The last classical music specialist CD retail outlet in The Hague, Caminada, is finally closing its doors for good. It will continue as a mail order business, but now all we veteran case clatterers have are the pathetic classical sections in department stores, and a remarkable shop called 'Spui Records', which frequently and disturbingly has remaindered stock on sale at budget prices - often of discs reviewed not long before as new releases on MW.
Are things the same elsewhere?
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Sadly it's the same here in the UK. First it was the specialist stores and now it's the likes of HMV and Virgin, who've reduced - or even ditched - their classical sections. Haven'yt been to Oxford Street in a long time but I imagine the flagship stores still have decent classical sections.
ReplyDeleteTruth is, online suppliers such as Amazon and MDT are so much more convenient - and often cheaper as well. That said, I do miss browsing in a decent, well-stocked store.
I have been to one of the HMV stores on Oxford Street quite recently and there is still a pretty decent classical section although it is quite a while since I bought anything there. The reason is that almost everything falls into one of two categories: sales items of wonderful bargains on large sets and non-sale items that are much more expensive than one would pay by mail order. The problem with the bargain sets is that those I would want I already have (and paid a lot more for at some point in the past). So I find it hard to believe that they will keep going much longer – even if they are selling a lot of the bargains their margins on these must be very small and overheads high. Add to that the competition from downloading and I’d be surprised if their classical section is still much the same in a year or two.
ReplyDeleteI can’t say I’m too sad about the inevitable coming demise of CD (and particularly not about the jewel cases). Over 25 years I’ve collected over 3,000 of them and now, after living in the same place for 21 years, we are going to move. Although we are not downsizing there is a very real issue about storing them sensibly – the furniture I had made doesn’t easily fit into most houses. I certainly can’t contemplate increasing the size of my collection much more, would hate to part with 99% of it and want to keep listening to new things. The only solution I can see is digital storage and thus I have just bought a terabyte’s worth for less than £70. How to play it best from there is still something to be grappled with – for the moment I am mostly burning CD-Rs and putting them in paper wallets because they certainly sound better played that way. The biggest issue for me is not the variable amount of documentation available (largely a case of paying for what you get) but joining tracks of continuous music. I largely shy away from this when I can see it coming (e.g. opera – the solution for that is DVD) because it is potentially a big spoiler. I have even recently come across a car CD player (Peugeot 207 SW) which does the analogous thing in reverse – I put in a kosher CD and every time it goes across a track it adds a blip which shouldn’t be there (and isn’t on other players) – now that’s progress for you!
Out here in Australia, problems are similar. In Sydney, there are two specialist shops, one of which is slowly fading away into oblivion, while the other one rather surprisingly recently expanded into new premises.
ReplyDeleteWhere I live, 100 miles north of Sydney, is a city of 400,000 with no specialist shops, and in reality, no classical outlets of any significance even in the department stores.
I visit the "good" store in Sydney when I can, but often don't buy anything, since I have my Naxos Music Library subscription, which covers so many labels now, and for those it doesn't, eg Hyperion, the price ($A35, almost £18 and over 20 euros) is ridiculous. And availability is miserable. If it isn't on the shelf, ordering it in is almost pointless.
Hence, I do most of my buying from MDT - a full price disc will be about £10 and take 3 weeks at absolute maximum.
Is it any wonder shops are closing?
I tend to agree about the jewel case issue. I am always suspect about packaging which takes more materials than the contents, especially when the design of the things are so basically flawed (lid hinges if nothing else). I'm in Tallinn at time of writing, and have found one dedicated CD shop, also including DVD and the rest. Aas for downloading/ripping, I too have a 1000 GB disc for storage, but find I never play the things once they are in there - out of sight, out of mind.....
ReplyDelete"I visit the "good" store in Sydney when I can, but often don't buy anything"
ReplyDeleteAnd yet people wonder (and have the gall to complain!) why these stores are going out of business? When even those who have a presumed high regard for classical recordings don't give a damn about purchasing them at a store when they can save a few pence doing it online? We get the classical selection we deserve, no more, no less.
http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/15/tower-music-bankruptcy-oped-cx_jfl_1115tower.html
Functioning link to Forbes article on the demise of Tower Records
ReplyDeleteLatest news via The Hague Online (expat website): "Caminada on the Javastraat, the last shop in The Hague to specialise in classical CDs, has been saved from closure for the time being. The owner of the premises has reduced the rent for the next nine months. Caminada got into financial difficulties when the shop moved to the Javastraat after 60 years in the city centre."
ReplyDeleteMust pop in and clatter!