MEET THE LEVY PAYERS - KENNY'S MUSIC ABERDEEN

Tell us about Kenny’s Music Aberdeen

Kenny’s Music has been going for 15 years now, we just celebrated our 15^th anniversary. We are Scotland’s biggest independent musical instrument chain, consisting of four shops – Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee, and Dunfermline. Obviously, we have our own website, so we do web sales and over-the-counter sales as well.

We have a lot of instruments in stock, predominantly electric guitars as that’s our most popular instrument, but we do sell a lot of acoustic guitars, we sell digital pianos, digital drum kits, a lot of ukuleles, and a lot of folk instruments, such as mandolins and banjos.

We also sell amplifiers and accessories for musicians’ needs and we are very price-conscious and competitive.

There is no substitute for coming into the shop and picking up an instrument to get a feel for it and it is local musicians who are the lifeblood of our industry, it’s these guys who keep us going. We have a lot of links with local venues, too.

Our shop on the Green was the site of R&B Music which had been here from 1994 to 2015. We were keen to open a shop on an existing site which musicians had known for years, so when R&B moved out, we moved in in October 2015 and have been in Aberdeen for just over eight years, so we’re the youngest Kenny’s Music store.

What do you like about being based in the City Centre?

I think it’s super important because with a lot of the musicians we deal with, we get a lot of passing trade. I think it’s crucial for a city of this size to have a hub for musicians. It’s not just about selling instruments, we’re also here to provide a service to local musicians.

We have a noticeboard where we encourage musicians to say they have slots available and are looking for musicians. Hopefully, we are seen as more than just a shop.

What are the benefits for Kenny’s Music of being an Aberdeen Inspired levy payer?

We are in the historic area of the Green, it’s the oldest part of Aberdeen city centre and there’s a lot of history here, with its cobbled streets. I would like to think by paying the levy we are doing our wee bit to help with the upkeep of the city and make it a vibrant and enticing place to come to.

Certainly, there have been some good events on in the past down in the Green, such as outdoor gigs. It’s an area that’s seeing a lot of change now and hopefully change for the positive. We have the new Aberdeen Market to look forward to and I’ve seen some interesting plans for that.

A lot of Aberdonians might not have been down here for a long time, but it’s an interesting area and you don’t have to look too far off Union Street to see something different with a different vibe.

What are your plans for the next 12 months?

To just keep doing what we’re doing, to keep on being a good business that brings a lot to the city and hopefully keep providing you all with the equipment that you’re looking for. As I said, we are part of a chain of four shops, so we’ve got a wee bit of clout behind us, although we have our trials and tribulations to deal with like everyone else.

But I would like to think that in the next 12 months we’ll be fighting the fight for all musicians. You know where we are so come in and see us.

What advice would you give to new businesses looking to set up in the city centre?

Expect the unexpected. I’ve worked in retail for nearly 35 years myself. After I graduated in ’95 I went to Virgin, then HMV, Bruce Miller. iiMusic, and now Kenny’s Music, so I can safely say if you are going to set up a business in Aberdeen, be prepared for anything and everything.

But there is a lot of loyalty out there if you do your homework and if you provide something vibrant and interesting alongside the day-to-day staple stuff. Just get a good blend of consistency and something that will make you stand out.

What would be the biggest improvement to the city centre in your opinion?

Obviously, I’m biased because I work in the arts, but I would like to see vibrancy and something that’s going to attract people outside the city to come in and also something to make people who live here proud of it. In a perfect world, in my opinion, the city centre would be 100% pedestrianised, but I realise that isn’t practical.

For example, a lot of our customers are buying heavy equipment and need to come up to our shop with their vehicles. But there has to be a happy medium.

When you’re not working at Kenny’s Music where is your favourite place or thing to do in Aberdeen?

I do like my coffee and I’ll say there are three places I always go for a coffee and they are all independent. There’s Café Contour, but they are on the Green, so obviously I’m biased. Then there’s Red Robin Records, because I like my vinyl as well. And there’s the Cult Of Coffee on the edge of Rosemount.

All three are fantastic independent retailers, like ourselves, and their coffee is to die for in my opinion.

You can find out more about Kenny’s Music Aberdeen by visiting their website here.