Oh dear. Its not looking good 🙁

The saddest thing for me is Fopps who is now owned by HMV would also be pulled down. I love Fopps. I spend many an hour grazing/buying in there 🙁

Where are you going to buy your Nickelback CD’s from now? 🙁

I don’t know. The start of the end for CD/DVD isn’t it.

Agree with you on Fopp, its really the only Music/Film store i can be bothered with.

Bricks and Mortar retail is doomed as a whole I think.

Thought all but a few Fopp stores closed a few years ago?

FG!!!

No Fopps went under and HMV came in and saved a few of their stores. Wierd that they did but since Fopps has come a sort of outlet for ends and bits and pieces from HMV (not a bad thing).

I hope HMV is saved by a banks restructing of its debt and decides to sell off Fopps as a going concern now…rather than goes bust and everything everywhere goes.

What’s Nipper going to listen to now?

The start of the end for CD/DVD isn’t it.

To be fair, the start-of-the-end was a few years ago and it surprises me that HMV have been caught out like this, I’m sure there are many other things they could have phased in over that time to keep themselves financially viable. The move to technology sales was too little too late, however aside from (Curry’s/PC world/’Black’) there are few shops where you can go and poke the tech you’re looking at buying. Maybe this will be their saving grace?

There seems to have been some terrible management decisions. Even if we ignore the fact that for years they buried their heads in the sand and refused to even acknowledge the digital revolution

They recently sold off their gig venues (at a phenomenal loss IIRC), just as we’re being told that the only way to make money out of music nowadays is live shows.

When I look through my old CD’s, most of which were purchased from HMV, and see the prices I paid for them – plenty from the 90’s with £16.99 price labels on, then I’m not going to shed any tears. They were fleecing us for years!!

Wasn’t FOPP ‘taken over’ by ex HMV management who massively over expanded and sent the whole lot down the shitter in the first place?

I know someone who thinks it was all a conspiracy…. 🙄

Fopp Piccadilly Records, it’s really the only Music/Film store I can be bothered with.

FTFY

Independent all the way, baby.

however aside from (Curry’s/PC world/’Black’) there are few shops where you can go and poke the tech you’re looking at buying. Maybe this will be their saving grace?

The start of HMV’s downfall (for me) wasn’t downloads but the decision to remove the automatic listening stations and even the noddy player thing at the end of the desk. It made sure you were DEFINITELY going to buy that CD (or avoid bothering) and it also stopped ‘grazing’ where you happened across a great bit of music that you never would have heard/bought before.

The stores mantra ‘listen to it online first then buy Sir’? Kinda pushed the revolution further and their USP destroyed that could have been theirs..

Was in one recently for the first time in ages and i was surprised at how little music there was in the store, it was like an afterthought

Actually the same goes for Fopp, it used to be great and the music selection was exoteric and much cheaper than the big chains – they even their own vinyl press to re-release rare stuff that had long gone out of print and you couldnt even find on the likes of napster or limewire back in the day. However over the years the selection on sale has dropped off and it too has turned into a music shop that doesnt sell much music.

hora – spot on. Also why I stopped buying there. (Also, the astronomical prices had something to do with it)

I used to spend hours on the listening stations and come out with 3-4 CD’s that I’d never have bought/known about on a Sat or Sunday afternoon.

Bought a “Game of Thrones” Box-set DVD as a Christmas present there yesterday, for what I thought was a fairly reasonable £20.
Should I take it back for a refund today in the hope of a cheaper stock-clearance price within the next two weeks?

What I don’t understand is that its often cheaper to buy a cd than digital download. Plus you get the artwort etc. I think I’m done with downloads already.

I do tend to go to independant stores though. But that said it will be dad to see them go. Spent a lot of time in hmv over the years.

I buy a few things there as they are the only record shop in so many towns now. But it’s not an enjoyable experience and buying music generally is for me. The shop is full of headphones which are poorly demoed, (and not very good IMHO), weird all in one systems which as a music lover I have no interest in, computer games and similar, wantabe laptop things and other useless junk. Actual music is usually tucked away at the back and there is very little choice and no real way of listening before you buy. Add in they usually have a rubbish shop sound system playing pop too loud and you can see why they’re struggling.

Online shopping is something all shops have to deal with but HMV seem to blame it on their poor shop, rather than realise that they need to sort their shops out to survive.

Agree. I’ve only noticed this fairly recently. You get lots of DVD’s/boxsets on offer at the front. Middle is say six islands of CD’s (some sections are really shrinking- tastes change but still) then the rest is games.

Blue ray has a good sized section but again its at the back.

they specilaise in chart music, which can be bought online, cheaper or in tescos easier.

If they do have interesting CDs from less well known bands they tend to be priced at almost £20.

who are they marketing selling too?

Whats FOPP?

If you cannot stand HMV try a That’s Entertainment store. 3 CD’s for a fiver, bargain.

The coffee shop part of the Manchester branch:

So inevitable really. Let’s hope a few new independents crop up as I love to browse music/films on a Saturday afternoon.

i think this is a good think TBH.

independents selling old/new vinyl or niche music + niche audio systems would hopefully spring up.

the market has been moving away from physical media for ages, this will mean it will move to online retailers selling physical media, and then eventually just the data stream of it. potentially coming direct from the media owners who will then cut out amazon etc. in the future.

TV’s/media devices will get so that you simply pick the film/music you want and it propagates to all devices you own (probably just linking to a cloud service and you dont actually download anything at all) and the cheapest price currently offered. or some monthly subscription based platform.