Are we worried about HMV?

Yes we’re worried about HMV.  Worried that it seemed a bit stuck in a time warp, worried it might go when it’s a big store and good to enter when a great track is playing.  Worried that a name from the past might fade.  Worried about another hole in the shopping centre. Worried about jobs.

HMV entered administration in mid January 2013 and it isn’t certain if it will continue in business.

Yet after being a record label for as long as most can remember it suddenly appeared as a national chain around the same time as Virgin Megastores so it’s history as a store isn’t too familiar. The sentiment comes more from its old name and the dog.   It also contributed to the standard high street where every town looks the same.  The local shops like Brady’s the main record store in Preston of the past were driven out.  When CDs came out we spent a fortune duplicating our vinyl collections and everyone was happy and the business took its profit.

It’s been obvious for several years that downloading and streaming, both bought and pirated, is taking more of the market.  Also that out of town supermarkets are taking a slice of that casual CD or DVD purchase.  The response of HMV seemed to be to move towards games, movies, opening game centres and lately into hardware; headphones and tablets mainly.  Looks like time is catching up and it will be lucky to survive. It would be nice if it could, and it might, but when something goes an opportunity rises for something else although the it would seem the space will be smaller.

Is a niche coffee shop selling downloads and playing music, a sort of music library coffee shop a possibility.  Just a thought, in your dreams maybe.