HMV Again

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

very sad but 'we're all guilty'.

I don't feel remotely guilty about refusing to enter a shop tyat blares out pop music at an ear-splitting level. The company was guilty of this - not the customers.

[Dave2002]

I don't feel remotely guilty about refusing to enter a shop tyat blares out pop music at an ear-splitting level. The company was guilty of this - not the customers.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. With the demise of HMV there will be virtually no outlets for CDs. There will be some small independent retailers, but many of them haven't been viable and have gone to the wall, and the remainder seem likely to follow.

Is the physical medium important? Arguably not, and younger people appear not to think so. I still feel that CDs and the other forms of physical storage - DVDs, SACDs, Blu-Ray offer better quality audio and/or video, plus there are many who still like to have physical objects. I can't save HMV (pity, as I have some shares) but its passing will mark a clear shift away from previous patterns of buying and collecting. Will this lead to a reduction in the size of recording catalogues? Will "heritage" recordings become lost for ever? This is difficult to say, and will depend on how companies survive and manage their archives.

In the meantime, I did pick up some decent bargains in Kingston HMV - Harnoncourt in Haydn Masses - several in a box for £12, and the Decca recording of Striggio's 40 part Mass for £8. That store does not look as though it's about to close, though the till receipts do mention the problems with the continuing operations, and the changes in the Terms and Conditions of sales.

[Dave2002]

Comments elsewhere suggest that some stores will close very soon, based on rent payments probably being due at the end of this month. The HMV shop in Kingston still appears viable, but some parts do look a bit run down. They had some hardware type things on a 2 for 1 deal this week - but not anything I particularly wanted. I did pick up duplicate copies of Mahler 5/Dudamel and a piano recital by Benjamin Grosvenor (4CDs in all) for a tenner. I'll probably give the spare copies away as presents or for raffles. They still have some reasonably good stuff, for those who want to browse - but not necessarily at super bargain prices.

[Ferretfancy]

In its early days, the HMV shop sold everything musical, from records to sheet music, various instruments, even grand pianos. At present, as far as I know, there are no shops in Oxford Street ( saving pianos in nearby Wigmore Street ) where you can buy a guitar or a flute, get advice, perhaps even take some lessons. We are not short of amateur musicians. Smaller shops out of the centre, like Les Aldridge in Muswell Hill, get by because they offer a diverse range of musical services.

I can't help thinking that this disaster could have been avoided if the HMV group had decided to diversify, after all it's a big store with scope for experiment in what they sell, and the online market would then find its place as well.

[amateur51]

In its early days, the HMV shop sold everything musical, from records to sheet music, various instruments, even grand pianos. At present, as far as I know, there are no shops in Oxford Street ( saving pianos in nearby Wigmore Street ) where you can buy a guitar or a flute, get advice, perhaps even take some lessons. We are not short of amateur musicians. Smaller shops out of the centre, like Les Aldridge in Muswell Hill, get by because they offer a diverse range of musical services.

I can't help thinking that this disaster could have been avoided if the HMV group had decided to diversify, after all it's a big store with scope for experiment in what they sell, and the online market would then find its place as well.

Les Aldridge is quite an Aladdin's Cave, isn't it Ferret

I wonder if HMV might return to offering listening booths as record shops used to do. I used to enjoy listening to up to 5 new releases at a time on those listening poles in the Oxford Street shop and I often bought a CD on the basis of what I'd heard. Presumably it would not be difficult to fix up an internet link to hmv.com so the shop wouldn't have to carry stock, thus losing costs in transport too.

I'd quite like the idea of choosing a recording in that way & being certain of receiving it at home at discount price or no p&p cost in the next couple of days. You'd be able to download the mp3/lossless guise there and then if you wanted to, to appeal to younger people who are au fait with such things (ok Throppers )

[Bryn]

Popped into HMV Oxford Street before last evening's Jonathan Powell (and Mark Viner) recital at Schott Music. The Blue Cross BOGOF 'offer' was a right con. All the prices for such items were of the full list variety, thus a Dvorak Symphonies set which was being sold there for £9.99 twelve months ago was now priced at £39.99 (BOGOF), i.e. the price was inflated by an effective 100%. I left empty handed.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I had a different experience in HMV Southampton. Picked up Naive's new(ish) Orlando in its Vivaldi Edition for £22* (currently £24 on Amazon) and got Vinci's L'Arteserse, also priced at £22, free (£20+ on Amazon), so definitely worth a quick diversion before visiting the Mayflower.

* I notice the Vivaldi Edition set wasn't in the Blue Cross offer in Winchester, however.

[amateur51]

Popped into HMV Oxford Street before last evening's Jonathan Powell (and Mark Viner) recital at Schott Music. The Blue Cross BOGOF 'offer' was a right con. All the prices for such items were of the full list variety, thus a Dvorak Symphonies set which was being sold there for £9.99 twelve months ago was now priced at £39.99 (BOGOF), i.e. the price was inflated by an effective 100%. I left empty handed.

Did you hear the extract from Jonathan Powell's Brahms CD on CD Review this morning Bryn? Rightly praised in my view

[Bryn]

Did you hear the extract from Jonathan Powell's Brahms CD on CD Review this morning Bryn? Rightly praised in my view

I have not heard it yet, but will soon. Last night ended with the Rachmaninov 3rd concerto (hence the participation of Mark Viner to take the place of an orchestra. Jonathan is due to play that concerto with orchestra in the near future, and the Brahms 2nd later this year. I have not details of which orchestra(s), conductor(s) or venue(s) however.

[Ah, wrong Jonathan, a51. The Brahms this morning was played by Jonathan Plowright, not Powell.]

[visualnickmos]

Seems that in a nutshell HMV lost the plot sometime ago - it's calamitous demise was an inevitability. Sad, though all the same; much of my collection was started from there in the late 80s and early 90s when they had thousands of mega-bargains week-in, week-out. For that I am ever grateful.

Does anyone else remember when at the same period, full opera CDs were 10-a-penny, not just in HMV but pretty much everywhere in central London, at least.... it was as if they couldn't be shifted quick enough. When you see the prices of them now, I was glad to have invested when the market was thus. No way could I do it now.

[amateur51]

I have not heard it yet, but will soon. Last night ended with the Rachmaninov 3rd concerto (hence the participation of Mark Viner to take the place of an orchestra. Jonathan is due to play that concerto with orchestra in the near future, and the Brahms 2nd later this year. I have not details of which orchestra(s), conductor(s) or venue(s) however.

[Ah, wrong Jonathan, a51. The Brahms this morning was played by Jonathan Plowright, not Powell.]

I knew that! I knew that!

[Alison]

Cheltenham HMV closure imminent. I found a better selection of classical stock in the nearby Oxfam shop.