View Full Version : HMV & Vinyl
Wakefield Turntables
26-05-2012, 16:07
i'd heard on the grapevine that HMV intended to start supplying vinyl and then I read this http://www.nme.com/news/miscellaneous/61453 . Just been into Wakefield and Barnsley HMV and a spotted VINYL :stalks: Just bought my first bit of HMV vinyl in several years (Dragonforce - The Power Within), for £12. If HMV continues to stock decent vinyl at these prices I can see myself spending some hard earned wonga. Please discuss.com.....................:D
Spectral Morn
26-05-2012, 16:52
My local one has very little, which is surprising as Head (now closed) had lots and did well in part because of the vinyl stock. I had thought/hoped when Head closed (I am still gutted about that 6 months on) that the Belfast HMV would have taken over.... not so :(
Time will tell.
dr.jones
26-05-2012, 16:54
The HMV in the trafford center went through a stage of selling vinyl a few years back, then just stopped! I'll have a look to see if they start again!
prestonchipfryer
26-05-2012, 17:21
HMV in Poole used to stock vinyl up to about five years ago and suddenly stopped. Would be good if they start sellling vinyl again. I would definitely be a buyer.
Thanks. I'll check out the Romford one.
Wakefield Turntables
26-05-2012, 17:41
Funny innit, give the people what they want and they'll buy it! Strange how HMV could never see this extremely simple aspect of business life!
I think the operative phrase is "in quite a few", that is, not all outlets:
" ... - in fact we're also planning to significantly increase our range of vinyl in quite a few locations as well."
I can't remember the last time I saw any vinyl in my local HMV! But I wouldn't jump for joy if they started restocking it - in my experience HMV always quibbled if you had to return a bad pressing, unlike my (sadly no longer) local family-owned record shop. In fact the only record shop we have here is bloody HMV, it having forced smaller and better shops out of business.
Popped into the HMV store the other day and was amazed and disappointed to see that the music had been pushed to the back of the store, offering less choice, whilst DVDs, books, games, computers, radios and MP3 players and headphones were much in prominance.
Wouldn't surprise me if HMV disappears within five years.
Wakefield Turntables
26-05-2012, 17:46
I think the operative phrase is "in quite a few", that is, not all outlets:
" ... - in fact we're also planning to significantly increase our range of vinyl in quite a few locations as well."
I can't remember the last time I saw any vinyl in my local HMV! But I wouldn't jump for joy if they started restocking it - in my experience HMV always quibbled if you had to return a bad pressing, unlike my (sadly no longer) local family-owned record shop. In fact the only record shop we have here is bloody HMV, it having forced smaller and better shops out of business.
Popped into the HMV store the other day and was amazed and disappointed to see that the music had been pushed to the back of the store, offering less choice, whilst DVDs, books, games, computers, radios and MP3 players and headphones were much in prominance.
Wouldn't surprise me if HMV disappears within five years.
Some extremely valid points sir. My local HMV in Wakefield has more floor space for gadgets and gizmo's and less for music, they have a flawed business model and they may not be around in five years but in the mean time I can hopefully still purchase vinyl locally:cool:
...unlike my (sadly no longer) local family-owned record shop. In fact the only record shop we have here is bloody HMV, it having forced smaller and better shops out of business.
It seems to be mainly a southern England thing, Barry. Martin T, and others, have reported a similar sad story...
Up here (and even further north), however, things in that respect are decidedly rosier! ;)
Marco.
Funny innit, give the people what they want and they'll buy it! Strange how HMV could never see this extremely simple aspect of business life!
to be fair they've been selling vinyl via their website for some time at some of the cheapest prices with free P&P, and a no quibble return policy. I've got some decent stuff from them over the last few years and I'm thankful for that.
to be fair they've been selling vinyl via their website for some time at some of the cheapest prices with free P&P, and a no quibble return policy. I've got some decent stuff from them over the last few years and I'm thankful for that.
Do they refund you the cost of returning an item?
prestonchipfryer
26-05-2012, 18:06
to be fair they've been selling vinyl via their website for some time at some of the cheapest prices with free P&P, and a no quibble return policy. I've got some decent stuff from them over the last few years and I'm thankful for that.
