The Administration of HMV

Motley Crue

Now, this affects several different area's, both in business and also in other types of music - but I've always seen Rock and Metal fans as a more steadfast and loyal community of music fans then any other.

From that point of view, the closure of HMV may or may not remove something from a young music fan's experiences with the genre...I understand there are some fine Independent stores (although now a lot less due to the way things have gone) that are much better at supplying the Rock and Metal fan with the latest physical releases than HMV - but even saying that, as a music fan I grew up spending my Saturday browsing in HMV's Rock and Metal section.

When I was in Dublin this past Christmas I noticed music fans browsing Vinyl in Tower Records and Rock and Metal in HMV, just like I had, it was a sort of informal meeting place and somewhere to kill time while you waited for friends. With things like Spotify and ITunes you might be forgiven for thinking that something like HMV - which tried to be all things to all people - is the last of an era long gone, but I still think there is something to be said for that connection you had heading into the basement of Grafton St HMV and browsing the Metal section.

If I'd actually purchased something every now and again they might not be in the situation they are.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

old gregg

If you happen to live in one of the locations in Ireland where HMV existed then I suppose it had some significance. For me living in Waterford it was just another shop that I walked past occasionally when in Dublin and maybe looked into twice a year.

But, they did have the last Lamb of God album whereas the guy in the elitist Void place laughed when I asked.

seachto7

As it stands in Limerick, there is no nowhere to buy a (decent) CD now. Tesco only has top 10 and X Factor rubbish. But even the choice in HMV had diminished in the last 5 years...

lord lucan

I mentioned in another thread that I rarely buy physical music anymore but when I do it would usually be somewhere like sound cellar. They deserve the business for stocking pretty much every single rock and metal album, unlike the chain stores which stock chart rubbish with a small metal section stuck down the back. HMV in liffey valley had a tiny metal section, half arsed would be kind to it.

weisses

I think there is no market in Ireland for the more specialized cd/music stores ... due to the fragmented population

When i am back home i always go to my local store and browse through the vinyl and Cd's (elpee in Groningen) Something i never found here in Ireland which is a pitty

Anyone else lost track of time in shops like that ?

BlaasForRafa

Never bothered with HMW when in Dublin, the Sound Cellar was always the place to go for metal.

Somnus

While I'd frequently go in to browse, I don't think HMV is a big loss in terms of rock & metal cds. Between Tower Records, Sound Cellar and Into the Void you're gonna find most of what you're looking for.

And HMV was often overpriced, particularly for the metal section.

I don't think there's anything HMV really stocked that you wouldn't find in one of the other stores mentioned.

Morf

lord lucan wrote: »

I mentioned in another thread that I rarely buy physical music anymore but when I do it would usually be somewhere like sound cellar. They deserve the business for stocking pretty much every single rock and metal album, unlike the chain stores which stock chart rubbish with a small metal section stuck down the back.

I wouldn't support The Sound Cellar for several reasons. Those being the awful method of displaying the cds, the cds not having prices on them so whoever was in there on a given day could make up a price and the exorbitant prices they were charging the last time I bought something from them. My last few trips were only for tickets I think.

HMV in general were too damn expensive. Occasionally you'd see something that was ok for the price and pick it up although metal cds in my experience were expensive to begin with and stayed that way unless they had to be re-ordered and then you were looking at €28-€35 for an Immortal or Burzum cd which is ludicrous. Most of the time I'd go in with something in mind and find it either wasn't there or just too expensive.

Cill94

Morf wrote: »

I wouldn't support The Sound Cellar for several reasons. Those being the awful method of displaying the cds, the cds not having prices on them so whoever was in there on a given day could make up a price and the exorbitant prices they were charging the last time I bought something from them. My last few trips were only for tickets I think.

Keeping those CDs in a locked display case and not showing what price the albums are is LUDICROUS!!!

...they have a good selection at least. But Into The Void Records is better, in my opinion.

Joe_Dull

In Sound Cellar's defence, it's a completely homegrown enterprise. They just don't have the resources to set up fancy displays, and Tommy always knows (or at least quickly makes up) the price if you ask. Generally speaking it's 20 quid per CD in there, which I'd consider pretty pricey and the only reason I'd occasionally pick up a release from HMV which was always a few euro cheaper.

