HMV in administration

[LG]

^^They probably are in a holding pattern waiting to see if they hit their marks at the retail stores before going ahead with the online shopping site Sweaty. You'd think they would have done a more professional job and had that up and running before closing down all the various branches.

They sound like amateurs to me the way they're hacking about and hoping something miraculous happens.

The HMV shops here are doing alright since the split from the HMV England group...but we'll see in a year or two how things look.

 

[Sweaty]

I hope they survive but as you say they don't look like they are going about it the right way.

 

[LG]

^^A few years ago we lost our landmark music store, A&B Sound. They've been around since the early 70's, and I bought my first 2 albums at their flagship store in Vancouver when I was a teenager.

Anyway they opened a few stores in Western Canada in the 90's and were doing really well. They were "The Store" for CD's, the selection and prices were excellent. Then the downloading started and sales decreased, inventory shrank, they ended up closing the upstairs part of the store completely. At that time they had a really good Online site, and kept it updated. A couple years passed, the store was sold to a computer manufacturing company, that went nowhere fast and within a short time they closed the doors.

Anyway, I knew a year ahead of time they were going under, because they took their website offline, all you saw was "A&B Sound"...site is under construction and will be back soon. They never came back online and all I have now are the memories.

 

[mrJim]

There are 2 shops here they are very small and have a used/new model. I go to them first to atleast try, but it is a limit selection. I'll order through the one shop if the quote is near reasonable.

but thats about all there is on the ground down here.

That said; I now cant recall the last time I downloaded, and likely wont again unless I get absolutley desperate to get something I cant get on vinyl/cd media.

My advice to everyone is, If you have a record shop support them. Investing in the media is worth it. The experience, quality and for me the overall satisfaction is better in the end

 

[LG]

^^That's about all you can do Mr.Jim, is support the few shops that are left. I have to say that it's really quite amazing how many new vinyl albums are available right now, and hope it continues to grow it's the only hope left for those of us that want physical media.

 

[Sweaty]

Chesterfield where I live has no music shop now and that is bad

 

[Big Ears]

Southampton only has one record shop in the city centre, an HMV with computer games as you enter and rock music downstairs. They did have some Jade Warrior CDs, which I thought was funny. There are a few independents selling vinyl around the outside. It is part of the disintegration of town centres. Southampton is all teenagers' fashion, fast food, tacky ornaments, phone shops and tattoo parlours.

It is a problem for me as I have broadband, but rarely buy anything online. I like to handle items in a physical shop before I buy.

 

[Sweaty]

I agree Big Ears towns are dying on their arses...I do like to handle things before I buy but I research a lot so I know what I am buying, I went to Sheffield today to the HMV, they have a decent selection but I have most of them. The prices are a little high so I still buy online, if we had a decent CD shop in town I would hang there and probably buy from them like I did when HMV was open.

 

[Big Ears]

Every time I go near HMV, I expect them to be gone!

 

[Sweaty]

Yeah me to, I went to one in Birmingham and they had loads of stuff and loads on offer too, was like a kid in a candy store. Will be going back to the dam next year again to pick up some vibes.