Yes they have and I've bought quite a few LP's from their website and not had a duff one yet. :)
Wakefield Turntables
26-05-2012, 18:15
to be fair they've been selling vinyl via their website for some time at some of the cheapest prices with free P&P, and a no quibble return policy. I've got some decent stuff from them over the last few years and I'm thankful for that.
Yes they have and I've bought quite a few LP's from their website and not had a duff one yet. :)
Sounds like I may have to start checking out HMV instead of Amazon. :scratch:
prestonchipfryer
26-05-2012, 18:41
Sounds like I may have to start checking out HMV instead of Amazon. :scratch:
Also got loads off Amazon UK and Amazon USA. No problems (as yet) with the imports from USA, but I tend to buy just one at a time.
mike1210
26-05-2012, 22:32
Cardiff tried to phase it out in the early 90's, then dance hit mainstream and it came back big time. Around 2006 they then phased it out after having quite a good selection to be fair.
Couple of months ago it came back. A whole isle (one side) of mainly rock 180gram re-issues......which is better than none at all of course
No dance singles though:(
Wakefield Turntables
26-05-2012, 22:35
it came back. A whole isle (one side) of mainly rock 180gram re-issues.....
Yeehaaarrr cowboy what other type of music do you need :scratch:
The Grand Wazoo
26-05-2012, 23:03
HMV in Lancaster started stocking vinyl a couple of months ago. I went & had a look out of interest (normally I'd not darken their door) & found maybe a couple of hundred titles, mostly biggish sellers from the past, priced in the 14-25 quid range. I was rather pleased to find one or two fairly lesser known things too - including Big Star's 'Radio City'. However the staff, rather exposed their lack of knowledge as they had it filed under 'R'. I moved it to the 'B's' & the little twerp put it back while muttering "R for Radio City"
mike1210
26-05-2012, 23:18
Yeehaaarrr cowboy what other type of music do you need :scratch:
More dance stuff of course, which is why it came back in the first place in the 90's:ner:
Last year i bought a copy of lal Watersons album Once in a Blue Moon from Oxford street only to find it damaged. i took it back only to find it back on the racks a week later.
zygote23
27-05-2012, 01:13
I wouldn't buy from HMV Belfast in a fit.....they have no clue how to present or look after vinyl. Their pricing strategy is nearly as bad as a few 'Hi End' hi fi design houses lmao.
Head have gone but word for those in the know is that they will return rather soonish....watch this space.
ECM vinyl in HMV = upwards on £30 sometimes.....can be had from ECM for an awful lot less direct!
I don't know about the website but HMV stores have always been expensive, not just for records but t-shirts, books, posters, DVD.
I recall back in the 90s when they did not have any CD for less than £11.99.
I wanted Guns & Roses- the Use your Illusion albums on CD, but they were £17.99 each:eek:. Well I wasn't paying that but figured leave it a year and they will come down to £7.99. This was 1996. In 2002, six years later, they were still £17.99 each. But now I had money so I thought f**k it, you want them buy them. So I did. A month later and guess what? Down to £5.99 each...:steam:
HMV is 2 towns over for me so I very rarely go there in fact I gave away a £20 gift voucher just the other day thinking I would never use it. I'm never paying £25 for a new pressing of an old record, just not happening.
Since I started collecting vinyl again I've found the HMV website to be amongst the cheapest, if not the cheapest, especially for new releases. I haven't found a store selling vinyl as yet, I'd probably use it if I did. Thing about using the internet is I often do a bit of background checking on the Steve Hoffman forum, for example. There's a lot of re-issues that aren't worth 25p let alone £25 :)
The best thing is to do a google search on everything anyway to find the lowest price. I also use sister ray and reckless records in London, but i've lost count of the amount of times i've had to return new releases to sister ray for noise issues. Not really their fault of course.
macca, i agree, the price of back catalogue CD's got ridiculous at one point. As much as you dont want to see shops struggling i'm so glad all that fell through.
