Regular visitors to the Missing Link website will have noticed a wee little change during the last couple of weeks. Missing Link has recently launched their very own Digital store offering a service where you can buy all of your favourite independent tracks – some that you might have seen in a physical format for years. Missing Link Digital is pretty much the same as the store in the basement of 405 Bourke Street, it’s still a one stop shop for great underground Australian music from now and years gone by, as well as from the international underground. If you’re after Kylie Minogue’s new release however, you can still head to iTunes or JB.
Before we talk about the new offerings of the Missing Link Digital store however, it’s important to mention some of the history of Missing Link. Missing Link, at almost 40 years old, is one of the longest running record stores in Australia, and has been embedded into the musical fabric of Melbourne and Australia. It began life growing up with Three Triple R, PBS and 3CR who all began around the same time, laying the foundations for the world renowned music scene that we enjoy in Melbourne today. Former employees include the likes of Steve at Greville Records and former Tote licensee Bruce Milne, of Au Au Go Records. The store began to find its niche in the late 70’s, importing unavailable international punk and new wave records such as Lou Reed and The Sex Pistols and distributing them to independent record stores across Australia. Importantly, the store also offered an outlet for independent local acts to get their records in stores, acts such as The Go-Betweens, Whirlywirld, The Laughing Clowns and The Birthday Party. Missing Link has grown to become a destination for record diggers from all over Australia and the world. You’re likely to find loads of tour managers and touring acts dropping in throughout the summer.
Moving into the future with the opening of Missing Link Digital, Missing Link is still staying true to the roots which have made it so renowned, just keeping up with the time of the digital era. Just as you would head to JB if you’re after top 40 tracks, you can still head to iTunes for the same treatment. But just as you would head to Missing Link if you were after some great independent Australian acts such as the Bone Rattlers, The Geeks, The Orphans, Manic Pistoleros, Drop Bears or The Cosmic Psychos, you can now head to Missing Link Digital to find those rare gems. Local bands can still head in to Missing Link to get their records sold in the store, but can also get their tracks onto the Missing Link Digital store – the only independent store in Australia to offer such a service, and most likely the only digital store in the world to offer such a rich catalogue of Australia’s independent music. In the words of Nigel, Part-owner and operator of Missing Link since 1981, “It’s still doing the same thing, just on an international basis.” Just as Missing Link was at the forefront of the New Wave/Punk revolution, it’s also at the forefront of independent record stores internationally. Head here to check out the new digital store
