Where have all our record shops gone?

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Had to *** into Epsom on Thursday and thought I would browse around HMV. Gone. I know they are culling their retail outlets, and that doesn't surprise me. What was shocking is the speed in which they're being closed. It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

Woolworth - gone.

Independant record shops - gone.

HMV - gone.

Some of my finest [early] shopping memories were flippin through racks of records and 'bargain bins'. Many of the little independant outlets even sold stereos; the smell of dusty cardboard wafting up the nostrils. It was fun. My first record purchase - without parents - was 'Band on the Run' by Wings (circa 1976).

With Our Price Records and Virgin Records no longer in existence, my nearest HMV is Kingston or Sutton (both approx 13-14 miles away).

I know downloads are convenient but somehow... dunno, perhaps the whole adventure of going to a shop and picking out a favourite CD or record has gone.

:mad:
 

wireman

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Even before downloading, I suspect many of us enjoyed the pleasure of flipping through the stock of the local record stores... only to then go home and buy it cheaper on-line from the likes of Amazon et al who operate without the cost-burden of premium high-street rent and rates.

Perhaps we can only blame ourselves for the disappearance of shops in our high streets, all for the sake of saving a few bucks. And we call this progress... :?
 
There's nothing wrong with saving a few bucks. The current economic climate makes people think of cutting costs & look for cheaper options like Amazon where the cost of a blu ray disc is often less than half the price of the high street.

I'm actually disappointed & surprised why HMV has not changed its business strategy by much to look for more opportunities. Yes, it has now diversified into the profit making headphones & accessories sector, but that's not enough.

Why can't we have a kiosk where you can choose to buy a song or an album, & directly download it to your iPod / MP3 player by connecting it to the kiosk? Or even a movie to your phone / tablet. Not everyone relies on their phone's data plan to download songs & movies when out & about.
 
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

And there you have it.

Not really. I live about 7 miles away, and I would guess that Epsom and the surrounding area totals approx. 50,000 (pure guess. Can't be bothered to scan the web). Think they should be looking at themselves.

A couple of years ago you could pick-up cds and records at 5 or 6 outlets (HMV, Woolworths, Our Price, WH Smiths, a couple of independant shops). Now there's none. Seem to remember that even the larger Boots stores used to have a record/music dept., although that's going back a bit further.

The only cd/record retailers close to me are charity shops.
 
The_Lhc said:
bigboss said:
Not everyone relies on their phone's data plan to download songs & movies when out & about.

Does anyone do that? Surely most people do it whilst attached to their home wi-fi?

If the facility exists, then they will do that, if they don't have to rely on their phone's pricy data plan! With Apple's iTunes match etc., people may well end up doing just that.

In the older days of the tape (also CD player), people could straightaway listen to songs on a Walkman / disc man without having to get home first. :)
 

lindsayt

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This makes intersting reading, even though it's 4 years out of date:

http://musicbusinessresearch.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/the-recession-in-the-music-industry-a-cause-analysis/
 

Big Chris

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The problem is that bricks 'n' mortar stores price their stuff too high (yes, I know why they price their stuff high). I can count on one hand the CDs/DVDs/BDs I've bought in a store in the last 8/9 years, and they've all been impulse purchases and/or stuff in the 'bargain bin' that's stupidly cheap. The other issue I find is that unless I go to one of the massive stores in Leicester Sq or Picadilly Circus or similar, their range is extremely limited - for the stuff I listen to anyway - and that makes such a long journey a total waste of time let alone the expense of travelling up town, and all that's before you factor in that I'm in the minority that actually still wants a little silver disc of music or movies.

The .coms have got it sewn up I'm afraid.

Like every kind of store, it's "use it or lose it". It does frustrate me when you see vox pops clips on regional news of people whinging that their local Butcher or Baker is closing, and you know full well that 80% of the moaners probably never ever set foot in those shops!:roll:

I wish my local Baker would close.... It's rubbish!.... I long for a Greggs hostile takeover.:)
 

BenLaw

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plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

And there you have it.

