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Music Retail: Dying or Diversifying?

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With Tower Records in receivership, supermarkets muscling in, and online sales gathering pace, what next for the music retail market?

The times are certainly a changin' for retail. Tower Records Europe has gone into receivership, Andy's has closed down, and WH Smiths has stopped selling singles. HMV, meanwhile is expanding, and the supermarkets are selling bucketfuls, and that's just the real stuff...

Kicked off by i-Tunes, the scramble to sell downloads is well underway, with Napster, Sony and others launching here imminently. Coca-Cola now sells music and Walmart recently opened its US download store - even Mean Fiddler are entering the market.

Technology has enabled labels to sell direct via their websites, with the more forward-thinking selling heaps of physical product - and now downloads too - direct to fans. Completing the circle, HMV and Virgin are now both installing download facilities in the high street.

With music retail in a technology-fuelled blizzard, this think tank gathers key players to see through the storm.

Speakers

• Kim Bayley, Secretary General, BARD
• Russel Coultart, Managing Director & founder, Recordstore.co.uk
• Paul Zimmerman, Head of Digital, Entertainment UK
• Andy Lown, Former Manager, Tower Records Europe & Executive Director, Origgio
• Dennis Henderson, Chief Operations Officer, Virgin Retail UK
• Mark Mooradian, Head of UK Operations, MusicNet

Topics covered:

• Does the increase in sales of downloads and online purchasing pose a threat to high street retailers?
• Will agressive supermarket pricing force out the independents?
• Retails' response to increasing market share
• Do artists no longer need the high street?

Location

Bertorellis

The Red Room, Bertorelli's, 11-13 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 4RB