HMV seem to have given up on music
Posted by LOUDspeaker on 23 June 2008 - 12:02pm.
I was in a HMV store and was surprised to find that the A - Z CD racks have been moved from the ground floor to the back of the 1st floor. Instead the computer games have taken over on the ground.
The A - Z DVDs have been displaced by the CDs, which have been given only about two thirds of the space the DVDs enjoyed.
At the entrance on the ground floor there are still two long racks of CDs. One is the new releases, which I assume are still very profitable. And the other rack is for the 2 for £10 sale CDs ie. Radiohead, Girls Aloud, Muse, Kasabian etc.
Gives me the impression that they haven't been selling many CDs lately. Does it mean anything, or have they just done a reshuffle to keep the place looking fresh and exciting for the KiDZ?
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I think you are spot on.
Profits are falling so they are "consolidating". Not long for this world, I feel.
Zavvi (sic) are no better. Fopp are reduced to very few and far between centres. Smiths, Woolies and the supermarkets cover only the top however many, depending on store size. Most of the independents have gone as they cannot compete and the other chains have all folded too.
Where does anyone go for that all important fix of rifling thru the racks. It ain't the same on amazon.
Depends...
Interpreting the reorganisation of any retail outlet will depend upon the context of that outlet.
If you're talking about HMV Oxford St. then it sounds like they are about to move into double-glazing, and our browsing days are numbered.
If it's a provincial outlet, the significance will depend upon the details of that specific branch: Is it close to a branch of Zavvi? Is it close to the local WH Smith? Is it up a dingy alleyway off the beaten track, or bang on the high street? Is it a tiny HMV or a substantial size? Is it scruffy and about to undergo a refit, or is it all bright and shiny?
Broadly speaking, though, Retro is right; the big high street CD vendor is probably doomed. Once the buggers have all given up, maybe there will be a niche for some small independents, at least in the bigger cities.
Record shops
My first job was at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. Back then we had vinyl albums as the main section and had just expanded the store to stock CDs. Nearly 20 years later the store - now with it's lovely name Zavvi or whatever they call themselves is about half the size and like the HMV mentioned above has a shrunk it's music sections right down.
But then apart from the odd one or two most of my purchases for a few years now have been online. And I work ten minutes away from Oxford Street...
The thing I've noticed more though is the disappearance of the second hand record shop in London. I guess being able to buy online cheaply (or get some things for nothing) has affected custom. And why bother taking half a dozen carrier bags to a shop and selling your albums for about 20p each when you could sit at home and sell them on eBay?
The tragedy, for my money,
(or was it the saving grace?) was when Tower closed at Piccadilly. I used to go to London regularly for work, and on every visit I'd detour to Tower to spend ludicrous amounts I couldn't afford on obscurities you'd never see on the shelves in Bristol or Bath.
Tower Records
Back around 1987 I would quite often after an evening in the pub with my mates jump onto the tube and head to Tower Records by myself and spend twenty quid on some albums and a burger afterwards. There was something exciting about being able to buy music at night!
I was a strange teenager.
Tower in Brum
was always strangely disappointing. Looked good but failed to deliver. I was not surprised when it closed down.......
Miss it now, tho', given the remaining "choice".