, and make so many friends along the way has been our pleasure and privilege. It has been great fun, for which we consider ourselves very fortunate – a quite unique experience in retail.
“Although we will soon be closing, for the time being we will still be able to help with any orders and enquiries. The discounted sale of our vast range of CDs, records, DVDs and other varied and wonderful stock will also continue over the coming weeks, so please do come and see us before we go.
“On our website www.bluesandjazz.co.uk we have opened a tribute page. We would love you to share your memories of the shop, and also your thanks, love, and recollections of the man whose vision created such a much-loved, original, and enduring business.

“Since the untimely death of Martin in October 2017 the shop could never have been the same. Each day he brought to us all such humour, intellect, knowledge, compassion, and so many other immeasurable attributes. Martin would want us to continue to have good old irreverent fun, so we will be here for a short while to help you enjoy his shop.
“There will be a Memorial Concert for Martin Salisbury in aid of The British Heart Foundation on 5 July as part of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival with music from guitarist Paul Malsom, pianist Neil Angilley and singer-songwriters Charlie Dore & Julian Littman.”

With best wishes,

Sarah Salisbury (Owner)

Phillip Drown (Manager)

*  For more info on the memorial concert or to order tickets call John Levett on: 01732 460143

Or email: john@listeningroom.co.uk