HMV has been bought by the Canadian Mr Putman of Sunrise Records. Good news for some but it seems not for me personally. My local store in Plymouth was closed this morning. A list of the 27 stores that will be closed will be issued later today.
Just seen your post here on this and apologies for raising a similar subsequent thread - Richard, please feel free to mergeā¦
Bottom line for me though is to āuse it or lose itā, and we need to keep this local expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm by purchasing from our high street stores.
ATB. George.
I canāt see a future for stores like HMV with the rise of internet shopping. It might work with rented floor area in another store, especially so in a store with audio, computer & TV department(s). Anyhow, early days, lets see.
Iāll transcribe my text from my other thread on this:
Good to see that a rescue deal has been agreed and that āmusic retailer HMV has been rescued from administration by Canadian retailer Sunrise Records in a move that saves 100 stores and 1,487 jobsā. The price to be paid though is that 27 unprofitable stores close immediately, resulting in 455 job losses.
I know that folkās experience with HMV is varied (from a thread on the previous forum), however Iām pleased that we will still have a physical presence of music and movie sales on the high street and wonāt have to rely on āthe riverā or music/film ārentalā (streaming).
With the recent news of the loss of āUltraviolet digital lockerā, this is a timely reminder that ownership of physical media is the only way to guarantee access to our favourite films and music for years to come. We simply canāt trust the streaming services to keep all the music we love all of the time! The fact that thereās a resurgence of record sales shows that there is an appetite for ownership of tangible physical media. It was interesting to see a discussion led by Johnny Darko at the 2018 RMAF (see 52 minutes in of https://youtu.be/3Mo8ArzX4cE) talking about this specifically and predicting a resurgence/renaissance of CD purchases (similar to vinyl) - with the message to āget them now whilst they are cheapā!
Anyway, on the topic of HMV, I guess it will be a case of āuse it or lose itā, and itās down to all of us to support our local record/CD shops, with the inherent expertise and music knowledge and enthusiasm that comes from their staff. We simply donāt get that with the tax avoiding online mega conglomerates!
ATB. George.
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No worries George. Great minds and all that
Thanks Ray - Iāve asked Richard to delete my thread so that folks can focus on this one. Itās important that we keep our resources and access to music and donāt want to dilute the message/discussion,
ATB. George.
A quick check on HMV website store finder, Plymouth and Exeter stores are no longer listed. I guess thats it for me. My nearest stores now will be Truro or Taunton. If thats the case then its Amazon from now on. Grrrrrr!
Iām determined not to buy media from Amazon, and if I canāt buy it from HMV (looks like the store in Canterbury has survived) then Iād rather try and buy it second hand or new from Music Magpie, Dodax or similar.
ATB. George.
Peterborough branch is closing, which initially surprised me as although itās not my favourite place it always seems busy and is in the middle of a perennially busy shopping mall.
However it is a big store with a lot of underused space filled with tat. So I wonder if this may be a short term thing to reduce rental outlay before reopening in a more cost effective site?
If not, there is no other record shop in the city bar a friendly little 2nd hand place I frequent which is firmly on the outskirts of civilisation. Heās going to be happy!
Heres the closure list.
Sad to see the flagship store in Oxford Street being closed - iconic shop (first HMV Store opened by the āGramophone Companyā in 1921 by Edward Elgar) and lots of happy memories browsing there in younger years when I lived in Londonā¦
ATB. George.
Some on the list like Thurrockā¦presume lakeside mall, blue waters mall was more about rent than footfall? Hope the rest survive though I have my doubts, my kids have not been near one in years.
Well at least they are not going to be selling cheap sportswear now 
You guys are lucky. HMV for us in sunny Cambridgeshire disappeared yonks ago.
Although I live a couple of miles from their Ox. St shop I havenāt been there for a couple of decades, tending to favour my more friendly and enthusiastic local vinyl shop. From the pure business point of view I cannot see that shop surviving on the sale of vinyl alone. Sad, but, from someone who truly love the format, I think the āvinyl revivalā will soon bust its own bubble. R.I.P
Agree. I think a lot of the issues arise because of the perceived value of music, with many who stream seeing that music should be free and expectations set accordingly.
As Kevin-W (@KevW?) said on the old forum; āThere is a price to be paid for the commodification of music. All artistic endeavour depends on scarcity and/or inaccessibility to some extent. Ever-easier access to music does little except to devalue it. Once something has no perceived or real value, it becomes disposable. This leads to the immiseration of artists and increased homogeneity. If things carry on as they are at some point weāll reach a moment when nobody is willing to pay for music and artists wonāt create it. Everyone loses.ā
ATB. George.
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Tunbridge Wells store to close. When I went in to it just after they went in to admin one of the lads working there said that store was one of the best performers in the group so I guess it is all down to high rent that this one is going. That means yet another empty shop in the mall it is in.
I also see that the HMV website no longer has an online store so you canāt actually buy a LP/CD from it any more. Before the takeover announcement today it was still open for orders. The news stories also talk about warehouse operations being wound down, surely theyāre not going to stop selling online? I thought the HMV website was a profitable part of the business but looking at the Sunrise Records Canadian website it doesnāt look like they ship physical product from there either.
HMVās Ipswich store relocated almost a year ago, from a large-ish two storey property to a more modest 1st floor outlet in the Sailmakers shopping precinct. I remember the Manager saying at the time that they (paraphrasing slightly) needed to downsize in order to make the shop more financially attractive to any future investors or new owner!
Crickey ! does this mean we have to actually go to a shop, select the product we desire, pay for it there and then and actually carry it home oneās self ?
How quaint !
What will they think of next 
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The store in York survives which is good news for me as it does, currently, have a good stock of vinyl at competitive prices,
Richard
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