HMV Reopening in July

UI_Paddy

https://www.thejournal.ie/hmv-to-reopen-doors-in-dublin-6070123-May2023/

Delighted with this news. The company has seemingly remained strong in the UK since Doug Putman brought new life in to it. Obviously he must still see potential in the Irish market.

Decuc500

Good stuff.

No doubt it will be well stocked with vinyl but hopefully they will have a good 4K/BluRay selection too.

Atlantic Dawn

Great news. It looks to be the current GameStop location on the street.

johnny_ultimate

Given Blu-Ray (and games) aren't mentioned in the article, it's a bit of a 'wait and see' IMO as the big pitch seems to be towards music & vinyl.

Other than the IFI Bookshop and the rather chaotic selection in Tower Records, we don't really have a good spot in Ireland to browse a specialist / boutique Blu-Ray offering, which is tbh is where the really cool stuff is happening in physical media. If Nu HMV has a token Blu-Ray selection or a Golden Discs style focus on only the most mainstream offerings, I can't imagine it being particularly appealing. But again - wait and see. I'd still much prefer a Fopp for Dublin :P

Fysh

Fopp has been owned by HMV for a while, and based on what I've seen of the recently-opened HMV in Edinburgh someone has been paying at least a bit of attention to what works in Fopp as far as store layout and stock goes.

Don't get me wrong, Fopp is still IMO the better of the two for film fans (better international film section, better back catalogue of films and IME staff who are more interested in/knowledgeable about film) but maybe you'll be lucky and get a Fopp-in-HMV-signage store in Dublin...

RobbingBandit

It's not the GameStop shop it's the old HMV store which was Elverys until recently.

Big Gerry

How is the business model suppose to work when most people download their music for free ?

Strumms

Surprising.

but welcome. Returning back to their old flagship store on Oxford St London too apparently..…

how it’s going to work ? Good question… they’ll maybe have a strong combination of technology / electronics and gaming to go with music sales….maybe even incorporate a cafe.

cena

I am happy to see them back. Not a fan of golden discs

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633733#Comment_120633733

Most yes, but in the last few years there has been a significant uptick in sales of Vinyl and CDs; to the extent I think it's the highest they've been since the 90s? HMV probably can't justify being on every high street anymore, but from what I've read they're catering for the above, plus there'll be a performance stage for live events, and a significant portion of the stock is gonna be dedicated to ... well, pop-culture junk (Marvel Funko Pops and all that landfill).

Streaming's convenient n' all but I think it was quickly discovered there's still a market for discerning music lovers who want a physical space, and physical media, rather than digital. Even something like Radio Nova has part of its daily schedule dedicated to playing "Vinyl" - though obviously made redundant in being then piped through a digital FM stream lol.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120642011#Comment_120642011

With Gamestop going and, as you say, people beginning to realise that Streaming (Video and audio) isn't permanent and is fracturing again, and the resurgence in expensive vinyl on the rise, it's probably a good time to come back. I think their whole issue last time was their immediate cash flow problems as opposed to dying. The idea of having a small stage for bands is a good idea. Especially for brand new acts. They have to start somewhere. I'm sure most will be terrible but it great to get the opportunity

UI_Paddy

Yeah, every time I'm in the city centre I see Tower Records bags, which clearly contain a vinyl record. In the anime industry there's also a UK distributor (Anime Limited / All The Anime) that has moved into selling anime soundtracks on vinyl. There's a huge market for it, and for far more demographics than people realize.

I think HMV will probably start with music, maybe shirts and funko pops, but they will probably move into Blu-Ray, 4K, all that good stuff at a certain point, given that the UK branches offer those as well and it has been to their benefit.

Shred

Not related to HMV but may be of interest - Golden Discs are doing 2 for €25 on a range of 4k discs atm, there’s a selection of 2 for €35 also.

Atlantic Dawn

Opening tomorrow at 10am...

https://www.hotpress.com/culture/hmv-to-reopen-irish-store-this-week-on-henry-street-22976586

Decuc500

So apparently there are no movies in this new store. No 4K, Blu ray or dvd's for sale. Bah.

Looks more like a toy shop judging from the pictures I've seen of it.

ussjtrunks

Absolute joke having no blurays, the online shop doesn’t ship to Ireland and they have loads of exclusive steelbooks

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120788763#Comment_120788763

Agreed.

