NZ Musician News
New Zealand Music Loses Valuable Supporter
31st August 2004
Shaun Joyce, Marketing Director of the Sounds Music Stores retail chain, passed away last Monday August 23 at the age of 38. He had been involved with Sounds since it started up 14 years ago, and he was respected for his genuine love of the music he worked with. He was in bands himself when he was younger - Joe 90 and the The Throbbing Pink Love Torpedoes - and he was always a staunch supporter of New Zealand music.
At his funeral service on Friday, Joyce's mother, Leone, recounted the story of how Joyce started working at the Woolworth's record bar after responding to an ad he saw in the window, whilst on his way to sign up with the Territorials, an option which fell by the wayside once he discovered he could forge a career working with music. He eventually ended up as a store manager for one of the HMV shops; and when the HMV chain was sold to Australian chain Brash's, he was brought in by Sean Coleman on Jerry Lloyd’s recommendation when Coleman established the Sounds music stores in 1991. Sounds started with 2 stores in Auckland, and has since expanded to 49 stores nationwide, with Joyce's influence a huge part of this success.
Shaun Joyce is survived by his wife Sarah and two daughters Lily and Rosie. His loss has reverberated throughout the New Zealand music industry, and he will be deeply missed by many.
Reprinted with the kind permission of New Zealand Musician Magazine