Audioman
27-05-2012, 07:46
There once was a time that HMV was a great store with competitve prices (70's and 80's). They did jack up prices in the 90's (so did Virgin) but that was before the Internet and Amazon. Martin you can hardly complain about £11.99 CDs in the late 90's as you would be hard pushed to buy cheaper anywhere. The fall in music sales and Amazon have drasticaly forced prices down so that £5 to £6 is the norm for back catalogue. New releases if you want them straight away are still around £9 on line so it is hardly surprising that they are a couple pounds more in a bricks and mortar store.
As for prices of vinyl. There are still plenty regular pressings available for under £20 in bricks and mortar stores though I have yet to visit an HMV selling vinyl again to confirm their current pricing structure. Generaly the £25 discs complained about are from the 'audiophile' labels or music is spread over 2 discs. These are usualy worth the cost for packaging and SQ.
A few titles do have inflated prices like the 'limited' pressings from Music Factory such as the new Paul Weller LP. At least this title is worth it for the musical content. If you take into account wage inflation your £1.99 lp in 1973 (mass produced on recycled vinyl) is very much the equivilent of today's £25 Audiophile reissue.
Do they refund you the cost of returning an item?
You're right Barry, they don't refund the return postage. Very few web sellers do unless pushed. Having said that its quite nice being able to abandon a sale without any questions if you feel a replacement isn't going to cut the mustard. Some sellers and shops like/insist you take a replacement when you know a noise issue isn't going to be any better or even worse, or you suspect something was mastered from digital.
. Martin you can hardly complain about £11.99 CDs in the late 90's as you would be hard pushed to buy cheaper anywhere. .
:lol: At the time I was making £4.40 an hour in my day job, before tax. Work 3 hours to make enough to buy one CD! - I could complain for England, trust me :eyebrows: Actually, at the time and around these parts anyway HMV CD prices were always undercut by Woolworths by a couple of quid - but without the depth of back catalogue choice.
Spectral Morn
27-05-2012, 08:12
I think the operative phrase is "in quite a few", that is, not all outlets:
" ... - in fact we're also planning to significantly increase our range of vinyl in quite a few locations as well."
I can't remember the last time I saw any vinyl in my local HMV! But I wouldn't jump for joy if they started restocking it - in my experience HMV always quibbled if you had to return a bad pressing, unlike my (sadly no longer) local family-owned record shop. In fact the only record shop we have here is bloody HMV, it having forced smaller and better shops out of business.
Popped into the HMV store the other day and was amazed and disappointed to see that the music had been pushed to the back of the store, offering less choice, whilst DVDs, books, games, computers, radios and MP3 players and headphones were much in prominance.
Wouldn't surprise me if HMV disappears within five years.
Pretty much reflects my experience as well.
Spectral Morn
27-05-2012, 08:15
I wouldn't buy from HMV Belfast in a fit.....they have no clue how to present or look after vinyl. Their pricing strategy is nearly as bad as a few 'Hi End' hi fi design houses lmao.
Head have gone but word for those in the know is that they will return rather soonish....watch this space.
ECM vinyl in HMV = upwards on £30 sometimes.....can be had from ECM for an awful lot less direct!
:eek: :)
I am all ears, or eyes Steve.
Audioman
27-05-2012, 09:10
:lol: At the time I was making £4.40 an hour in my day job, before tax. Work 3 hours to make enough to buy one CD! - I could complain for England, trust me :eyebrows: Actually, at the time and around these parts anyway HMV CD prices were always undercut by Woolworths by a couple of quid - but without the depth of back catalogue choice.
Martin. While I sympathise with your financial situation (employers paying that kind of money should have been shot) it is irrelevant to the general relative afordability/pricing of physical music product. An LP would have been half a weeks pay for some in the 60's. On that basis given the average income today the prices you complain about are much more affordable. Yes I forgot about Woolies but they were not a lot cheaper and a far less satisfying shopping experience. HMV obviously invested much more into store fitting and stocking a full catalogue. Also most stores were/are in prime (read expensive) locations. They hardly have been making pots of profit have they?
:lol: At the time I was making £4.40 an hour in my day job, before tax. Work 3 hours to make enough to buy one CD! - I could complain for England, trust me :eyebrows: Actually, at the time and around these parts anyway HMV CD prices were always undercut by Woolworths by a couple of quid - but without the depth of back catalogue choice.
