HMV to close ?

[Pinhead]

I think it's a bit too soon to be heralding the death of the physical product, high street stores may be dying but the online retailers and supermarkets will still be selling CD's and DVD's for a number of years yet.

[eFestivals]

With no new CD's / DVD's being bought in the High Street, what's the motivation for record companies et al to keep producing them as a format?

the fact that they still hugely out-sell the digital product, even online.

The record co's will not be cutting off their major income stream any time soon.

[jump]

I think she's shit out of luck, they've announced that they aren't accepting them while in administration.

[mrtourette]

With no new CD's / DVD's being bought in the High Street, what's the motivation for record companies et al to keep producing them as a format? I'm sure Amazon's second hand CD / DVD media trading will continue for a while, but inevitably that will dry up with no new . Never a level playing field either - good ol Amazon paying bugger all in tax in the UK and employing far fewer people since the whole purchasing, stocking, picking and packaging process is automated - the whole enterprise is essentially run by machines and a few sales, marketing and PR bods. Not like they're going to soak up the 4,350 lost jobs from HMV.

[mrtourette]

I told her if they go into admin they wont accept her card anymore at the weekend and told to give it to my so I'll use it for the stuff I was buying then give her the money but she said no.

[hot_ice]

good ol Amazon paying bugger all in tax in the UK and employing far fewer people since the whole purchasing, stocking, picking and packaging process is automated - the whole enterprise is essentially run by machines and a few sales, marketing and PR bods.

Edited January 15, 2013 by hot_ice

[thetime]

Amazon will continue to sell new CD and DVD releases, as will Play and I'd also imagine HMV's online service will be purchased even if the high street prescence is dead. Supermarkets will still sell new release CDs and DVDs. Just because there might not be a major and dedicated seller on the high street there will still be outlets and demand for the physical product for a good while.

[mrtourette]

Isnt play stopping selling cd's and dvd's.

[jump]

Isnt play stopping selling cd's and dvd's.

[Pinhead]

Thing is though, even if physical media is still outselling digital today, the media companies would far rather persuade and migrate their customers towards the digital and subscription delivery solutions as they have more control over them and their ability to be distributed and copied. Expect more sophisticated forms of DRM to make it next to impossible to copy streamed music and video data. If they can wipe out the illegal copy market by eliminating physcial media then that will more than offset any loss from the disappearance of the physcial format in the long run.

[eFestivals]

Thing is though, even if physical media is still outselling digital today, the media companies would far rather persuade and migrate their customers towards the digital and subscription delivery solutions as they have more control over them and their ability to be distributed and copied. Expect more sophisticated forms of DRM to make it next to impossible to copy streamed music and video data. If they can wipe out the illegal copy market by eliminating physcial media then that will more than offset any loss from the disappearance of the physcial format in the long run.

nah ... if the record companies did that, you'd simply get others step into their place for the physical.

Record companies can only control what is within their sphere of influence. It would be stupid beyond belief for them to think they can control stuff outside of their sphere of influence.

Essentially, you're suggesting that the record companies make the same mistakes as had HMV fail.

[radish]

Thing is though, even if physical media is still outselling digital today, the media companies would far rather persuade and migrate their customers towards the digital and subscription delivery solutions as they have more control over them and their ability to be distributed and copied. Expect more sophisticated forms of DRM to make it next to impossible to copy streamed music and video data. If they can wipe out the illegal copy market by eliminating physcial media then that will more than offset any loss from the disappearance of the physcial format in the long run.

Edited January 15, 2013 by radish

[Spindles]

Cheers, an interesting read. And it backs up what I said about Fox....

It's been obvious to me for ten years or more that Fox is one of these corporate heroes that really isn't very good at his job, but the right school and the right background will get to mean that he has a long and disastrous career of ruining one Blue Chip before moving on to destroy another.

'The City' and big business is full of these types, who fail at everything, get a massive pay-off and then move on to make something even bigger fail - and then go round again.

