Spero Davias, the founder of the Newcastle record store Sound World, has passed away. He was 75 years old.
The sad news was shared by his family, who posted the following message on the businessman’s Facebook page yesterday (9 October):
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Spero George Davias, who left us surrounded by his loving family on October 8, 2024. Spero was a beloved father, brother, husband, and Papou [Greek for Grandfather], and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
The family didn’t share Davias’s cause of death. The Music sends our condolences to all of his loved ones.
Davias established Newcastle record store Sound World in December 1974, which became an NSW institution for decades.
Born from Davias—an electrical contractor at the time—joining forces with Reg Mason, who was about to sell the record store Impact Sounds, the pair established connections with record company managers and made Sound World a haven for music lovers.
In 1980, Davias and the Sound World team acquired the city’s largest record store, Green Apple, located in the Kotara Fair Shopping Centre. The shopping centre was sold to AMP Properties, whose refurbishment plans led to the centre being renamed Garden City, and the store was moved to a much smaller shopfront.
In addition to that location, Sound World also existed in Mayfield and the Hunter St Mall. In September 1992, the record store experienced its biggest stroke of luck with the opening of the Sound World MegaStore. Then, another store, the Maitland Sound World, opened in July 1997 and existed until the team sold the business in 2003.
Sound World entered the online sphere in 1995, pioneering online browsing for local businesses. Eleven years later, the record store underwent a major restructure, winding down its local business retail outlets and outsourcing its online music sales to world-leading music providers.
As 85.8 FM Newcastle notes, Sound World became Newcastle’s equivalent to stores like Sanity or HMV.
