Clarity Records Urges Local Musicians To 'Get in Touch!'

Nestled in the cross-section of Pultney Street and Rundle Street, Clarity Records is an independent music store that prides itself on cultivating a healthy, thriving local arts scene.

Run by married couple Matt and Laura Horvath, the store has been in operation for nearly fifteen years, specialising in stocking vinyl in an eclectic range of genres, as well as books, CDs, collectable band T-shirts, and general music paraphernalia. Most importantly, however, Clarity Records makes a concerted effort to support local artists by stocking and selling their music.

Matt Horvath, sounding bubbly and cheerful, explains the genesis of Clarity Records as a business. He himself got his start working at an independent record shop called Big Star Records from 2006 to 2010.

“It was sort of a dream job for me. I loved it. From working at that record store I essentially learned how to run a record store, but more importantly how not to run a record store.”

When Big Star closed down over a decade ago, he and his partner - who had both been involved in the local music scene from a very young age, and thus already possessed many of the necessary connections and experiences - apparently thought to themselves, “Why not? Let’s just jump straight into it and give it a go ourselves.”

And thus Clarity Records was born, and has been expanding and supporting local music ever since.

The conception of the store, crucially, came about at a time when many of the inter-CBD record stores that were willing to stock local records had closed down, turning the scene into quite a daunting, barren landscape for young emerging artists.

Horvath himself fondly remembers how important it was for him as a youth to be supported by local record stores. “Growing up playing in bands, we were able to go up to the counter and be like, hey, can we sell our music on consignment? And we’d always be accepted. It is, as you know, one of the main sources of income, beside shows.

“It was a bit heartbreaking, thinking Adelaide didn’t really have that outlet for independent local bands to sell their music, so that was a real driver for us to be like, no, there needs to be a place and we have to do it.” 

Often local bands will wander in, unannounced, asking if Clarity can stock their physical copies of their music, or promotional flyers and posters for local gigs, and the answer will be, “Of course.”

It is, reportedly, a “super simple process.” Horvath specifies proudly: “We accept anything and everything locally. We’ve never turned away anyone or anything.” It is their aim, as a business to “essentially create a hub for local musicians to sell their stuff at or potentially perform in.”

As a venue, Clarity places a strong emphasis on accessibility across demographics for their shows - which can range from single launches, album launches, and even screenings of music videos. “The shows at Clarity are always free. Everyone is welcome. We try to encourage people to come along and experience free, live, local music.”

He wants local musicians to know that Clarity is “super open to collaborating.” He urges those looking for institutional support to “get in touch!”

Horvath’s passion for the necessity of local music being upheld and promoted is clearly genuine and contagious, deep-rooted and personal. It is a space that matters to him. “Going to local music gigs from the age of 14, I essentially felt like I was part of a community. It was exciting, it was fun, it was dangerous. 

He expands on the necessity of cultivating “a healthy music community” in a “big town” like Adelaide, which can often seem to exist separately from the overarching culture of the national music industry as a whole.

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“I feel like it's an important thing for Adelaide to have that community so that people feel welcome, so that people feel like there’s a place to escape from their normal life, and all of that can be found in local music. And if we can play a minor role in facilitating that vibe, we’re proud to be a part of it.”