And all the while the likes of William Hague and Dave Moron - both of whom have never done a proper days work in their lives - say it's all the fault of the little people who need to 'work harder'.... before then saying that the answer to our problems is more of the same which caused them in the first place.

We're fucked.

[lost]

straw poll at lunch was that all their kids got iTunes vouchers for Christmas. More shocking was the amount of people that put their credit card details into their kids iPhones and iPods telling them to go easy and then got unexpected £250 - £300 bills at the end of the month

[Pinhead]

nah ... if the record companies did that, you'd simply get others step into their place for the physical.

Record companies can only control what is within their sphere of influence. It would be stupid beyond belief for them to think they can control stuff outside of their sphere of influence.

Essentially, you're suggesting that the record companies make the same mistakes as had HMV fail.

[mrtourette]

Edited to add, HMV stopped being a record shop years ago. In fact, it stopped being anything tangible really, no focus, no plan, at least not one that would work. I still say a 'record shop' could work if it became more of a lifestyle store. If if could go into a shop, browse and listen to music I like, play a guitar, take part in a workshop, record a tune in the pay by the hour studio, watch a band in the central pit/stage area, buy the t-shirt, get the tattoo, have a beer in the bar next door, I'd stay there all bloody day.

[eFestivals]

I see what you're saying, though if the record companies really do want to push us all to the digital, then I would expect they would charge the Earth for other distributors to produce any physical media copies for public sale.

oh, they'd try to stop it by all sorts of means.

But the simple fact is that they only have control if they have the bands on their label. Any established band - which are the bands that make the money - can fuck off elsewhere and give their fans what they want, which is still physical product.

[ICGenie]

Today teens has been brought up with internet so online buying come more natural to them.I think only a small percentange still prefer high streets stores

However I think people like us who were used to flicking CDs in shops, will always feel nostalgic. Also personally I find the high streets boring without music shops, as when I'm high street shopping a stop at HMV or Fopp is always a must for me.

[mrtourette]

I think more specifically, today's teens have been brought up not to pay for music at all and a lot of them probably don't understand why anyone would.

[Pinhead]

oh, they'd try to stop it by all sorts of means.

But the simple fact is that they only have control if they have the bands on their label. Any established band - which are the bands that make the money - can fuck off elsewhere and give their fans what they want, which is still physical product.

[A-Rob]

I think more specifically, today's teens have been brought up not to pay for music at all and a lot of them probably don't understand why anyone would.

[eFestivals]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Pinhead" data-cid="3897435"><p>&nbsp;<br />That's OK for the established bands - but what about new, upcoming bands or less well known bands who might still require record companies to manage their publicity, promotion, logistics, tours etc.? Isn't this why bands haven't already ditched all the record companies and done it all on their own on line and managed their own distributions? I hope you are right actually - I'd love to see another indie revolution <img data-cke-saved-src="/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png">http://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png" src="/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png">http://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png" class="bbc_emoticon" title=":)" /></p></blockquote><br />I think bands only want to be signed to a major because it's a badge of success. But it's a badge whose gleam has been dimmed over the last decade or so, and will dim even more.<br /><br />The internet gives new bands the chance to expose themselves and find a fanbase. Once they have that they can print their own product, so they don't really need record companies.<br /><br />The record companies are still clinging on tho. If they stopped doing physical product their grip would be lost entirely.

[radish]

That's OK for the established bands - but what about new, upcoming bands or less well known bands who might still require record companies to manage their publicity, promotion, logistics, tours etc.? Isn't this why bands haven't already ditched all the record companies and done it all on their own on line and managed their own distributions? I hope you are right actually - I'd love to see another indie revolution

[radish]

My "when I win the lottery (of course I have to buy a ticket first)" plan has always been a record shop/bar/live music venue hybrid.

[lharris92]

Pledge music! It's bloody happening! See a band, go online, give the money direct to the band, get their stuff. Bollocks to big business.