RayCon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120612745#Comment_120612745

Fopp gets my vote.

pat_sconce

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120788763#Comment_120788763

They have stated that they are working on an Irish online store and hope to open it in the autumn.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120788072#Comment_120788072

Honestly I'm not surprised. I had suspected it'd go this way; the lack of physical media is disappointing though.

airy fairy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120788072#Comment_120788072

Having been in their Edinburgh shop recently, it's exactly like a toy and t-shirt shop. A floor full of Marvel and those pop toys.

My 16 year old has revived the old turntable and loves a vinyl now, and I found it very hard to browse for anything tbh.

SuperBowserWorld

The old HMVs were amazing. This looks like a cardboard cutout..

Fysh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790386#Comment_120790386

Did you go downstairs in the Edinburgh shop? That's where all the film & TV physical media is. Same thing with Fopp in Edinburgh now that it's moved from its previous Rose St location, which is not really a surprise since HMV own Fopp...

horslips

Good to see them back in Dublin ... but I would still not buy any gift vouchers just before Christmas!

ghostfacekilla

Buy a few cd's, it'll be great.

Full_Circle_81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120788763#Comment_120788763

Not just exclusive steelbooks, but a lot of regular bluray releases are HMV exclusives over here, which is extra annoying when even their website won't ship here. I just assumed they'd have physical discs in their physical store. Is it confirmed that they don't?

CastorTroy

Do they sell games?

Sounds like they're going the GameStop route.

run_Forrest_run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120792678#Comment_120792678

+1

I loved CDs and would consider buying them again but I hope now, after all these years those who manufacture them have improved the packaging. Those plastic cases were awful, often breaking the tabs and the double CD holders were even more flimsy. Surely sustainable good quality cardboard/paper packaging would be ideal with some nice artwork on it.

Sad Professor

The longevity of vinyl as a popular format is something else. Will people still be buying Blu-rays 50 years from now? I can't see it unless the user experience has dramatically improved.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790390#Comment_120790390

Yes it sure was. I spent a lot of money and time in that store on Henry Street.

walkonby

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794231#Comment_120794231

Is vinyl’s renewed popularity attributable to the quality of the user experience? I understand a lot of the modern releases are just digital transfers. The CD provides an excellent user experience but will soon disappear. I still remember the first time I heard one; it was such a dramatic improvement over the cassettes I was used to.

walkonby

I was in one in Belfast a while back and it was still pretty good. They had a small selection of cheap books with some decent titles in there.

Sad Professor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795497#Comment_120795497

While they overlap I would distinguish between technical quality and the user experience. In the case of vinyl there's obviously something about the analog presentation and the physical format it comes in that has endured in the popular consciousness. Like CDs, Blu-ray also offers potentially excellent technical quality but the user experience can be very poor. Bad menus, unskippable trailers, stupid piracy warnings, etc. But then maybe the vinyl revival is nothing more than nostalgia and one day people will find Blu-ray's many failings as a format equally nostalgic.

UI_Paddy

Good news for those of us (myself included) who were hoping for Blu-Rays in the new store.

https://twitter.com/JMMDCF/status/1674880269294108672

No surprise that HMV wanted to focus on vinyl and pop culture merch initially. The former is a very reliable market, and the latter has the wide appeal HMV needs to succeed. We also know that there will be live performances and signings, which will bring a lot of attention to the store and naturally be huge days for sales. Tower Records have had artists playing for their customers too, it makes going to the store more of an event and experience.

megaten

Hope it does well, harder/more expensive to get specilest releases now like stuff from Anime Ltd. now that brexit and new vat rules have made a hames of things.

UI_Paddy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120803352#Comment_120803352

Anime Limited have been looking into IOSS, so that may change in time. The one saving grace with them is that they offer free shipping to Ireland, which offsets the cost of customs a bit. I've gotten lots of great anime at fantastic prices from their buy one, get one free sales they do at Christmas, Easter and end of summer.

Ironically Anime Limited have been catering more and more towards the mass market in recent years picking up stuff like Sword Art Online, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen and the new One Piece movie, likely because it wouldn't have been sustainable to only put out collector's editions and arthouse titles. There's also probably a void to be filled with the UK branch of Crunchyroll (formerly known as Funimation and Manga UK before that) becoming less active in putting out releases and promoting them than they were before the rebrands.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Blu-Ray format. Since sales have been consistently declining for years it's natural to assume that titles will increasingly veer towards the specialist/enthusiast markets, but equally I could see a point where there is a huge nostalgic resurgence like vinyl (which never entirely went away) that grows to the point where there is something for both the niche and mainstream alike.

