Not been in or bought from HMV since about 2006, so it actually makes not a lot of difference to me. The present and seemingly failed incarnation of HMV has nothing to do with the original brand.
Not been in or bought from HMV since about 2006, so it actually makes not a lot of difference to me. The present and seemingly failed incarnation of HMV has nothing to do with the original brand.
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
That's you and I spending with them.
To be honest I buy most records from Amazon - if they're faulty the returns policy is superb, and only costs a tiny portion of my time and however much it costs to print out a returns label.
From HMV and it has to be returned to a shop, and that costs a lot more in financial terms, never mind the time. I don't go into Manchester City Centre unless I have to.
I've bought most of the items this last year from the store in The Trafford Centre, which is somewhere I pass by quite often, and the parking is free. Manchester City Centre used to be free street parking from 12:30pm on a Saturday and free Sunday, but those days have been long gone.
Chris
Common sense isn't anymore!
An update quoted on today's BBC website says it all:
"Paul McGowan, executive chairman of HMV and its owner Hilco Capital, said: "Even an exceptionally well-run and much-loved business such as HMV cannot withstand the tsunami of challenges facing UK retailers over the last 12 months on top of such a dramatic change in consumer behaviour in the entertainment market."
He pointed out HMV sold 31% of all physical copies of music in the UK in 2018 and 23% of all DVDs and Blu-rays - and its market share had grown month by month throughout the year.
But he added that the industry consensus was that the market would fall by another 17% during 2019 and therefore it would not be possible to continue to trade the business."
So, they had roughly a third of the market and were growing. In most industries that would be a success story...trouble is their market's disappearing at an even quicker rate.
I do wonder about the sustainability of streaming though. Where does it leave you if your streaming provider hikes the subscription, or the record labels fall out with the streaming services, or cyber attack ? Is it unrealistic to suggest that those who have dispensed with physical media could find themselves with no music ? I don't think it's all that far-fetched to contemplate
Pete
There's always the possibility of your being left high and dry if your only source is a server somewhere on the internet.
I've been streaming music for over a decade, and I have a local library on a NAS box on the network.
The majority of my streaming material is within the house.
I don't have a CD player any more.
I buy lots of CDs (frequently 2nd hand from Amazon marketplace sellers, and for pennies - it costs more in postage & packaging than it does for the item), and rip them to the NAS.
Chris
Common sense isn't anymore!
In Belfast we used to have Our Price (Gone), Virgin (Gone), HMV (Maybe Gone), Good Vibrations (Currently Gone), Dr Roberts (Gone), Head (Gone), Premiere Records (still there) Dragon Records (Still There) Heroes and Villains (Gone), Golden Discs (Gone), Making Tracks (Gone), Sun Records (Gone), Harrison Musique (Gone), Caroline Music (Gone), Time Slip Records (Still There), Hectors House (Gone), Knights Record Library (Gone), Gramophone shop (Gone) Underground Records (Still there), Sick Records (Gone) and no doubt a few I have forgotten. Not all traded at the same time, but there was overlap with many and now Belfast is a poor place for new music, movie sales.
Back in the 80s and 90s I could spend an entire day in Belfast browsing in the record shops, and book shops and I mourn that lost time. I miss it, a lot.
I do use Amazon, but only for items I cannot buy anywhere else, rare stuff and only from Market Place sellers. I try hard to support bricks and mortar business and I much prefer buying what I can see and handle. Buying online often removes chance discovery, as it requires putting in a search, and the random chance of finding something you did not know about, or had forgotten about is lost, plus there is the loss of talking with fellow music enthusiasts, staff etc. Where are the days of going to the record shops with friends and coming back with purchases to listen to and discuss.
This is for me now is a shallow poor world.
Regards Neil
Somehow it all had more meaning when there was no way to listen to a new record without actually leaving the house and going somewhere to track it down.
I recall back in about 1990 Neil Young bringing out 'Ragged Glory' and a mate dropping round mine with it on his way home from the record shop to give me a listen. We were all poor and buying an album was a big deal. Like a cavemen making a kill that would feed the family for a month. People would gather round to see it (or listen to it in this case). It was a thing of wonder. A big record collection was an awe-inspiring achievement. Now everyone has access to 3 million albums at the press of a button. And some people actually think that's a good thing!
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
On the plus side we now have the internet where we can talk bollocks about music and hi-fi to people who are actually interested as opposed to boring the pants off of family and friends...
I'd never have the system I have now if it wasn't for the internet. Nor would we have had all the meet ups and bake offs and so forth. I've met a lot of good friends via this site. So there's an up side to it as well.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.