The main thing I liked about the R&M section in HMV was the unspoken camaraderie between you and the other people browsing. That and the "2 for €12" stickers, which was on a pretty decent selection of classic metal albums. I'm pretty annoyed that they're closed.

Lightbulb Sun

Dr.Poca wrote: »

While I'd frequently go in to browse, I don't think HMV is a big loss in terms of rock & metal cds. Between Tower Records, Sound Cellar and Into the Void you're gonna find most of what you're looking for.

And HMV was often overpriced, particularly for the metal section.

I don't think there's anything HMV really stocked that you wouldn't find in one of the other stores mentioned.

Easier to say when you live in Dublin. But there are many towns around the country with no good alternative to HMV. Nowhere near the range of stock for one.

Somnus

Lightbulb Sun wrote: »

Easier to say when you live in Dublin. But there are many towns around the country with no good alternative to HMV. Nowhere near the range of stock for one.

Good point! I wasn't thinking about that.

Hunchback

agree with the previous posters re the relative expense of cd's in hmv.. clearly labelled though, it just had that sense of ease and rapidity about it - prolly the opposite of what you would want if you are into hours of dusty perusing.. its not without its merits though (convenience that is)

RayCon

Joe_Dull wrote: »

The "2 for €12" stickers, which was on a pretty decent selection of classic metal albums. I'm pretty annoyed that they're closed.

+1 ... actually the 2 for €12 was pretty good for picking up classic albums , not just Rock / Metal ...

SubBusted

They were too expensive. If you already owned the classic metal/punk CDs the other ones in HMV were €15 to €25.

Kess73

Mr.S wrote: »

Gift vouchers to be accepted in HMV UK from tomorrow, buyer seemly likely to be found. Will they forget about Ireland?

Game have expressed an interest in buying a number of the HMV stores in the UK. Given that Game have already pulled their own brand from Ireland I doubt if they would have much interest in any of the Irish stores.

Also the UK HMV stores have been trading as they were/are in administration. The Irish stores had gone past that point and the receivers were called in, hence the complete shutdown.

Motley Crue

Mr.S wrote: »

Gift vouchers to be accepted in HMV UK from tomorrow, buyer seemly likely to be found. Will they forget about Ireland?

The buyer of HMV UK's debt is Hilco, a company which bought HMV Canada in 2011 (good news for people in HMV at the moment considering HMV Canada is still trading right now)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21141209

From the article

HMV's estimated debt was about £176m, but Hilco is believed to have paid much less than this to acquire it because the retail chain is in administration.

It would appear that they have to purchase the debt first before they can secure anything else. The administrators are still in complete control and have now decided - as has been said previously - to start accepting gift vouchers.

Am Chile

Motley Crue wrote: »

Now, this affects several different area's, both in business and also in other types of music - but I've always seen Rock and Metal fans as a more steadfast and loyal community of music fans then any other.

From that point of view, the closure of HMV may or may not remove something from a young music fan's experiences with the genre...I understand there are some fine Independent stores (although now a lot less due to the way things have gone) that are much better at supplying the Rock and Metal fan with the latest physical releases than HMV - but even saying that, as a music fan I grew up spending my Saturday browsing in HMV's Rock and Metal section.

When I was in Dublin this past Christmas I noticed music fans browsing Vinyl in Tower Records and Rock and Metal in HMV, just like I had, it was a sort of informal meeting place and somewhere to kill time while you waited for friends. With things like Spotify and ITunes you might be forgiven for thinking that something like HMV - which tried to be all things to all people - is the last of an era long gone, but I still think there is something to be said for that connection you had heading into the basement of Grafton St HMV and browsing the Metal section.

