The biggest shop in the U.K. is shutting down at the end of the month! From their mail-out:

Chaos Unlimited, the original Psy Trance webstore, will close on 31st August 2006 after 10 years in the Psy Trance scene. This is due to personal health issues combined with the continued decline in Psy Trance CD sales.

When I began to collect back in the late 90s, CU was an essential stop-over for buying fresh material. I must have ordered over a hundred vinyls from them as the years went by. One has to appreciate their dedication to a business which promises little more than hard work and getting by. It will be sad to see them go, but they’ve had a good run!

The mail-out suggests that customers seeking music in the future should check out psymp3.com, which says a great deal about the way the psytrance industry is shifting gears to adapt to the changing times. After a quick look, my first thoughts are that £1.25 for a 320k MP3 seems a bit steep, and the selection isn’t great. They are sure to regret their choice of domain name in the years to come, as MP3s are gradually phased out, but it must be remembered that this is only the beginning for digital download shops. Just as the emerging online shops of the late 90s went through frequent upheavals as the technology of the web advanced, so too will the digital music emporiums adjust to new developments and buyer preferences. I wish them luck in the years to come!