Not really. I live about 7 miles away, and I would guess that Epsom and the surrounding area totals approx. 50,000 (pure guess. Can't be bothered to scan the web). Think they should be looking at themselves.

A couple of years ago you could pick-up cds and records at 5 or 6 outlets (HMV, Woolworths, Our Price, WH Smiths, a couple of independant shops). Now there's none. Seem to remember that even the larger Boots stores used to have a record/music dept., although that's going back a bit further.

The only cd/record retailers close to me are charity shops.

If you're including non-specialists, then put all supermarkets on the list - bet there are more than 6 of those in a 14 mile radius! ;)
 

chebby

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plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

And there you have it.

Not really. I live about 7 miles away, and I would guess that Epsom and the surrounding area totals approx. 50,000 (pure guess. Can't be bothered to scan the web). Think they should be looking at themselves.
Yes it's you. Seven miles is nothing and you are a CD enthusiast. If even the most vociferous CD fans (with specialist CD players) only buy a CD every few months then it's unfair to blame everyone else.
 

shooter

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I always used to shop at a local record store (Scorpion) but now i've moved away i just don't bother with traveling. The problem being is that they generally don't stock the stuff i want so i just order it on line, HMV, EIL, Ebay, Burnt Shed etc. The list of on-line shops is endless and for convenience gets delivered to your door within a few days, saves time, effort and expence, sad really.
 
Big Chris said:
The problem is that bricks 'n' mortar stores price their stuff too high (yes, I know why they price their stuff high). I can count on one hand the CDs/DVDs/BDs I've bought in a store in the last 8/9 years, and they've all been impulse purchases and/or stuff in the 'bargain bin' that's stupidly cheap. The other issue I find is that unless I go to one of the massive stores in Leicester Sq or Picadilly Circus or similar, their range is extremely limited - for the stuff I listen to anyway - and that makes such a long journey a total waste of time let alone the expense of travelling up town, and all that's before you factor in that I'm in the minority that actually still wants a little silver disc of music or movies.

The .coms have got it sewn up I'm afraid.

Like every kind of store, it's "use it or lose it". It does frustrate me when you see vox pops clips on regional news of people whinging that their local Butcher or Baker is closing, and you know full well that 80% of the moaners probably never ever set foot in those shops!:roll:

I wish my local Baker would close.... It's rubbish!.... I long for a Greggs hostile takeover.:)

What you say is partially true (Greggs excepted), but all record shops I remember all had either a 'bargain bin', or a 'reduced section'. That said, I don't fully subscribe to the pricing notion. Usually you see a price difference of between £2-£5, depending on whether it's a single album or double, and based on the normal retail cost (comparing it with Ebay prices). At least you know the condition of the product etc etc...
 
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

And there you have it.

Not really. I live about 7 miles away, and I would guess that Epsom and the surrounding area totals approx. 50,000 (pure guess. Can't be bothered to scan the web). Think they should be looking at themselves.
Yes it's you. Seven miles is nothing and you are a CD enthusiast. If even the most vociferous CD fans (with specialist CD players) only buy a CD every few months then it's unfair to blame everyone else.

It's wrong to point the finger at me when there's 50k others on their doorstep. Clearly they are, mostly, Playstation mob, who'd rather tap away on the PC as opposed to walking down their garden path to the high street. I know, because the bro-in-law is one of those.
 

gregvet

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chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

And there you have it.

Not really. I live about 7 miles away, and I would guess that Epsom and the surrounding area totals approx. 50,000 (pure guess. Can't be bothered to scan the web). Think they should be looking at themselves.
Yes it's you. Seven miles is nothing and you are a CD enthusiast. If even the most vociferous CD fans (with specialist CD players) only buy a CD every few months then it's unfair to blame everyone else.

