Analogue October Records: Retro Rockers Launch Record Label with Lightspeed Capital

The Dawn of an Analogue Dream

Craig Crane comes from an “analogue generation”. Three TV channels, Walkmans, and a world far removed from today’s dependency on modern technology. Working in the often incredibly demanding film industry, he had become unfortunately acquainted with the incessant drone of the notification sound from his smartphone and desired a return back to his analogue roots.

So, 12 years ago, he started an experiment where he used his phone purely as a communication device and relied solely on analogue devices for his music. Then, whilst working in Australia, after receiving inspiration from a record store owner, he started looking into the idea of launching his own record store. After returning home, and seeing an empty retail unit on his local high street, the foundations of Analogue October Records had all fallen into place.

Switching Tracks with Lightspeed

Starting your own business bears enough responsibility in and of itself. Signing the lease for your first store, designing, building, or buying everything you need, and so much more. Finding a point-of-sale that works for you shouldn’t be as tricky. Luckily for Craig, that’s where Lightspeed came in.

“I just wanted something that was contemporary, slim lined, and could be used on an iPad and iPhone or a PC workstation. I wanted to be able to work on that system away from the shop. The other system I was looking at wouldn't allow that, and Lightspeed just kept coming up”, Craig said.

Since partnering with Lightspeed, Analogue October Records haven’t looked back. “Lightspeed is now very much a part of the shop's DNA. Every aspect of the shop's running, including the customer experience, is on a slim iPad. It streamlined everything. It just works. And, when things just work, you shouldn't even need to think about looking for an alternative solution provider”, Craig continued.

“We come in, we log in, we turn it on, and we crack on with the day. It never presents us with any challenges. Absolutely no complaints. It's just as valuable as a member of staff in itself. It's just a valuable, dependable, useful resource that bridges the shopkeeper's experience with the shopper's experience. I pretty much feel like I know this package inside out, but it still often surprises me what I can do. We're not looking to move away from Lightspeed.”

Setting the Record Straight with Lightspeed Reporting

Every Lightspeed customer has a favourite feature in mind when asked about what they most enjoy about the product. For Analogue October Records, the reporting has proved indispensable.

“The great thing about Lightspeed is the ability to track our progress, profits, turnover, stock management, how much stock we're sitting on, and how much better we're doing compared to last year”, Craig said. “We can look at how to get our absolute margins higher, what we need, see if we need to change the stock we get in, check if we need less stock, ask ourselves if we need to have a sale, etc. So, Lightspeed's reporting is great, I must look at the reporting tabs at least two or three times a day. Plus, I can just get on my iPhone and check our reports. Honestly, the reporting tools are indispensable”, Craig continued.

“I liked how we could get stock into it, too. We had to start from scratch, and we had something like 6000 product lines to process. And, that's when I realised, I think that was my kind of eureka moment, that we'd chosen the right ePOS system, because I discovered how easy it was to add new products because I didn't want to sit there with a barcode scanner all day. That would have taken forever. It was the bulk import that won me over.”

Turning It Up to Eleven with Lightspeed Capital

Analogue October Records recently launched their own record label, also called Analogue October Records. This was one of many projects that Craig launched prior to the cost-of-living crisis and general economic downturn across the country. And, as it turns out, licensing titles from major records labels like Universal Music doesn’t come cheap. That’s where Lightspeed Capital came in.

“I'd always kind of brushed off these kinds of capital advances that you get offered. But, Lightspeed Capital was perfect because we don't really want to be taking money out of the core business whilst we're experiencing a downturn in physical sales”, Craig said. “I just filled the application out, sent off the bits and bobs, all self-service, and didn't speak to anybody. It was turned around quite quickly. Everything was very streamlined.”

“I've taken out Capital twice now. And, each time we do this, I will go down this route because it just becomes part of my budget. I can budget for this easily. It was just nice to kind of basically compartmentalise the amount we borrowed and set that to one side specifically for that project. Plus, no one really likes taking the banks, and I enjoy and appreciate the simple mechanism of the percentage return. I don't have to worry about it.”

“Lightspeed All the Way”

Seamless onboarding and support should be given with any point-of-sale, but sometimes others can’t quite deliver. Alongside hundreds of other customers, Craig experienced a simple integration and ongoing assistance he can count on all thanks to Lightspeed’s expert sales and support team.

“I had a much better response reaching out to Lightspeed and their customer service and their sales team than I did any of the others”, Craig said. “I just felt that the entire interaction from the get go was very streamlined, very efficient, but also very open. I didn't feel like I was being sold into something that wouldn't quite reach its promise”.

“Lightspeed actually did exactly what I wanted it to do at the time. And, it wasn't just about the tech. It was also just about the people that we were dealing with at the time when we opened up the account, which is why we're still using it”, Craig continued. “We're constantly bombarded by other companies asking us to switch providers. And, I tell them, “No, we're Lightspeed all the way.””