Ha, I remember buying vinyl/CD's from woolies. christ how things have changed.
I think we may well see a lot more vinyl hitting the shops in the future.
Spectral Morn
27-05-2012, 09:29
Ha, I remember buying vinyl/CD's from woolies. christ how things have changed.
I think we may well see a lot more vinyl hitting the shops in the future.
and I can recall buying it from the Co Op....
Martin. While I sympathise with your financial situation (employers paying that kind of money should have been shot) it is irrelevant to the general relative afordability/pricing of physical music product. An LP would have been half a weeks pay for some in the 60's. On that basis given the average income today the prices you complain about are much more affordable. Yes I forgot about Woolies but they were not a lot cheaper and a far less satisfying shopping experience. HMV obviously invested much more into store fitting and stocking a full catalogue. Also most stores were/are in prime (read expensive) locations. They hardly have been making pots of profit have they?
Absolutely true, but then everything was more expensive back then, (including food) in real terms. When you consider one of the main reasons for introducing CD was that it was cheaper to make them, ship them and display them for sale there was no excuse for the prices charged. We saw the same with DVD when that was launched. Charging £17.99 for films more than 20 years old that had been shown on TV many times? Taking a liberty. Then they complain that pirate copying has killed their sales...:rolleyes:
HMV = poor management at all levels, bad long term strategy, badly laid out stores, overpriced products. It is amazing they have lasted this long.
Audioman
27-05-2012, 13:08
and I can recall buying it from the Co Op....
and W.H. Smiths + Boots. Boots in Bristol used to have a large record dept in the 70's.
Spectral Morn
27-05-2012, 13:33
and W.H. Smiths + Boots. Boots in Bristol used to have a large record dept in the 70's.
Don't recall any in Boots (in Belfast branch) but it was about 1977 that I started buying vinyl, mostly movie soundtracks, Star Wars, Close Encounters etc and from a local shop in the small town (I say town probably in reality a large village) I lived in as a boy.
Back then we had a record shop, cinema, fabulous hardware shop (used to buy all the Humbrol enamel paints I used for the models I built back then there) back in the 70's the people of Holywood had great amenities. Its no where near as good now days, not bad compared to some places but much reduced.
The Grand Wazoo
27-05-2012, 13:50
Boots in Brighton used to have a mammoth record section. Including loads of stuff for £0.49p & £1.49 - I snaffled up some good stuff there all through my teenage years. The old Rediffusion shops used to sell records too.
Anyway, back to HMV & I've just got back from a quick trip into town - couldn't help myself diving in to HMV. The Big Star album is now filed under 'B'!!!!!!!
I did a count of what they have - 389 albums with only a few duplicates.
.
Anyway, back to HMV & I've just got back from a quick trip into town - couldn't help myself diving in to HMV. The Big Star album is now filed under 'B'!!!!!!!
.
Good work!:lol:
The Grand Wazoo
27-05-2012, 15:11
Good work!:lol:
Heheheheh......... guerilla alphabetising!
Heheheheh......... guerilla alphabetising!
Just as Tower Records in Tokyo file Frank Zappa under 'F'!
Chris did you really count the number of titles available in your HMV. Haven't you got better things to do? (A certain turntable and pick-up arm project come to mind!)
The Grand Wazoo
27-05-2012, 16:28
Yes I most certainly did!
I was having to find some gainful employment while someone else was looking for clothing. I've never found it too much of a waste of time to flick through a couple of racks of records (as my bank manager will confirm), however counting while doing so adds a new, exciting and dangerous challenge!
flapland
27-05-2012, 18:07
HMV online is good for prices and sadly long waits. Ordered some Ryan Adams and Iron and Wine back in March/April the later is still out of stock and the Ryan Adams and some Black Keys shipped last week. Was cheap though.
I also remember buying records in a smallish Boots, John Menzies and of course Woolworths. We also had an independent record shop where I wish I had bought the Chameleons first time round as they were my local band although was into other things at the time.
