University Radio Falmer (URF) will be giving away its gargantuan collection of LPs and CDs, amassed over four decades, in a fundraising event to be held on Thursday 3rd March in Falmer House.
There are estimated to be 2000 LPs and 400 CDs in the student radio station’s archive, most of which are promotional copies which were sent to URF by fledgling artists of the past.
According to Hannah Jones, URF Station Manager, most of the artists are so obscure that no record of them can be found on Google.
She told The Badger: “I was listening to one called ‘Dead Dodo’ the other day, and it was really good. Some of them are terrible of course, but there is still something special about hearing experiments from the past, failed or otherwise.
“And I wouldn’t be surprised if people found some undiscovered gems in here—early stuff from bands who have since made it big.”
URF’s Head of Events Nick Stewart warned that, because the records are promotional copies, they have little to no market value.
He explained: “Vinyl collectors want gatefold editions and first pressings. The LPs in our collection don’t even have sleeves, and they have stuff scribbled on them.
“But the point isn’t for people to find bargains and to make money. It’s for people to take these LPs and play them in their halls, and to hopefully discover rare songs they like.”
Head of Tech Fin Evans joked: “There’s a lot of terrible 90’s disco in here, which we think people at Sussex will lap up.”
While the event is about sharing relics from the radio station’s past with students, the executive team insist they are not backward looking.
Stewart told The Badger: “It’s about the future too. We want people to donate to us, even if it’s just pocket change, so that we can invest in equipment and events.”
URF launched a monthly comedy night last year, in conjunction with Sussex student and stand-up comic Henry Ewins, called URFunny.
Station Manager Hannah Jones said: “This giveaway is primarily about spreading awareness of URF as a brand, and encouraging people to get involved with student radio and our events.”
The vinyl/CD giveaway is being advertised on Facebook, and currently has 89 users attending and an additional 120 interested.
It will be held between 10am and 5pm on Thursday 3rd March in the URF office, which can be accessed using the stairs by the Students’ Union Shop. The location will be signposted on the day.
Attendees can donate a suggested minimum of 25p per vinyl/CD taken, and a free copy is offered to anyone who shares the Facebook event or signs the wall.
Mark Tovey
Photo credit: Pete Humphreys
