EMP (Exclusive Merchandise Products) can today look back on 30 years of company success. Founded in a start-up setting, the firm is nowadays Europe’s number one multi-channel retailer in music, entertainment and gaming merchandise as well as vendor of fun, fashion and lifestyle products – and is therefore a vital part of the alternative community. European Business spoke to Managing Director Ernst Trapp about the challenges of digitalization, changes in the corporate structure, and the special meaning of the album Paranoid by Black Sabbath.