Rare Bird
03-06-2012, 10:31
I poped into HMV in Sheffield city centre yesterday afternoon just to see what they had, not that much really & deffo not stuff i was intrested in! however i did find high quality Black Sabbath 'Volume 4' & 'Sabotage' on 180grm Rhino Records...
Spectral Morn
03-06-2012, 10:46
My local HMV still has very little vinyl, had a look the other day, first time I have been up to Belfast in quite awhile; only there to go to the cinema.
Wakefield Turntables
03-06-2012, 15:39
Perhaps if we bought more stuff they would stock more stuff? But, the old argument of "cheaper of the net" kicks in dosent it :scratch:
Why buy vinyl from HMV when your local independent record shop sells it for less, and you can hear it first, before buying it, over a cup of coffee? ;)
Marco.
Spectral Morn
03-06-2012, 16:29
Why buy vinyl from HMV when your local independent record shop sells it for less, and you can hear it first, before buying it, over a cup of coffee? ;)
Marco.
Don't have any, any more Marco all gone :(
Maybe a business opportunity for someone?
Marco.
Spectral Morn
03-06-2012, 16:38
Maybe a business opportunity for someone?
Marco.
Maybe Marco but things in NI are very tough at the minute we are getting it bad in the current economic climate so it would be a very brave soul to take this on.
Wakefield Turntables
03-06-2012, 16:43
Why buy vinyl from HMV when your local independent record shop sells it for less, and you can hear it first, before buying it, over a cup of coffee? ;)
Marco.
There are several in Leeds and Huddersfield and they charge top dollar (yes I do buy stuff from them) but this puts me off. I only visit the inde's when they have stuff on offer or when something pops up in the 2nd hand section. Thats why £12 for a new piece of Vinyl ay HMV sounded a good deal at the time. :D
You need to build up a rapport with the owner, Andy. I get stuff put aside for me in advance, or even phoned up when anything 'interesting' comes in - and always get a deal for cash! ;)
Marco.
Wakefield Turntables
03-06-2012, 18:08
Tried and failed on numerous times. I've left business cards at various stores to give me a call when any heavy metal / rare prog stuff comes in. Do they get in contact? ............ of course not because they are too bloody idle. They only have themselves to blame for going out of business when you get this sort of treatment. :steam:
Rare Bird
03-06-2012, 18:41
We don't have a local independent record shop either, end of the day i don't care where it's from as long as it's cheap.
Tried and failed on numerous times. I've left business cards at various stores to give me a call when any heavy metal / rare prog stuff comes in. Do they get in contact? ............ of course not because they are too bloody idle. They only have themselves to blame for going out of business when you get this sort of treatment. :steam:
You must not have made a memorable enough impression on them... ;)
Marco.
Wakefield Turntables
04-06-2012, 09:28
Hmmm...... could be. But, I've been going in one or two of the same shops for years and HAVE spokem to most of the guys and spent LOTS of money with them. Double :steam::steam:
Somewhere in the conversation, I usually slip in that I own a busy hi-fi/music forum, where their record shop would be recommended to members, and that usually helps.... :eyebrows:
Marco.
prestonchipfryer
04-06-2012, 10:44
Down here in sunny Weymouth we have Disc-o-Box and Chunes, both of which are very competitive for 2nd hand lp's (glad I've just bought an RCM.) But for new releases HMV and Amazon are okay for me. Recent purchases (from Amazon) include Adele, Jimmy Hendrix and David Bowie, Beatles (YS) and several others.
Popped into HMV in Poole last Wednesday, no vinyl and they didn't know if they were to stock vinyl. Same with the Yeovil HMV. Personally I wish they would stock vinyl. :)
Yeehaaarrr cowboy what other type of music do you need :scratch:
Well I went to see George Thorogood a couple of years ago in Cambridge and he said "There's only two types of music - Blues and all that other s**t!" But what does he know? :D
I frequent various outlets in Soho, London, and on occasion I'll even venture into a record shop :)
Not often they beat HMV for price, but sometimes. Reckless Records has a good selection of used stuff and it's refreshed regularly. They clean their stuff when necessary, grade it well, and price it fairly.
