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G6Tanuki · 28th Dec 2018, 6:25 pm

While some see it as sad, I see it as inevitable. They went bust around 2011, and somehow managed to get renewed financing to come back in a slimmed-down form. Blockbuster, QVC, GAME, Grainger Games, Our Price, Virgin Megastores had all exited the market so I guess someone saw HMV as having a future as the last-man-standing-in-the-game.

I hadn't realised that Fopp still existed; last one I remember going into was the Nottingham branch some time around 2001 (they were not far from "Page 45", the really-rather-good comic-shop).

To be brutally honest these days nobody under-40 buys physical media; downloads and streaming made the HMV model unsustainable when everyone's subscribed to Steam, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Apple etc. (or where oldtimers like me still download our fansubbed anime via BitTorrent).

HMV became irrelevant, just as roving bands of traveling musicians, printers of sheet-music and makers of player-piano-rolls did in times-past.

I hope someone's left behind to feed the little dog.

28th Dec 2018, 6:25 pm	#14
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,007	Re: HMV in administration. While some see it as sad, I see it as inevitable. They went bust around 2011, and somehow managed to get renewed financing to come back in a slimmed-down form. Blockbuster, QVC, GAME, Grainger Games, Our Price, Virgin Megastores had all exited the market so I guess someone saw HMV as having a future as the last-man-standing-in-the-game. I hadn't realised that Fopp still existed; last one I remember going into was the Nottingham branch some time around 2001 (they were not far from "Page 45", the really-rather-good comic-shop). To be brutally honest these days nobody under-40 buys physical media; downloads and streaming made the HMV model unsustainable when everyone's subscribed to Steam, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Apple etc. (or where oldtimers like me still download our fansubbed anime via BitTorrent). HMV became irrelevant, just as roving bands of traveling musicians, printers of sheet-music and makers of player-piano-rolls did in times-past. I hope someone's left behind to feed the little dog.