Also, they haven't made artists and songs like they use to for about 25 years now. No Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Glenn Campbell, Andy Williams, Sammy Davis Jr., Vickie Carr, etc.
HMV closing
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Congrats for celebrating your theft.
I figure by the same metric you should also be allowed to walk into stores and walk out without paying, because you can.
Though I am still surprised HMV is still open.
There are only a few boutique music stores left, they typically sell vinyl more then anything.
Music industry, movies, newspapers and book publishers are all struggling to stay afloat.
Enjoy them while they are still around.
While I wouldn't take issue with the quality of anyone on your list, my own tastes are more wide ranging, including current and emerging artists. I think there are plenty of current artists who would really benefit from some old school production and media. In fact, I think a growing number of artists are recognizing that by releasing vinyl media of their new albums (hopefully mastered specifically for vinyl, rather than a transfer of the .cda master).
Commercial VHS tend to last longer because they are "pressed". Home made VHS turn to mush after about 10-12 years. I transferred my VHS to DVD a few years ago. One thing I liked about the VHS is that you can stop playing and then continue the next day where you left it the previous day without doing a search.
Along with Bay Street Video, I also forgot to mention Sonic Boom. Great place with 'Browsing' Charm.
Sonic Boom is what "drove down town in the rain, 9:30 on a thursday night is all about".
if you consume music/film as though it were soap or paper towel, then sure, pirate it and stream it because chances are you have an intellectual connection to it but no emotional attachment. However, if you really appreciate great artists like Frank Zappa, The Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, The Beatles, etc., then chances are you already own a physical copy of all or some of their music.
The sad truth is that the music industry could have only existed to be an exceptionally profitable one. The internet completely changed the game and now people who don't give a fuck would rather take that $15 and put it towards a pack of smokes and a coffee instead of taking a chance on a Captain Beefheart cd or whatever floats your boat.
I only buy physical copies of the music i listen to... i don't remember the last time i purchased music at HMV
The sad truth is that the music industry could have only existed to be an exceptionally profitable one. The internet completely changed the game and now people who don't give a fuck would rather take that $15 and put it towards a pack of smokes and a coffee instead of taking a chance on a Captain Beefheart cd or whatever floats your boat.
I only buy physical copies of the music i listen to... i don't remember the last time i purchased music at HMV
I'm lucky. I have a buddy that lives in Jersey. I order what I want off his Amazon account. Lots of great deals and he delivers to my door. They have a great selection.
I used to find the staff at HMV fairly rude, however in the past couple of years there has been a big change. I guess lack of job security will do that. Also, the flagship HMV store used to have a listening bar where you could have cds opened by a staff member and listen to them to decide if you wanted to purchase them. That was a great service at the time.
Guess what? Some guys are helping themselves to your goods in your home right now! hahaha. Cheap miser.
Problem with HMV is that their prices were so high. They specialized in audio for so long, you'd think they would be the ones who sell it for the best (or very good) prices. But it was the opposite. Just about every big box specialty retailer who focuses on a certain type of products carries a huge assortment of stuff (in this case, HMV with tons of music stuff), sells for reasonable prices. Yet, HMV sells for basically the highest.
That's why they got eaten up by Amazon. And then finished off with internet streaming/downloading.
When people were still buying CDs, why would I buy it at HMV for $30 when BB or Future Shop would sell it for $20. And if BB/FS didn't carry it, I'd check Amazon and they would probably have it for about $20 too. I wouldn't even bother checking HMV's stores or website when I still bought CDs in the late 90s-2000s because I knew HMV pricing was terrible and had mandatory shipping fees. Other places waived them if you hit a certain minimum purchase.
The only CDs that had good pricing were all those 2/$20 deals where if you wanted certain albums, $10/disc is basically as good as it gets.
Over the past 10 years, they tried diversifying their stuff with video games (another failure as everyone sold it for cheaper), and then shifting to music related stuff like t-shirts, music mags, oddball collectibles and other weird stuff at the front of the store. I think they tried selling MP3 players and letting people buy downloads too..... though I'm not sure.
Their product line was destined to be doomed at some point (like Blockbuster), but if they had better management, they could have survived longer.
