HSD: HMV calls in the administrators

HMV (His Master’s Voice), once Britain’s largest retailer of music and entertainment related goods ranging from radios to televisions, has succumbed to the modern Internet world of ‘free’ downloading and called in the administrators.

HMV opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1921. The HMV trademark of a dog listening to a gramophone is almost legendary.

HMV’s other claim to fame is that it owned the EMI recording label when Brian Epstein cut a demo for The Beatles in the shop studio which then led to EMI signing up The Beatles. EMI demerged from HMV in 1996 and became its own separate company EMI Group PLC.

It is possible the administrators might salvage something of HMV, otherwise about 4,350 employees will be looking for other work.