Swindon Music

Most of them? I think you'll find that they've all gone!

This is true

HMV survive for now, the opening of Rise in Swindon is good news and I'm pleased Sound Knowledge is still going strong.

Some interesting points there (esp the comments relating to Fopp) I'm assuming the 8 branches of Fopp which HMV saved are performing well (well in comparison to the HMV stores) and part of that is due to the fact they are laid out as record/cd shops, it's a fine balancing act as the "mainstream shite" does tend to provide a much needed income stream for those shops.

My loyalties are with the Independants these days but for many towns up and down the country HMV is the only outlet available for people to walk in off the street and buy music and sadly it's those branches which are probably most at risk of closure.

It doesn't help that the Bon Iver cd is £9.99 in HMV and £5.99 on Play.com.

Remember, it's not the fault of the staff for pricing/not having something in stock

That's a fair point, the staff I've spoken to at HMV in Swindon and Oxford over the past 20 years have always been good people with a passion for music but I appreciate they are constrained by area managers and record labels.

A shame there isn't more flexibility at branch level (or maybe there is some) so that shops can be stocked with a range of titles that work best in that area.

Went to get the new Therapy? album today. First port of call was Rise. Sadly, they not only didn't have it in stock but it wasn't even on their system so they couldn't even order it in. Seems they're on the wrong independent label...

Got it from HMV instead.

It's not the label's fault... but who it's distributed by... Obviously the label has a say in that, but they can't work with everyone! Still a shame though.

Have you heard it? Barry Dolan / Oxygen Thief was saying how great it was, as was Jodie at Live Music Scene in Bristol - getting all their promo stuff!

I've heard one song from a Rock Sound CD, and it really stood out against the wave of modern shit. Man I'm getting old, when I don't "get" new modern rock music...