To be fair, I think you have a point there Chebby. How many of us 'enthusiasts' used to go to record shops on a weekly basis, looking for something interesting? I for one will hold my hands up and say that I now do this in a physical store much less often, instead browsing the second hand CDs on Amazon on a regular basis and finding new music (or rediscovering old music) this way.

We have a local independant record store in Brighton, and I am very aware that they need support to stay open, so I am on their mailing list, £10 a month and you get sent a new release of something interesting that the owner rates. Its a really easy way to hear music I wouldnt always choose or even be aware of. If you dont like it, you are allowed to take it back and swap it for a different CD, but I never do.

So far they have introduced me to

Steve Mason

and

Gui Boratto

both of which I love (and lots of other CDs which I like, and some which are 'meh')
 

Big Chris

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plastic penguin said:
Big Chris said:
The problem is that bricks 'n' mortar stores price their stuff too high (yes, I know why they price their stuff high). I can count on one hand the CDs/DVDs/BDs I've bought in a store in the last 8/9 years, and they've all been impulse purchases and/or stuff in the 'bargain bin' that's stupidly cheap. The other issue I find is that unless I go to one of the massive stores in Leicester Sq or Picadilly Circus or similar, their range is extremely limited - for the stuff I listen to anyway - and that makes such a long journey a total waste of time let alone the expense of travelling up town, and all that's before you factor in that I'm in the minority that actually still wants a little silver disc of music or movies.

The .coms have got it sewn up I'm afraid.

Like every kind of store, it's "use it or lose it". It does frustrate me when you see vox pops clips on regional news of people whinging that their local Butcher or Baker is closing, and you know full well that 80% of the moaners probably never ever set foot in those shops!:roll:

I wish my local Baker would close.... It's rubbish!.... I long for a Greggs hostile takeover.:)

What you say is partially true (Greggs excepted), but all record shops I remember all had either a 'bargain bin', or a 'reduced section'. That said, I don't fully subscribe to the pricing notion. Usually you see a price difference of between £2-£5, depending on whether it's a single album or double, and based on the normal retail cost (comparing it with Ebay prices). At least you know the condition of the product etc etc...

I wish the differences were just £2-5. I don't know if it's just because it's in Bluewater - my nearest store -, but I can see stuff I can get from Play.com for £9, for £15 in HMV. That's a big chunk of money. Some of their Blu-Ray boxsets are so ambitiously priced (I won't say overpriced as they're probably adhering to the RRP), it can provoke gasps of exclamation.

Oh and if you knew my Bakers you'd long for Greggs too.:)
 

toyota man

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Hi all I suppose We are lucky to have 2 Hmvs in Norwich + a thats entertaiment but over the last 30odd years we have lost Andys Records Our Price Robins Records Virgin Woolworths +
 

Richard Allen

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Idea.

Sub let space in a high street shop, put a dozen terminals in and let all the ipaddies etc come in and they can buy their downloads on a pay-per-click basis. They might even like what's in the shop you sub let space in.

At least it'll get them out on the high street.:p

No, before you ask. I'm not gonna do it myself :rofl:
 
Big Chris said:
plastic penguin said:
Big Chris said:
The problem is that bricks 'n' mortar stores price their stuff too high (yes, I know why they price their stuff high). I can count on one hand the CDs/DVDs/BDs I've bought in a store in the last 8/9 years, and they've all been impulse purchases and/or stuff in the 'bargain bin' that's stupidly cheap. The other issue I find is that unless I go to one of the massive stores in Leicester Sq or Picadilly Circus or similar, their range is extremely limited - for the stuff I listen to anyway - and that makes such a long journey a total waste of time let alone the expense of travelling up town, and all that's before you factor in that I'm in the minority that actually still wants a little silver disc of music or movies.

The .coms have got it sewn up I'm afraid.