There is a record shop in my local high street not 5 mins drive from me. He's been running it for ages, since the late 70's. Trouble is he's all over the place. He's got piles of stock in the basement that's never seen the light of day, the actual shop floor is overloaded with too many LP's often poorly stacked. searching for records is a hazardous, unpleasant business. Many are probably damaged as a result, most are in poor condition anyway. To compound matters his prices veer from very good (if you can find something in good condition) to 'you must be joking!'. It's a real shame because I think it might be a really good time to be in business right now.
dr.jones
08-06-2012, 11:44
Why buy vinyl from HMV when your local independent record shop sells it for less, and you can hear it first, before buying it, over a cup of coffee? ;)
Marco.
We used to have a great local record shop nearby, but it was usually listening to vinyl getting high on the passive smoke from the guys joints he was always smoking rather than a cup of coffee!!
The guy's music knowledge was amazing. Sadly they re-designed the town center and his shop went.
Rare Bird
08-06-2012, 20:19
We used to have seven Record shops in our main Town including the one i worked in, all are well gone now. :(
Andre - which one? I was probably a customer, bought a lot of records in Rotherham and Sheffield back in the day.
Went in HMV Chesterfield yesterday - no vinyl there yet, will try Barnsley tomorrow as I'll be there.
Was nice to see a couple of decent rack fulls in FOPP Nottingham but dissapointingly nothing to suit my tastes that I hadn't already got
Rare Bird
08-06-2012, 22:15
Hi Chris
I worked in 'Rocket Records' (Doncaster Gate) in the mid 80's.. My fav was 'Sound Of Music'
I'm up Chesterfield tomorrow
i'd heard on the grapevine that HMV intended to start supplying vinyl
Do keep up at the back!
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=254819&highlight=HMV+vinyl+Southampton#post254819
Wakefield Turntables
09-06-2012, 10:20
:rfl: I must admit I did not see your thread. Up in my neck of the woods it's extremely rare to find any HIV shops stocking vinyl I always have to visit Leeds or Huddersfield if I need a vinyl splurge.
I know, the Basingstoke HMV is utterly pathetic, devoting a good third of its floorspace to yoof white goods (i.e. Apple accessories) and pushing CDs to the back of the store. Not even a sniff of vinyl.
prestonchipfryer
09-06-2012, 11:22
Similar in the Yeovil store. You wouldn't think they were selling music, with all the totally crappy i-paddy things they are selling; and most of the rest of the store given over to blu-ray and dvd-video, posters and other tat. :(
Wakefield Turntables
09-06-2012, 18:42
whats really funny about the Wakefield branch is that most of the walls are decorated with old 7 and 12" peices of vinyl. Can you actually buy any vinyl in the said shop.......nope! :steam:
Rare Bird
09-06-2012, 20:49
Supposed to have gone to Chesterfield today till i read Hudsons are no longer hence we decided on Barnsley..No Vinyl at all in HMV shop, unless it was hiding in a tiny corner somewhere :( However there was a nice Logonda car in the Square on display. Proper car :eyebrows:
Wakefield Turntables
09-06-2012, 21:28
Chesterfield is hamshank for vinyl I once had 2 hours to kill and had a potter. I managed to find a couple of charity shops but nothing of any note. Now, the Barnsley thing really surprises me. I was in Barnsley 2-3 weeks ago and I bought Dragonforce new LP.... could they have been selling vinyl as a trail:scratch:
HMV Sheffield has a small rack of vinyl lots of new stuff but some classic albums - some of the prices are a bit steep £39 for the Wall - was £29 in Fopp.
Came out empty handed - nearly bought the new Melody Gardot but I always think if they're nearly naked on the cover is the music gonna be any good?
My local Oxfam wants 14.99 for a battered copy of Hissing of Summer Lawns - cover looks like the album was kicked all the way to the shop, £95 for a Cyrus 1 that given it's age probably wants a total re-cap and £40 for a pair of Wharfedale Diamond Supers with no grilles and not much veneer left at the corners - I sometimes think that us vinyl fans would've been better off keeping it a secret how good it is...
Wakefield Turntables
26-09-2012, 15:16
HMV barnsley, managed to snag Joe Bonamassa live at new york, a double live album for £15, if they sold more like this I'd never be out of the place!!
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