HMV calls in the administrators

[wizardofodd]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21021073

Looks like HMV is in trouble. Really sad for the thousands who could potentially loose their job. Worth noting that HMV caters for about 38% for the overall physical DVD/CD market - a big hit and not good news. It seems that buying a CD/DVD will soon just be a virtual thing-

[Sebastian.]

Always hated HMV, used to go in and see what I could buy for half the price and better customer service on Amazon! Though I loved them at airports as I could bag some good deals before going to Saudi.

Will be sad though that this could see the end of CD signings... I can't see where else they would have them (Meat can hold a CD signing at my house though....)

[The Flying Mouse]

As I posted earlier on Facebook............

Sad news
The joy of going down to the record shop on the release day of their artists new album and buying it is something that will be a mystery to future generations.
The excitement of walking into the shop, seeing the rows of the album, taking YOUR copy to the counter and actually handing over money, then getting the album back in one of those little bags. It was an EVENT! I don't think there is much magic in clicking a button to download your music and watching a status bar. The CD itself, the great cover art, the lyric sheets and liner notes, they are all being consigned to the history books. We are losing something important here.

[wolfy35]

Was last in HMV the day Guilty Pleasure DVD/CD came out spent 10 minutes looking round and failing to find it I asked a member of staff where it was.

I was greeted with a grunt followed by who is he and told it was probably down in the back corner of the shop somewhere.

With that experience in mind I am afraid I have to say from my perspective good riddance to HMV

play.com & amazon give better customer service whenever you need to talk to them.

[duke knooby]

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

Always hated HMV, used to go in and see what I could buy for half the price and better customer service on Amazon! Though I loved them at airports as I could bag some good deals before going to Saudi.

Will be sad though that this could see the end of CD signings... I can't see where else they would have them (Meat can hold a CD signing at my house though....)

this post confuses me abit... maybe im drunk

you hated hmv for letting you go in and browse a vast selection of music cds and dvd's...they let you touch the product, feel the product, see the artwork etc, even let ya listen to some of them... at hmv's expense through rents, rates, electricity, heating, wages etc... you could pick what you wanted, buy it, and have it there and then... or you could go, and browse HMV, pick what you wanted.. order it from the tax dodgerzon... wait a few days for your purchase to arrive, and feel happy that you saved a couple of quid?


say bye bye to the airport stores ya loved, bye bye to browsing a music store, and ultimately bye bye to cd signings

sorry for singling out your post sebastian, but it pretty much sums up why music and retail are ~~~~ed

[Sebastian.]

Originally Posted by duke knooby

this post confuses me abit... maybe im drunk

you hated hmv for letting you go in and browse a vast selection of music cds and dvd's...they let you touch the product, feel the product, see the artwork etc, even let ya listen to some of them... at hmv's expense through rents, rates, electricity, heating, wages etc... you could pick what you wanted, buy it, and have it there and then... or you could go, and browse HMV, pick what you wanted.. order it from the tax dodgerzon... wait a few days for your purchase to arrive, and feel happy that you saved a couple of quid?


sorry for singling out your post sebastian, but it pretty much sums up why retail is ~~~~ed

Should have probably gone into more detail on why I hated HMV. Their store's are dark and dingy and full of identical rows.

The staff that I came across were terrible. Unhelpful people, who seemed to like to play hide in the back, or avoid the customer. Then they seem to have very little knowledge of any music or films and it's just an unpleasant experience on a whole.

Their demise had little to do with the internet. If they had better directors they could have turned around in less than no time!

Also don't think I always went into HMV and just wrote up an online shopping list for Amazon. But if something seemed pricey in HMV, I found I could go home and find it cheaper on the internet and yes I'd rather wait a day and save some money.

[duke knooby]

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

Their demise had little to do with the internet. If they had better directors they could have turned around in less than no time!

what ya mean??? isn't trevor moore in charge???

wasn't he the former boss off Jessops


ahhhh never mind

[duke knooby]

if their stores were pretty shit, with uninterested staff, then thats a major failure, and i cant blame you for not wanting to shop there...

i still want to blame the t'internet though lol

[The Flying Mouse]

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

Should have probably gone into more detail on why I hated HMV. Their store's are dark and dingy and full of identical rows.