Like every kind of store, it's "use it or lose it". It does frustrate me when you see vox pops clips on regional news of people whinging that their local Butcher or Baker is closing, and you know full well that 80% of the moaners probably never ever set foot in those shops!:roll:

I wish my local Baker would close.... It's rubbish!.... I long for a Greggs hostile takeover.:)

What you say is partially true (Greggs excepted), but all record shops I remember all had either a 'bargain bin', or a 'reduced section'. That said, I don't fully subscribe to the pricing notion. Usually you see a price difference of between £2-£5, depending on whether it's a single album or double, and based on the normal retail cost (comparing it with Ebay prices). At least you know the condition of the product etc etc...

I wish the differences were just £2-5. I don't know if it's just because it's in Bluewater - my nearest store -, but I can see stuff I can get from Play.com for £9, for £15 in HMV. That's a big chunk of money. Some of their Blu-Ray boxsets are so ambitiously priced (I won't say overpriced as they're probably adhering to the RRP), it can provoke gasps of exclamation.

Oh and if you knew my Bakers you'd long for Greggs too.:)

The 2-5 pound is an average figure, but I'd still rather pay that than buy something from an auction site and found it was damaged. I've had two examples of this: I bought (oh dear, prob regret admitting this) 'Saturday Night Fever' album, only to find the case was shot. The hinges were broken with two cracks down the face. The other was a Xmas present from the bro-in-law. Roy Wood 'Singles', and one of the tracks stops working after about 18 seconds. Literally, nowt. Blank.

Ahh you see, where we live we have two independant bakers. Bread made on the premises and all pastries are fresh in practically everyday.
 
Richard Allen said:
Idea.

Sub let space in a high street shop, put a dozen terminals in and let all the ipaddies etc come in and they can buy their downloads on a pay-per-click basis. They might even like what's in the shop you sub let space in.

At least it'll get them out on the high street.:p

No, before you ask. I'm not gonna do it myself :rofl:

Go on, you know you want to... :grin:
 

chebby

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plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
It was only a few months ago I bought cd.

And there you have it.

Not really. I live about 7 miles away, and I would guess that Epsom and the surrounding area totals approx. 50,000 (pure guess. Can't be bothered to scan the web). Think they should be looking at themselves.
Yes it's you. Seven miles is nothing and you are a CD enthusiast. If even the most vociferous CD fans (with specialist CD players) only buy a CD every few months then it's unfair to blame everyone else.

It's wrong to point the finger at me when there's 50k others on their doorstep. Clearly they are, mostly, Playstation mob, who'd rather tap away on the PC as opposed to walking down their garden path to the high street.

HMV sell Playstations and games too. I know because I see them in there when I am buying my CDs and DVDs and Blu-rays.

So far (in the last month or two) I have bought £25 of CDs and about £35 of Blu-rays and £18 of DVDs. (I keep the receipts until I play/rip them and know they are OK.)

Of course I also buy DVDs and Blu-rays from Amazon but I usually give HMV the 'first option' and if the price is alright i'll get it from them. (Just bought Pride & Prejudice BBC Blu-ray for £10 from HMV last week because it was only £1.03 more expensive than Amazon and I wouldn't have to wait a day for delivery.)

I am the same with books. I will often pay a small premium and buy from the local Waterstones. If they don't have it, i'll order online.
 

shooter

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bigboss said:
Why can't we have a kiosk where you can choose to buy a song or an album, & directly download it to your iPod / MP3 player by connecting it to the kiosk?

I like this idea, not sure i would use it but i'm sure lots would. You could have little shops with booths you could pop into or mobile booths fit out for 2 people and would take up little floorspace, ideal for shopping centres as long as you have power, the only problem would be download speed as the server would need to be ata secure location :?
 

shooter

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Richard Allen said:
Idea.

Sub let space in a high street shop, put a dozen terminals in and let all the ipaddies etc come in and they can buy their downloads on a pay-per-click basis. They might even like what's in the shop you sub let space in.

At least it'll get them out on the high street.:p

No, before you ask. I'm not gonna do it myself :rofl:

Lol just seen this..
 

Richard Allen

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Richard Allen said:
Idea.

No, before you ask. I'm not gonna do it myself :rofl:

But then again
smiley-undecided.gif
 
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