Butchart has owned Sound It Out Records since 1998, and in that time he has provided old and new vinyl, CD’s and music memorabilia to a large audience of music lovers. Sadly, after his passing in June, Tom Butchart’s wife Clare and the rest of the Sound It Out team have decided to close the shop, which was the last remaining record shop in the area of Teesside, Stockton-on-Tees.

On August 22nd, Clare Butchart released the following statement:

In addition to this, the Sound It Out staff issued a statement thanking the customers, saying that Sound It Out was “more than just a record shop”. They also took the time to thank Tom for the opportunity to work at Sound It Out and be “part of this music community legacy”.

Sound It Out Records stocked and sold music spanning from the 1950’s to present day, and featured a large variety of genres including Punk, Metal, Jazz, Techno, Hip Hop, Funk and much more. The store also provided a space for local DJ’s, as well as supporting local bands and artists by stocking music from all levels of release.

In 2010, Sound It Out Records was the subject of a documentary by Jeanie Finlay. The documentary focuses on how the market for independent music stores has been declining over recent years, and how Tom Butchart and his team strive to stay relevant and successful throughout this shift in how people get their music in today’s society. Finlay grew up only a few miles away from Sound It Out, and beautifully captures how the store is defying the odds and remaining successful through their stance and reputation in their local community.

You can watch the trailer for Jeanie Finlay’s documentary here.

Sound It Out Records have announced they will be using Vectis Auctions, a local auctioneering company, to sell the Sound It Out Records Collection in the coming months. Due to the large quantity of items to be sold, the collection will be sold over multiple auctions. You can find out more about the auctions of the Sound It Out Records Collection on the Vectis Auctions website, and Sound It Out’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Sound It Out Records has made a huge impact on the community of Teesside and has welcomed customers from far and wide, many of which left glowing reviews on their website. It is clear that Tom Butchart had a strong passion for music, as well as the people who entered his store, and through this, his legacy will remain.

We’re delighted to announce the incredible result from The White Label Auction with a record hammer price of £43,540, with net proceeds going to The BRIT Trust!

Read more: https://t.co/VQKmYkVnv9 pic.twitter.com/OcLMlk91Ot

— The BRIT Trust (@TheBRITtrust) June 7, 2022

The auction previously confirmed that all net proceeds will be donated to The BRIT Trust, an esteemed institution which supports charities and establishments involved in the music industry. The trust was founded in 1989 and is partly funded by money raised by the famed BRIT awards and other fundraising events, since its formation the BRIT Trust has raised over £28 million for its many causes. The trust aims to fund educational programmes such as The BRIT School and causes committed to mental wellbeing such as Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy plus many more.

Chair of The BRIT Trust, Tony Wadsworth CBE has given the following statement, “Once again we see people’s love of vinyl combine with the power of music to create something of real worth that will benefit the many causes we support across the UK, whether it’s the next generation of creators from The BRIT School, music therapists from Nordoff Robbins or professionals who work with mental health charities like Mind and Music Support. We are grateful to all the artists and labels for generously contributing their test pressings, and to Johnny Chandler and the Universal UMC team for pulling it all together.”

The auction consisted of 175 lots of White Label LP test pressings, with a large amount signed or personalised by artists many lots sold for four figure sums, the available lots were donated by artists as well as both major and independent record labels. White label LPs are considered vastly valuable by collectors and music fans as they are rarely found and are usually kept in archives. Only a handful are usually produced and provide a special insight into the album’s recording process, the LPs are typically manufactured before the album’s full release.

The Cure and Sex Pistols raise record funds for The BRIT Trust with test pressings #TheCure #SexPistols @TheBRITtrust https://t.co/VK4P71SsaU

— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) June 8, 2022

The highest selling lot at this year’s auction was a white label reissue of The Cure’s 1989 release Disintegration, which was signed by frontman Robert Smith and sold for £5,500. The auction included five lots of The Cure LPs, the total amount raised by the group’s records amounted to £12,250. Further high figures were seen from the record sales of The Sex Pistols, two 7” test pressings of the iconic album God Save The Queen sold for £2,550 combined.

Amongst the 175 lots, many well-known albums and celebrated artist’s accumulated impressive bids. A 6 LP set of The Police’s Every Move You Make sold for £1,200 and Disraeli Gears by Cream sold for £700. Lots consisting of The Spice Girls’ music also contributed to the auction’s large donation, a White Label LP of Spice sold for £440 and a copy of The Greatest Hits brought in £340, totalling an incredible £780.

The White Label auction first took place in 2019 and is the brainchild of Johnny Chandler, the A&R director at Universal Music UK has given the following statement, “Once again the response to the auction from artists, managers and labels has been incredible – today’s wonderful result, which will see funds raised go to support the work of The BRIT Trust and the charities it supports right across the UK, is down to them and the ongoing love affair fans have with vinyl. Special thanks to Dan Hampson, Gennaro Castaldo, and their respective teams at Omega Auctions and BPI, Julian Stockton and all at UMC for helping make this possible.”

Click here for the auction’s full listings and results.

Auctioneers have described the famous vinyl as “a superb copy of one of the rarest and most sought after records in the world. Contained in original A&M sleeve, and within card sleeve with A&M Records sticker.”

Auctioneer and vinyl expert Martin Hughes discussed the auction with Swindon Advertiser, saying, “I have had the privilege of selling many rare records but this is certainly the most exciting of them all.”

“The Sex Pistols will always be the most iconic punk band, and perhaps also one of the most culturally significant.

After the infamous Buckingham Palace PR stunt, which saw the band sign a contract with A&M outside the Palace, it was only six days later that A&M dramatically cancelled the deal, ordering all copies of the vinyl’s first pressing to be destroyed. Ten remain in the company’s vault, proving the invaluable nature of the single now set for auction.

‘God Save The Queen’ was released in 1977, lifted from ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’, an album widely regarded as a game changer within the punk music scene, and crucially one of the most culturally influential albums of all time. It’s a record that John Lydon, (Johnny Rotten) called an “underrated record” in 2014.

Noel Gallagher described the work as “The most influential record of all time is ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’. People who are still working now in the music business did their shit because of that record,”

Following in the footsteps of the recent music biopics, Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, it is understood that a Sex Pistols biopic is now in the works. Starlight Films are the creative minds behind this proposed production. While shooting is still to begin, the casting process is underway.

It is believed the production company have prepared a cast list for the roles of the Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.

The film will chart the notorious rise and fall of the British punk outfit from 1975 to 1978.