Full_Circle_81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120803219#Comment_120803219

Thanks for posting that. I actually popped into the store yesterday and was disappointed to see there were no blus whatsoever. Happy to wait a while if they end up stocking their "exclusive" range that aren't available via any other retailer.

Big Gerry

I was in the new HMV today I wasn't impressed it mostly sells toys and t-shirts etc as opposed to music and films.

Golden Discs and Tower Records are much better record shops IMO.

megaten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804636#Comment_120804636

Thanks for that, for a lot of their films's buying the blu ray is often the only way to watch them so it'd be great if they were able to implemnt the IOSS thing you mentioned.

dublinman1990

HMV in Henry St Dublin now have DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays in stock.

They are down in the basement floor of the shop.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy8ZdQKsSVk/?hl=en

UI_Paddy

Great news, looking forward to checking out the selection in future.

El Gato De Negocios

I've been to Tower and Golden Discs recently and the prices they charge are ridiculous. Newer titles from the likes of Arrow or Second Sight coming in at near double their online price.

UI_Paddy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356135#Comment_121356135

Yeah, as much as I love seeing physical media being represented on the high street, I can see why so many people have turned to buying it online in recent years. I understand stores have rent and staff members to pay so I don't envy their position. It's a challenge, but hopefully HMV, Tower Records and Golden Discs can sustain themselves through continued support where possible.

I like the 2 for €12 deals in Golden Discs, and have gotten many great movies on Blu-Ray from them like Saving Private Ryan, To Kill A Mocking Bird and Forest Gump. I also got the entire Rocky collection for €14.99 in Tower Records, which was a steal. Hopefully HMV will have a good few anime sales in future, as they do in the UK. I've saved a fortune from Anime Limited's buy one, get one free offers and Zavvi's sales, which used to be quite good for Manga UK titles.

thejuggler

Any idea if HMV are planning to open in other locations? Their Cork store (now occupied by golden discs) is much missed. Would be great if they took the old Argos unit in queens old castle

dublinman1990

They might be doing things very slowly this time. HMV still haven't relaunched their Irish website yet. However the Henry St store in Dublin does come up as a HMV Live venue on their website for the UK stores.

I don't know if HMV would have plans to relaunch the Irish website along with opening more stores again here in Ireland after the new year. Has anyone here gone into HMV's Henry St store before Christmas or the new year to ask them about these upcoming plans yet.

BaywatchHQ

I was in the Belfast one earlier in the year, the one local to me closed in 2013. It seemed expensive from what I remember and packed full of anime nonsense and funko pops.

I buy Blu Rays but I am trying to build a small collection of US imports as I prefer the packaging. I think the last purchase I made in HMV was in 2011.

TheIrishGrover

With more and more streamers pulling content I wonder will BD make a bit of a comeback/ I mean physical media will never hit the heights that DVD did but there is something to be said for having physical copies that are not reliant upon subscription fees and licensing arrangements. I had hundreds of DVDs back in the day but then work were doing a charity drive and I brought them all in and flogged them off for Aware. I now have a select few discs: Extended Lord of The Rings on 4K (F*ck The Hobbit :) ), a couple of imports I paid a lot of money for way back when (Infernal Affairs trilogy, Until The End Of The World trilogy, some anime etc).

So I am a LOT more selective about what I buy but I DO buy...

astrofool

Seems unlikely, Best Buy (US store) are getting rid of their DVD/BD sections.

TheIrishGrover

Yeah, just saw that shortly after I posted. Pity

johnny_ultimate

The model is absolutely going to move to a boutique model - there’ll be an enthusiast audience there, and companies like Arrow, Criterion and quite a few others to serve them. I certainly hope so, because physical media is still a much more vibrant and diverse scene than streaming, plus invaluable for preservation plus personal ownership.

I went into the HMV Blu-Ray section in Dublin and it was just all blockbuster, major studio releases - the cheap mass produced discs, with a couple of exceptions (I saw the nice 4K Ghost Dog release there, but not many others). That’s not where the good, interesting physical releases are happening. Whereas at least in Tower Records or the IFI shop you have a good, diverse range of discs from all the cool indie and boutique distributors, even if they’re often more expensive than online.

Shakyfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121572814#Comment_121572814

The shops were all ditching records back in the late 90s too! Plenty of shops today selling those...