If I'd actually purchased something every now and again they might not be in the situation they are.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

The closure of Hmv is a bad thing for rock/metal fans, there is only one music store (Golden discs ) in my town, as everyone would already know their music cd stock is all mainstream, there used to a good Independent music store in my local town which had a good rock/metal selection which is closed a few years now, whenever I would be in Dublin Id always go into Hmv and browse through the rock/metal section for any albums I might need to add onto my collection-with Hmv gone its a bad thing, Tower records although have some of the rock/metal genre in their stock they were never as good as Hmv in my view plus they re overpriced, I was in Hmv in cork around the christmas period last two albums I bought were Papa Roach ( The Connection ) and In Flames ( Sounds of a Playground Fading ) they will be then last albums I buy for a long time I was just never a fan of the whole downloading.

Kess73

Am Chile wrote: »

The closure of Hmv is a bad thing for rock/metal fans, there is only one music store (Golden discs ) in my town, as everyone would already know their music cd stock is all mainstream, there used to a good Independent music store in my local town which had a good rock/metal selection which is closed a few years now, whenever I would be in Dublin Id always go into Hmv and browse through the rock/metal section for any albums I might need to add onto my collection-with Hmv gone its a bad thing, Tower records although have some of the rock/metal genre in their stock they were never as good as Hmv in my view plus they re overpriced, I was in Hmv in cork around the christmas period last two albums I bought were Papa Roach ( The Connection ) and In Flames ( Sounds of a Playground Fading ) they will be then last albums I buy for a long time I was just never a fan of the whole downloading.

Limerick city now has no music shop in the city, and none in any of the shopping centres outside the town.

Think the nearest bricks and mortar music shop is the Golden Discs in Clonmel.

For those of us with a credit card etc., then it is still easy to get CDs etc online, but for younger kids the option of buying CDs online may not be available and as such the ability to go into a physical store and browse will be a great loss.

Used to love browsing through music shops as a kid (and as an adult), and it is kind of sad that experience may be gone for many kids now, and even sadder than many kids who preference may have been towards physical media may now not have a chance to further develop their passion.

SubBusted

Young people aren't into music these days. They prefer video games and don't listen to full albums anymore. When was the last time a new rock group got into the charts? When was the last time you saw someone in the street wearing a t-shirt of a new band? The only place outside Dublin to buy CDs of quality music are the charity shops.

Somnus

SubBusted wrote: »

Young people aren't into music these days. They prefer video games and don't listen to full albums anymore. When was the last time a new rock group got into the charts? When was the last time you saw someone in the street wearing a t-shirt of a new band? The only place outside Dublin to buy CDs of quality music are the charity shops.

I wouldn't particularly agree with you. I think it's more just how peoples consumption of music has changed. Of course younger music fans are gonna be downloading more, that's what they've grown up with.

I don't think whether there's new bands in the charts or not matters.

Riddle101

I had a long talk with my friends about HMV closing tonight. We're all agreed that it's more to do with the digitization of music. What people failed to see is that downloading of music or DVDs, wasn't about who was losing money as in the bands/record companies/production companies. But more, that it was the little people. The music stores or stores that sold cd and dvds. Digitization has cost people their jobs, and destroyed retailers like HMV, Game and soon I think Tower Records.

I never liked downloading. Always bought the full album or dvd. Just seemed wrong to me.

Am Chile

Riddle101 wrote: »

I had a long talk with my friends about HMV closing tonight. We're all agreed that it's more to do with the digitization of music. What people failed to see is that downloading of music or DVDs, wasn't about who was losing money as in the bands/record companies/production companies. But more, that it was the little people. The music stores or stores that sold cd and dvds. Digitization has cost people their jobs, and destroyed retailers like HMV, Game and soon I think Tower Records.

I never liked downloading. Always bought the full album or dvd. Just seemed wrong to me.

Plus one-Digitization and Internet technological upgrade changes were destined to have an effect on things sooner or later, a lot of people have the view why go shopping for something when it can be downloaded from I tunes or better still Illegally download an album or film without paying a cent-my hometown in the last few years three music/record stores have closed down, only 1 left now (Golden Discs )- two video/dvd rental stores closed down also-its just a matter of time before Tower Records/Golden Discs/Xtra Vision all go under one by one-Id always prefer to buy an actual album for the album cover with the album artwork rather then download it-I haven,t being in Dublin since November, does anyone know since Hmv has gone under have Tower Records decreased their stock prices or maintained their stock prices since Hmv has gone ? If Tower Records still have their rip off prices its a bad business decision given other stores are closing.

