Rush my money to the record shops

[venta]

Crap.

HMV is going into administration.

And if HMV goes, it'll take Fopp with it (I imagine).

And that'll be the end of the big high street record shops.

If it causes an outbreak of independent record shops, then hurrah! I fear it won't. And I like record shops.

I don't browse well online, not for music or for books. I want to pick stuff up, and look at it. I want to own a CD, and a nice cover, and some sleevenotes. I want to be able to wander into a record shop, and listen to what's playing. I want to flick through CDs and see what's on offer.

I'm a dinosaur.

Time for a ceremonial trip to HMV on the way to work in the morning.

Comments

[lnr]

I suppose I could make a ceremonial trip into Fopp in Cambridge - our HMV has been gone for over 6 months already.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Damn.

This explains the email they've just sent me about their 'Blue Cross Sale'.

[hoiho.livejournal.com]

And if HMV goes, it'll take Fopp with it (I imagine).

This may not happen: the Fopp brand seems to be more than a simple trading label of HMV. It' a discrete corporate entity called Fopp Entertainment Ltd (previously called Dillons, until 2007!). Hopefully they've structured the whole business group to be robust. Although if they haven't, and Fopp does go, Waterstones may not be far behind...

I'd miss Fopp: I've been buying stuff in their stores for 30 years.

[emarkienna.livejournal.com]

I agree it's sad - well, I suppose there are still plenty of places online to buy physical CDs, but as you say it's nice to browse, plus if you have an impulse buy, it's nice to have it immediately rather than wait for the post. HMV was also useful for DVD/Blu-rays.

As it happens, when I noticed the HMV had gone in Cambridge, opened opposite was Head[*] which as far as I can tell is a new independent CD shop. It was packed too. Though I fear that this isn't going to be a general trend.

* - Of course there's also the "Why can't they have a website, not a bleeding Facebook page" rant.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

I'm the other way round - I tend to check the listings on Amazon each Monday to see what's out, then if there was anything interesting I'll head to HMV at lunchtime and see if they have it. Success rates have sharply dropped lately - they've stopped stocking anything they can't get on sale-or-return, for one thing - but I'd still prefer to buy from a human if I can. Newbury had a good independent record shop back in the day, but it closed down not long after HMV opened. The nearest one I now of now is in Guildford.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I have heard speculation that whilst shops-as-mini-warehouses (that is, "traditional" shops) are on the way out, they may ultimately be replaced by shops-as-catalogues. People who want to browse things can turn up to these locations and paw through books, discover unexpected CDs and so on, then wave their phones like magic wands and the thing they've bought will be posted to them from a warehouse that has more than one copy.

If anything these might end up being better than old-style shops, because with less space devoted to inventory they can have more shelf space.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

This is one of the few areas where it seems I'm quite modern: I haven't been into a High St record shop in years and years. I get generic stuff online, and interesting stuff from independents. I do still buy CDs where possible rather than files, but I don't feel the need to physically paw them first.

[venta.livejournal.com]

In case anyone's curious: 3 CDs and a graphic novel, £20. And I was unexpectedly vox pop'd by a lady from Magic FM as I left the Oracle shopping centre. HMV seemed pretty busy - though I've no idea how busy it ought to be at 10am on a Tuesday.

I'm also under the impression Magic FM is London-based, so not totally sure why they'd be pouncing on people in Reading.

[howlin-wolf-66.livejournal.com]

My local branch went around three years ago...

I'm still in mourning.