I always found the branches I visited to be brightly lit and well spaced out.
Like most superstores.

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

The staff that I came across were terrible. Unhelpful people, who seemed to like to play hide in the back, or avoid the customer. Then they seem to have very little knowledge of any music or films and it's just an unpleasant experience on a whole.

Something else I can't say I agree with in my experience.
True, there are lazy sods in any company, but I can't say I can recall any one time I didn't get the help I required.
On the other hand, I remember several times I asked a member of staff a question and if they didn't know the answer they took the time to take me to the counter while they looked up the information on the store computer.
I'm not saying you're wrong in your opinion, but your experience is obviously very different from mine.



I think this............

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

Their demise had little to do with the internet. If they had better directors they could have turned around in less than no time!

Somewhat condradicts this................

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

if something seemed pricey in HMV, I found I could go home and find it cheaper on the internet and yes I'd rather wait a day and save some money.

Yes, there are a lot of items that are more expensive in store due to overheads. Staff, rent, utility bills, paying tax, etc.
The one time I remember thinking "no fricking way" was for what they were charging for the HCTB super delux box set. The instore price was pretty well out there

But I still prefere the "live" shopping experience rather than clicking buttons online.
Also, the first time I met Meat was a signing at Virgin.
That was an amazing and unforgetable day.
Waiting in line with friends from this forum while they played non stop Loaf. It was a great atmosphere
Then meeting the man himself (UNTOPPABLE) and getting my vinyl copy of Bat signed.
Then we all went for something to eat together. I still dream about the burger I had that day

No more Virgin, no more signings there
Now HMV has joined the casualty list.

[Julie in the rv mirror]

As much as I like the convenience of the internet, I'm sad to see brick and mortar retailers go. I usually try to buy my music at an independent store, and I've been noticing that their inventory seems to be getting smaller and their prices getting higher. Even the big box retailers such as Best Buy only carry a fraction of the number of CD's and DVD's they used to.

Even more sad, IMO, is the loss of book stores; around here, there seems to be only one major book retailer left. So much for going and browsing in the bookstore.

People seem to love the convenience of electronic media (and lack of "clutter"), but there's nothing like holding an actual book or record (a CD will "do") in your hands.

I had a "discussion" on another board with an individual who was complaining that a special Record Store Day release wasn't available in a digital format for download. His position was that he never listens to vinyl anymore, it takes up room, and even if he were to rip it to an mp3 he'd be left with a "vinyl artifact" that he didn't want or need. He was basically asking for someone to do a rip and send him a copy, and trying to justify it by blaming the artist because it wasn't available digitally to begin with.

I told him that he obviously missed the whole point of Record Store Day, and that while I both have the equipment and know how to rip vinyl to mp3, no way in hell would I send him a copy, since it's both against the rules of the board to ask for copies of official releases, and it's because of people like him that indie stores are in trouble to begin with. The nerve of that guy.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Julie in the rv mirror

People seem to love the convenience of electronic media (and lack of "clutter"), but there's nothing like holding an actual book or record (a CD will "do") in your hands.

I now do not own anything other than my computer or BluRay player that will play a physical CD. I do not own a home stereo and have no desire to do so. I had to take a few physical CD's for Christmas, as the items were not available digital. I have backed up the MP3 files ripped of the CD's and tossed the discs, as there is no where to store them at my house. If I want to listen to the music in my car....my iPhone synchs to the radio and voila. I could care less about the physical CD...it is now rubbish and and unnecessary addition to my carbon footprint. I'll fight being taxed over that nonsense the same way I will fight them trying to take away my guns. Just let me legally download, that's all I ask. I am more than willing to pay.

[The Flying Mouse]

Originally Posted by Dave

I'll fight being taxed over that nonsense the same way I will fight them trying to take away my guns.