That's why they got eaten up by Amazon. And then finished off with internet streaming/downloading.
When people were still buying CDs, why would I buy it at HMV for $30 when BB or Future Shop would sell it for $20. And if BB/FS didn't carry it, I'd check Amazon and they would probably have it for about $20 too. I wouldn't even bother checking HMV's stores or website when I still bought CDs in the late 90s-2000s because I knew HMV pricing was terrible and had mandatory shipping fees. Other places waived them if you hit a certain minimum purchase.
The only CDs that had good pricing were all those 2/$20 deals where if you wanted certain albums, $10/disc is basically as good as it gets.
Over the past 10 years, they tried diversifying their stuff with video games (another failure as everyone sold it for cheaper), and then shifting to music related stuff like t-shirts, music mags, oddball collectibles and other weird stuff at the front of the store. I think they tried selling MP3 players and letting people buy downloads too..... though I'm not sure.
Their product line was destined to be doomed at some point (like Blockbuster), but if they had better management, they could have survived longer.
That's because sitting at home and listening to music or on an iPod isn't valued as much as people think. Artists like to think their work is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it goes to show that people sitting at home and downloading digital files at mediocre 128k/b quality is good enough. They don't care for high quality vinyl or CD quality bit rates, or the plastic case, or the plastic sleeve with info, or building a collection like people still do with books. E-readers have been around for ages, yet people still buy tried and true paper bound books at $20 each and takes up room on the shelf.
On the other hand, people still go to the movies and pay $10-15 even though everyone knows they can find a download soon after. And people still pay $100 a ticket to watch a sporting event or a concert. It's a different experience even though you can always find a stream online somewhere.
For many people, a bunch of downloaded songs has little difference compared to a $15 CD.
What do you do for a living that makes tens of thousands of dollars in savings cheap?
As for music, if music doesn't pay, go find a job that does. Musicians are are non-essential. Sing, dance, dress-up, and entertain me. That's all folks.
If I print out a copy of a painting that I like, will you be crying about all the starvings artists out there, too?
When virtual reality allows you to break into my virtual home, you'll have an analogy worth its salt.
Lastly, you're not a rebellious teenager anymore. Time to de-emphasize the role of music in defining yourself.
What do you mean by this?
https://nowtoronto.com/music/hmv-to-shutter-bloor/
"Although the consumer shift to digital music formats and streaming services has caused a decline in a physical music sales, Williams says HMV’s Toronto stores are still profitable.
The digital revolution has forced the company to diversify its business from physical CDs and DVDs sales to include an e-commerce platform, vinyl records, headphones and accessories, apparel, and gifts and collectibles related to music and film.
Vinyl is a particular growth area. Records are now available in 65 of HMV’s Canadian stores and heavily represented on shelves in its flagship locations in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton. Williams says vinyl represents 20 per centof HMV’s overall sales so this year he plans to expand vinyl sections in smaller stores as well.
“[The market] is not as ever changing as it has been previously,” he explains, adding that CD sales have flattened out. “You have a consumer settling in and buying CDs and buy a lot of them, and you have those that are now buying and exploring, for the first time, vinyl.”
According to media reserach firm Nielsen’s 2015 Canadian music industry market report, total album sales dropped by 3 per cent from the year prior while CD sales were down 8 per cent year-over-year to 15.2 million. Meanwhile, vinyl sales were up 30 per cent over 2014."
And,
"There are 106 HMV locations across Canada – down from 113 stores in 2012. Williams says the company is planning to open two more stores in British Columbia soon."
HMV was declining for a decade. The parent HMV had to get bailed out from a restructuring company to keep it afloat and sold off Canada to the same place, who poured in money.
HMV Canada had lost stores over the years, and also scaled back to smaller stores as well, since business dried up and didn't need the large layouts anymore. A good example is Square One. The small store it now has is probably 1/4 the size of the large one it had years ago.
They are still a viable business, even though they have scaled back. They are also adjusting to the 'new' way of things. Don't bury them until they are completely dead, is all I am saying.
The reason he laughed was he misinterpreted when you said " I'd love to get my hands on Dolly Parton's greatest hits".
