HMV's flagship Toronto store is opening a venue in its basement

by Mark Teo

April 29, 2014

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Photo: Wikipedia.com

If you’re a Toronto music fan, you’ve undoubtedly spent hours trawling the Yonge-Dundas corridor. It once housed the iconic Sam the Record Man store, whose larger-than-life sign is still the stuff of legend.Some of us spent time as a music hawkers at Sunrise Records. Toronto’s hip-hop and electronic music communities flow through Play De Record, one of the city’s best vinyl emporiums. But the store we spent the most time in? The colossal, multi-storey HMV.

They were famous for their one-time lax return policies, which allowed countless people to build their collections: Buy CDs from any used-record dollar bins, then return them for full cost at HMV. (I’m not saying I did this, but…) They hosted countless artists signings. (I’ll always remember a Scott Weiland signing where one fan yelled, “I loved Vitalogy!”) And in their prime, they had whole wings stuffed with hip-hop, rock, electronic, and classical CDs.

The only problem? Most of our HMV memories revolve around an era when CDs (and Scott Weiland) reigned supreme. Those times are no longer.

HMV, for their part, understand this. And, in an effort to modernize their business,they’re tearing out their basement, which formerly was a stock room, to build an intimate performing space. The space will house 140 people—which is right around the capacity of, say, the Dakota Tavern—and come complete with a stage, lighting, and a soundboard. The HMV Underground, according to the store, will attempt to host shows weekly.

“This isn’t exclusive just to those hardcore consumers, it’s for everybody,” Nick Williams, HMV’s president, told The Star. “If we can bring new people in the store that’s all the better,” he said. “We’re selling the product that is there, but it’s about the artist. It’s a genuine brand extension, really.”

The Starreports that the first performer will be classical guitarist Michael Kolk, while it’s also booked up for the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. The space purports to be genre-agnostic, though; we can only assume that performers will reflect all the genres carried in the store. For HMV, the rationale is simple: They’re hoping to foster good will with their clients and, of course, get traffic in the store.

Of course, the idea pairing record stores with performance spaces is nothing new to Toronto: Both Sonic Boom locations—in the Annex and Kensington Market—hold in-show performances. Soundscapes, in the heart of Little Italy, has held intimate evening concerts. June Records was built with a DIY performance space in mind. Heck, even Grasshopper, at Dundas and Ossington, has hosted bands during NXNE.

But HMV’s Yonge-Dundas flagship is something brand new: It’ll bring a significantly-sized, dedicated venue into one of Toronto’s busiest intersections. And they’re hoping that it’ll boost sales in an era where music retailers are struggling. “Ten years ago, we would’ve sold 75 pieces of the artist’s CD or record,” says Wiliams, “but now a lot of times when people come to see them they’ve already absorbed the music through digital or streaming services.”

Will it work? We’re not sure. But we’re glad the HMV Underground exists, anyhow.

 

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Tags: Music, Cancon, News, hmv

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