Rosalía and her new album Lux have become in recent days the center of the debate, both on the networks and in the media. The praise for the creative audacity of the Catalan artist outweighs the negative criticism of this new collection of songs.
However, the release of the album has caused great discomfort in independent record stores in Spain. Despite being one of the releases of the year, these establishments have seen their allocation by the Sony label restricted to practically nothing. They have only received (at most) three vinyls and eight CDs, a ridiculous figure given the demand of its clientele.
This is the email that, to their surprise, the store managers received last week from the multinational: “With the aim of ensuring that all points of sale can have Lux, Rosalía’s new release, A limitation has been established from today on an order and a maximum of 8 CDs and 3 vinyls per client. “We are taking steps to be able to expand availability as soon as possible.”
“With three vinyls it is impossible to serve my customers. We have more than 30 Rosalía records reserved. How can it be that they only give us three? It is not an economic question because the cost of the record is very high and leaves us with very little profit margin, but rather to keep the customers happy. If they cannot find it in the stores, they will go buy it from the large online sellers or shopping centers, because there they have everyone they want. It is very hard to keep a record store open these days, and with decisions like Sony’s, even more so. We feel like we don’t count for anything. They are drowning us and what they have done is an injustice,” explains a store owner who prefers to remain anonymous for fear that he may be harmed in the future.
At the Espai Xocolat store in Palma de Mallorca they have given their version with a message on their social networks: “A few words about the commercial bungling of Rosalia’s new album (“They only sell 3 vinyls and 8 CDs per store, lest Amazon runs out…”), which we can’t comment on because it hasn’t arrived yet. We are very proud to have the store this beautiful in 2025 and to have the clientele we have, lifelong and younger (I personally love seeing teenagers in the store. I see myself forty years ago).
And they continue: “I would say record company, but It has been many years since the big three companies have ceased to have any interest in records. The catalog collections have been completely abandoned and practically all of the publishing assets of the last sixty years have been seized. For example, jazz, classical or world music catalogs have disappeared. Luckily, we can still make a living and find material through alternative means and, above all, take advantage of the second-hand market, where we can revive past publishing wealth. We are clear that if we arrive, it will not be long before half a century of work will not be with the help of Warner, Sony or Universal. Quite the opposite.”
A speech similar to that of the store La Botiga del Genio Equivocado, in Barcelona, which has published the following text: “Hello Rosalía, I don’t think you will ever read this, but I had to try. We are a small store, one of which we take care of each record, each edition, each person who comes in looking for music with enthusiasm. We are very sad to see that Lux It is already on pre-sale on Amazon while independent stores still do not have that possibility. We know it doesn’t just depend on you, but we wanted to say it: These decisions leave out those of us who have been supporting the small music business for years, recommending, discovering and keeping the passion for records alive. I hope one day the majors will also look down again, where the music really beats.”