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[b]dixie wrote:[/b]
[quote][b]JK2006 wrote:[/b]
[quote]This thread has inspired me to contact Trevor Moore and go over for a coffee to give him the wealth of my opinion.

I think retail has screwed up dreadfully in the past 30 years - and it's all my fault! By coming up with the idea in 1975 to send free copies of singles to selected dealers which then became SOR, I removed the need for shop keepers to know the appetites and tastes of their customers. Why bother when you can send unsold stock back?

I feel guilty. Unintentional (as with so many decisions we make); and repercussions are something that have only dawned on me since I turned 50 or so.[/quote]

Good luck with getting an opportunity to take coffee with Trevor Moore. As a suffering shareholder of HMV, I have a vesting interest in HMV surviving and recovering! (As well as an emotional desire, by the fact for a number of years they have been the best music retailer in the UK).

In recent years HMV have de-stocked music, which in my opinion is the main, (if not sole) reason to exist. It’s understandable, but there is now a solution, and that is in-store CD, (and DVD and Games), burning. Tesco are trialling it, and seeing the end result, 99.9% of punters wouldn’t spot the difference from in-store manufactured product to factory supplied versions. By installing this solution HMV will be able to offer virtually any availbale CD, DVD or disc based game. People who want physical copies instantly could visit their HMV store and be satisfied. Most of the stock holding and logistical issues, (and costs), would be minimised allowing for greater profits - as well as turnover.

Something of this scale is needed to re-energise the staff. Staff training certainly needs ramping up. They need to emulate Majestic Wine, where they seem to have staff who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their products. Staff need to be seconded to (and from) record companies. When I was a retailer, we had annual visits to Record Company Distribution centres and pressing plants. All my senior staff saw how vinyl was pressed and cassette tapes were made. Many had visited recording studios. How many HMV store Managers, let alone staff, know how a recording is made? They need to bring knowledge and enthusiasm to the shop floor.

They also need to engage with their customers. In store PAs are a start, but do they actually know who attended the PA? Finally, they need to find a better way to cross media between digital and physical. Many of the biggest digital music consumers are actually big physical customer too. How about when you pre-order a physical new release in-store, you get a digital instant gratification download code? (It doesn’t just have to be the biggest digital retailer that does that).

If HMV see themselves as a technology store in future, the in-store burning solution would complement this perfectly, as it would free up floor space for more technology solutions.[/quote]

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Topic History of: Has anybody got any opinions on the current HMV situation?
Max. showing the last 5 posts - (Last post first)

Author	Message
DJones	JK2006 wrote: Well you see my take is... you have to give a reason for people wanting to go out to a shop. So you create many; a far better quality download (equalised to your particular hearing and equipment specifications); burned for safety onto a CD/R; personal contact with others sharing your enthusiasm; private gigs; chance to be on TV; opportunity to record yourself; atmosphere - benefits you cannot get online. But who pays attention to a Vile Pervert? Obviously HMV: This is excatly the describtion of the "social media cafes" they try to install in their shops. 15 years too late, I'm afraid. HMV to open 'social media' cafe in bid to turn around fortunes Even the people who want a physcial product look at the price. And buy online. a far better quality download (equalised to your particular hearing and equipment specifications) - almost nobody cares about sound quality anymore. Who has the audio equipment or the hearing ability to distinguish between good & bad sound quality? And the (compressed) masters sound terrible anyway. personal contact - Facebook. chance to be on TV - YouTube opportunity to record yourself - every PC & Mac & (some) mobile devices. Burned CDs that look exactly like "real" CDs: What's the point? This is only interesting for the dealers (less costs etc.) After BMG merged with Sony Music the new CEO of SONY BMG Germany - MAARTEN STEINKAMP - had an incredible great idea to stamp out piracy once and for all: Real (factory produced) CDs, but without colorful labels and without booklets. This was exactly the wrong strategy. What was needed than (but wouldn't make much difference now) was a high quality product at reasonable (lower) prices.
Metal Mickey	dixie wrote: I actually went to Tesco and burned a CD last week. I've shown it to friends and colleagues, and not one person could tell it had been manufactured in a Tesco store and not a factory. Fair play - I haven't seen one of these new versions yet, I just had bad memories from V1.0 some years ago. If that's the case (and I'm impressed to hear it is), then there could be some life in it, as long as the content selection is there...
dixie	Metal Mickey wrote: This burn-your-own CD notion is a red herring - downloaders (legal or otherwise) don't need it at all, and those that want a physical product want an actual manufactured product, not a glorified CD-R with a photocopied sleeve, we can do that ourselves at home!! I'm very sad to say it, but last week's lowest-ever album sales is the real beginning of the end for physical music product... I actually went to Tesco and burned a CD last week. I've shown it to friends and colleagues, and not one person could tell it had been manufactured in a Tesco store and not a factory. The CD itself was printed with the same label as the facyory copies. Same colour, logos content etc. The booklet was 8 pages printed in full colour and stapled - exactly as the factory made version. The back inlay was also printed 2 sides in colour. The only thing was a different barcode. I certainly couldn't achieve this at home - especially printing the label on the disc itself. On the point of last week's low sales. I think it was a "freak week". Yes, sales are dropping, but I doubt we'll see another less than 10k No.1 album again this year.
JK2006	Well you see my take is... you have to give a reason for people wanting to go out to a shop. So you create many; a far better quality download (equalised to your particular hearing and equipment specifications); burned for safety onto a CD/R; personal contact with others sharing your enthusiasm; private gigs; chance to be on TV; opportunity to record yourself; atmosphere - benefits you cannot get online. But who pays attention to a Vile Pervert?
Metal Mickey	This burn-your-own CD notion is a red herring - downloaders (legal or otherwise) don't need it at all, and those that want a physical product want an actual manufactured product, not a glorified CD-R with a photocopied sleeve, we can do that ourselves at home!! I'm very sad to say it, but last week's lowest-ever album sales is the real beginning of the end for physical music product...