In 2013, the Venue Music Section documented the unsurprising announcement of HMV’s administration. The music and entertainment retailer fell into administration on the 15th January 2013, putting 4,350 UK jobs at risk. With such a large record store chain potentially closing its doors for good, along with the growing popularity of digital streaming platforms, many believed this would signal the end of vinyl records. Former Venue Music writer Harry Edwards argued against this in a February 2013 Issue, stating that “HMV’s downfall doesn’t spell the end for the physical format.” So, you may be asking, eleven years later, what has happened in the world of record stores, and is the vinyl revival still going strong? 

Harry Edwards concluded his 2013 article by stating he believed that there was still a “slim hope” for HMV if they managed to “gain some of the personality provided by the independents that keeps them relevant.” Harry has a point – you only have to look at the success of Rough Trade UK. It was reported in September 2023 that the independent record store had made record revenue amid a vinyl sales boom.  

After this article was written, HMV was bought by Hilco UK in April 2013, who took the company out of administration and saved 141 shops and 2,500 jobs. Although the high-street giant fell into administration again in 2018, they were picked up by Sunrise Records, a record store from Canada, in early 2019. The company had already acquired the leases of over 70 HMV shops in Canada after HMV Canada entered receivership. The founder of Sunrise Records, Doug Putman, had a large focus on the vinyl revival and wanted to increase the chain’s emphasis on vinyl phonograph sales. As a result of this, Sunrise Record Shops (that had transitioned from HMV) managed to sell at least 500,000 LP records within 2017 alone.   

Within the last few years, the positive impact of Sunrise’s acquirement of HMV has been clear to see. In 2019, the HMV Vault in Birmingham was opened and labelled as Europe’s biggest entertainment shop. Furthermore, the flagship store on Oxford Street, London, made a comeback last year, due to what was described as a “dramatic turnaround” for HMV who had returned to profit in 2022.  

Therefore, I have to agree with Harry Edward’s opinion from the 2013 issue: 

It was never about the lack of demand for the physical format. The success of Sunrise Records, Rough Trade and the mighty comeback of HMV show that there is obviously still a place for the physical format in today’s world. 

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