What?
You'll tell them they'll have to pry physical releases into your cold dead hand?

Sorry, the silly elf that lives in my keyboard took control for a moment there

[Dave]

,,,sorry...unnecessarily political....

[JennaG]

As much as I thought that ther customer service was appalling in my local branch of HMV, I still shopped there because if there's a CD I really want then I'd much rather go in on release day and buy it. It's far more exciting than clicking a couple of buttons on Amazon and then waiting for several days to get your purchase.

I think that specialist retailers have their advantages. If the staff are good at their jobs then they should demonstrate a degree of product knowledge that you wouldn't find in Tesco and could be invaluable if you don't know much about the product you're looking for.

[Cherry.Loaf]

I didn't even think of no more signings

HMV are overpriced though; the DVD I wanted is £7.99 on amazon/play and £20 at HMV and now I won't even be able to use my voucher =/ wonderful

[robgomm]

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

Should have probably gone into more detail on why I hated HMV. Their store's are dark and dingy and full of identical rows.

The staff that I came across were terrible. Unhelpful people, who seemed to like to play hide in the back, or avoid the customer. Then they seem to have very little knowledge of any music or films and it's just an unpleasant experience on a whole.

Their demise had little to do with the internet. If they had better directors they could have turned around in less than no time!

Also don't think I always went into HMV and just wrote up an online shopping list for Amazon. But if something seemed pricey in HMV, I found I could go home and find it cheaper on the internet and yes I'd rather wait a day and save some money.

I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience at your HMV, but it's not really fair to think that all HMV stores are like that is it? As testified by many here and indeed myself i've always had a good experience at a HMV. Plus i've actually found many deals in a HMV that were just as cheap as shopping online, DVD box sets, games, consoles etc. So they can do some good deals, and like someone said sometimes you don't want to have to wait 5 days or so for someone to deliver it, it's convenient you can just go and get it straight away. Especially if it's for a present or something. I get cross sometimes if i preorder something and it deoesn't arrive on release day. But that doesn't happen if you go in HMV or somewhere on release day.

Bottom line i'm putting accross is: HMV has a valuable place in the retail market, and also don't tar every HMV store with the same brush just because yours is bad. I and many others have had great experiences.

[robgomm]

Originally Posted by Cherry.Loaf

I didn't even think of no more signings

HMV are overpriced though; the DVD I wanted is £7.99 on amazon/play and £20 at HMV and now I won't even be able to use my voucher =/ wonderful

They're only in administration, they are not shutting down for good. They said their stores will remain open and carry on as normal.

[Monstro]

Originally Posted by robgomm

They're only in administration, they are not shutting down for good. They said their stores will remain open and carry on as normal.

Not accepting gift cards is not trading as normal.

The stores are only open whilst they search for a buyer, they'll find one because the brand name is worth a few quid but odds on it'll become an online retailer and the shops will close.

HMV failed to trade on it's strengths, as the only high street music retailer that's where they should've focussed, regardless what the digital generation do there will always be a market for physical copies for people who don't want to listen to compressed MP3 copies and want to hear the music as the artist, sound engineer, mixer/masterer wanted it to be heard. Specialist music retailers will always have a niche, HMV should've downsized to this instead of branching out into games etc which was what hundreds of others were already selling, they'd have cornered this market.

I've got my music centre in the front room, cd player in the car (had to search for this when we bought one last year) and will always prefer to purchase/own/listen to a physical copy, I do do digital and not denying it but will always prefer the original and best.

R.I.P. HMV, though I do believe the fault was your own.

[Sebastian.]

Anyone see the Bat 2 stuff on the BBC coverage?

[chairboys]

Originally Posted by Sebastian.

Anyone see the Bat 2 stuff on the BBC coverage?

Yep! Probably old footage?

[robgomm]

Originally Posted by Monstro

Not accepting gift cards is not trading as normal.

The stores are only open whilst they search for a buyer, they'll find one because the brand name is worth a few quid but odds on it'll become an online retailer and the shops will close.

