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| Will this shop unit ever open up again as a going concern? |
HMV closing doesn't directly effect Tonbridge High Street you'd think, I guess other than the question of where now to go to buy a real music cd. Not that HMV were exclusively selling cd's. No, indeed they were selling all kinds of things the last time I looked in there. I actually went in to buy a couple of particular records if they had them; they were the sort that you'd have expected to find in a bigger record shop. But, oh no, they could order them in for sure. But then what's the point of that. In that case I may as well have sat at home and ordered it rather than have to raipse all the way back to Tunbridge Wells again. They did have a selection of music books, lots of chart dvd's, a headphones section, even some i-pods. I didn't realise that they stocked all those other things and it might have been handy if I'd needed any of them. But I didn't. In fact I left the store feeling a little let down and thinking that here was a once great store who seemed not to have a clue what its identity was. I'm not saying it was easy for them to survive in the current economic environment but those where my observations a few weeks ago. As far as Tonbridge is concerned though I'd say that HMV's troubles present someone with an opportunity. There's no record shop in the town since Bionic Records closed a couple of years ago and, surely, I cannot be alone in wanting an actual physical cd, rather than downloads, to play music with. I no longer want to rely on the dreaded amazon since finding out their position on payment (or, more accurately, non-payment) of British taxes so where do I go? You see, it's like books, many people still like to go out, shop and browse for their music. It's all about that moment when you find something you weren't expecting, a record you didn't necessarily go to the shop for, which strikes a chord, brings back a memory. You buy it and come out feeling good that you've obtained something which will give you hours of pleasure. I'd suggest a similar kind of business to the one Bionic had in fact as I know that they didn't close through lack of customers but, more, through not wanting the mill stone of having the shop around their necks for another five years of the lease; after 30 years in the business who can blame them? But for some twenty or thirty something with a love of music, who has a bit of a nose for trading (because you'll need one) I'd say give it a go. In fact I'm open to giving the right person a bit of advice and perhaps even backing the enterprise so convinced am I that it would be popular in Tonbridge. You wouldn't even have to call it Mr. Records alhough, I must say, it strikes the right note with me!...
3 comments:
I've already commented on your previous post about the sad demise of HMV and the clueless people who think it's "cool" to download music rather than buying a hard physical copy.
Despite this an independent record shop would be good for the town, but finding suitable premises, with a reasonable rent, may prove difficult.
People who “download” music aren’t clueless – they’re being practical. I’m an avid music buyer and love my vinyl, but the vast majority of people who purchase it want individual tracks rather than having to shell out a lot of money for a disc that they’ll play once and then put on a shelf where it gathers dust – and then of the say, 10 tracks on there, only 3 will be worth playing. To denigrate people for a consumer choice is just myopic.
The days of physical formatted music aren’t over, BUT we will see the retail of music split into two categories – it either is collectible or it’s digital. The good news for CDs is that you can pick up real bargains now, but a shop selling a physical product in this economic environment has to have an element of prestige for it to survive. If it’s got “bargain” or “sale” plastered all over it, then the customer is already in a different frame of mind when purchasing and with regard to perception of brand.
The only way that a shop selling music like this could survive in a place like Tonbridge is if it produced a compelling retail experience. It would have to sell stuff that couldn’t be bought elsewhere, had knowledgeable staff and a friendly environment. It would need to specialize in certain products and become the authority in the area. There is a shop in Rye that sells soundtracks as an example, but I know that it struggles.
Whilst it sells books instead of music, essentially Much Ado in Alfriston shows that a tacit combination of new and used product with a compelling shop experience, both physically and digitally can really work.
http://www.muchadobooks.com/
I thought Alishan were extending into it? They certainly had a planning application at one point but nothing seems to have happened. Won't your high street network know what's happening?
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