D.Q

Whatever about HMV as a decent source for physical copy of albums etc, I'm in no way surprised or particularly upset about it's closure.

As an example, i was browsing through the store recently enough and saw that they were selling Metallica's Load album for €22.99. Considering most people are aware of the fact they can illegally download the same album for free, in less time than it would take to queue in HMV, is it any surprise they didnt survive in the modern market.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Coburger

Does anyone know what HMV in Grafton st will do with their current stock?
I wonder if they'll open for a day or two and get rid of it all at bargain prices.

As far as HMV being expensive, I'm quite surprised that they closed down and not Tower Records - now there is a shop with pricey stuff (good selction though).

I used to enjoy going to Sound Cellar years and years ago but I found them just too pricey.

These shops just can't compete with downloading and buying stuff on the internet. Is there anything you could buy in HMV that was cheaper than Amazon?

Gonzo

The closure of HMV has quite an effect in many places. For starters it gave people a place to simply browse, hangout and spend some time to themselves on a lunch break. HMV always had some very good offers from time to time. It was also the only place one could actually find a decent selection of blu-rays. HMV also had the best prices on games, now there is only Gamestop left charging what they can get away with.

With Game gone and now HMV, the high street is starting to become a very barren boring place stuffed with clothes and expensive coffee shops. If Tower/Gamestop shut down thats the end of entertainment stores in town, less reasons for people heading into town and this can effect restaurants/cafes.

Somnus

Gonzo wrote: »

The closure of HMV has quite an effect in many places. For starters it gave people a place to simply browse, hangout and spend some time to themselves on a lunch break. HMV always had some very good offers from time to time. It was also the only place one could actually find a decent selection of blu-rays. HMV also had the best prices on games, now there is only Gamestop left charging what they can get away with.

With Game gone and now HMV, the high street is starting to become a very barren boring place stuffed with clothes and expensive coffee shops. If Tower/Gamestop shut down thats the end of entertainment stores in town, less reasons for people heading into town and this can effect restaurants/cafes.

These things are actually the things that effect me most. Unlike most people in this thread, I normally found Tower Records better for music, but I would often buy games and Blu-Ray in HMV.

With that option gone I think it will push people who normally didn't buy online to take their business there now.

Delphi91

D.Q wrote: »

...As an example, i was browsing through the store recently enough and saw that they were selling Metallica's Load album for €22.99. Considering most people are aware of the fact they can illegally download the same album for free, in less time than it would take to queue in HMV, is it any surprise they didnt survive in the modern market.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

So it's HMV's fault that Metallica's record company allowed them to sell the Metallica Album, from which HMV are justifiably allowed to make a profit? It almost sounds like you're suggesting that people should illegally download music from their favourite band rather than paying for it and supporting the band and allowing them to continue to make more albums.

OK, maybe the price of the album was high, I don't know. Was their copy an original version? Was it an import? Was it a re-released extended version?

Riddle101

Is €22.99 really considered pricey? I'd consider that a reasonable enough price.

Also, D.Q. You're suggesting that people should download illegally? pretty much proves my point about stores like HMV going out of business.

Kess73

Riddle101 wrote: »

Is €22.99 really considered pricey? I'd consider that a reasonable enough price.

Also, D.Q. You're suggesting that people should download illegally? pretty much proves my point about stores like HMV going out of business.

The same album is £7.20 on Amazon, and is €9.99 in Tower records in Dublin. So I would agree with DQ in that €22.99 is a tad overpriced for a standard cd.

blastman

Considering HMV had all Metallica albums barring the more recent ones in their 2 for €12 offer for absolutely ages, then I'd say €22.99 is a tad over-priced, yeah. That was the price CDs were heading towards around the time on-line retailers like CD Wow and Play started to appear and bring prices (and expectations) down. It took HMV too long to react then, and they've ultimately paid the price now.

That said, their absence from the high street is another nail in that coffin and not something that should be celebrated, IMO.