In July 1921, HMV opened and brought pop culture to the high street. It has weathered the arrival of downloads and streaming – but is vinyl enough to keep it going?
A once-illuminated sign featuring a Jack Russell called Nipper sits above some hoardings on Oxford Street in London. Head cocked to one side, he appears disappointed that there’s no music emerging from the gramophone he’s quizzically scrutinising. There’s still a poster claiming it’s been the “home of entertainment since 1921”, but it’s reportedly now home to squatters, including Piers Corbyn.
HMV’s 363 Oxford Street branch is shuttered, the remnants of a once famous high street presence still lingering on its facade. The company celebrates its centenary this month, and after soldiering on through store closures and bankruptcy in recent years, had almost become profitable in its May 2020 financial results – despite, at that point, three months of Covid-enforced closure. Given the ride that the record industry and the high street has experienced since the beginning of the 21st century – including during the pandemic – reaching this anniversary seems miraculous.
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