HMV failed to trade on it's strengths, as the only high street music retailer that's where they should've focussed, regardless what the digital generation do there will always be a market for physical copies for people who don't want to listen to compressed MP3 copies and want to hear the music as the artist, sound engineer, mixer/masterer wanted it to be heard. Specialist music retailers will always have a niche, HMV should've downsized to this instead of branching out into games etc which was what hundreds of others were already selling, they'd have cornered this market.

I've got my music centre in the front room, cd player in the car (had to search for this when we bought one last year) and will always prefer to purchase/own/listen to a physical copy, I do do digital and not denying it but will always prefer the original and best.

R.I.P. HMV, though I do believe the fault was your own.

Didn't know they weren't accepting gift cards any more.

Err, they are a large online retailer also already?

It's confusing to me how this has happened, HMV always had a good influx of people whenever i've been in one of it's stores, good promotions and sale items, not just music, a famous name, a decent online presence. All I can assume it's that it's bad management and backroom administration that has caused this.

[Monstro]

Originally Posted by robgomm

Err, they are a large online retailer also already?

Yup, no way it was going to work as the business as a whole was losing too much money on the high street, one profitable side of the business couldn't support the business as a whole.

Originally Posted by robgomm

It's confusing to me how this has happened, HMV always had a good influx of people whenever i've been in one of it's stores, good promotions and sale items, not just music

People don't necessarily mean sales, you can look at the item but as soon as you see the price and realise it's cheaper elsewhere online where are the majority going to buy from?

Poor management and poor business decisions.

[chairboys]

My only real grumble with HMV shops is sometimes their assortment. I would like to see a far more extensive back catalogue from each artist. I may discover a new band, yet not be able to buy much of their work in the high street store.
Say somebody finds Meat and wishes to purchase every studio album from Bat to Basket, they certainly don't want to search the shelves to then be met with fifteen copies of Meat and Bonnie's Heaven and Hell. I understand the ordering and stocking of at least one of each artist's studio albums is laden with complexities, but in today's technological world where supermarkets can adjust orders at a moment's notice I think HMV would be better served to hold a bigger library of CD's.
I have ordered many items online (Mrs. Chairboys does!) just because the internet library is virtually limitless. But, I'd much rather unearth a gem whilst browsing in store.

[Julie in the rv mirror]

Originally Posted by chairboys

My only real grumble with HMV shops is sometimes their assortment. I would like to see a far more extensive back catalogue from each artist. [...]
I have ordered many items online (Mrs. Chairboys does!) just because the internet library is virtually limitless. But, I'd much rather unearth a gem whilst browsing in store.

I think this is a self-perpetuating cycle. I find myself to be "forced" more and more to go online for items, because they aren't available in the store. I do understand, though, that it isn't in the retailers' best interests to stock items that they might not sell, even if it's only a copy or two.

[Adje]

My thoughts are with the employees that might lose their jobs at a hard time like this.

As for the store (or CD/DVD stores in general) I feel less pitty. To begin with physical stores can't compete with internet stores like Amazon. I'd be damned to pay 15,- when the same item on internet costs 10,-. What's 5,-? Well buy 10 different items and it becomes 50,-.

Besides, the mega stores have lost their touch with many customers. I can buy all the Justin Bieber CD's but if I dare to go for a Meat Loaf album I end up empty handed. Oh I can order them at the register... but isn't that what I did behind my own computer at home? For less...

Besides, megastores like HMV, Best Buy etc. have become 'supermarkets'. Yes the majority of the people working there will know if a title is in stock, but most of the time they don't have a clue who the artist is.

And who knows, maybe something good comes out of it. Like smaller CD/DVD stores, runned by people who actually care for the product again. Then it's fun again to nose around in a store. All the HMV's, Free Record Shops, Best Buy stores etc. seem to lack a Heart for music and film. That is what I want in a store (if possible with decent prices, but that seems wishful thinking)

So, as I said at the beginning, I feel for the people who might lose their jobs. But that is how far my symphaty goes, I'm affraid.