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HMV is a bedrock of the British music industry – its loss would affect us all

The retail chain, now in administration for the second time, weaves music culture into the fabric of our cities – something Spotify can never do

This particular music nerd dutifully filled out his HMV application form in April 1997, and on it wrote that his musical hero was the maverick and frequently unlistenable industrial auteur Jim “Foetus” Thirlwell. Amazingly, the manager of the Southampton store appeared not to view this as a reason to hurl the document into the nearest wastebasket.

Sixteen years later, when HMV first sank into administration in 2013, it seemed unlikely that such an allegiance would still be viewed as an asset. To a great extent, the company – if not its beleaguered, yet still enthusiastic, workforce – had lost its identity: a long period of turbulence had finally seen HMV diversify into selling jeans and speaker docks to the consternation of many and the delight of few.

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from Culture | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2BQ8LG1
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