It is amazing that a format as new as DVD can already have its rarities!
The classic Disney titles are managed in the same way as DeBeers manage diamonds - staging their release onto the market to maintain scarcity, demand and high value.
Outside of Disney a few other titles come to mind.
Roddy Doyle's "The Snapper" is not available in the UK or Ireland. We have managed to import copies from the U.S. but these are Region 1 DVD's and will only play on multi-region DVD players. "Trainspotting" is currently off the market and is not generally available. "Leon" is attracting a big price on the second hand market. "Dirty Dancing" would now cost over €20 to buy, but was available for less than €10 last year. "Into The West" is currently available in Holland but not in the UK or Ireland - explain that! "Man Of Aran", one of the earliest films made in Ireland is only available from the U.S. (Region 1).
Any others I should add to my "watch" list?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Cheap Memory
The price of digital memory continues to drop.
BPM has been selling 1 Gb SD memory cards for €7.95 and 2 Gb memory cards for €14.95 since early 2008.
This week we are launching a 2 Gb micro SD card (for mobile phones) at €14.95. This is a significant development as most phones that use a memory card are supplied with memory cards that have very small capacity. A 2 Gb phone memory card really does bring a mobile phone into the realm of MP3 player.
The micro card comes with an adapter that will allow the card to be used with any device that can accomodate a normal SD card.
The launch of this card marks a new departure for BPM into phone accessories. We have also introduced a range of small speakers specifically designed for mobile phones - Nokia, Samsung, etc. These compliment the memory cards and further recognise the fact that more and more music is being stored on mobile phones.
More phone accessories will be added in the future, but only if they can be sold at a reasonable price offering very good value for money to our customers.
BPM has been selling 1 Gb SD memory cards for €7.95 and 2 Gb memory cards for €14.95 since early 2008.
This week we are launching a 2 Gb micro SD card (for mobile phones) at €14.95. This is a significant development as most phones that use a memory card are supplied with memory cards that have very small capacity. A 2 Gb phone memory card really does bring a mobile phone into the realm of MP3 player.
The micro card comes with an adapter that will allow the card to be used with any device that can accomodate a normal SD card.
The launch of this card marks a new departure for BPM into phone accessories. We have also introduced a range of small speakers specifically designed for mobile phones - Nokia, Samsung, etc. These compliment the memory cards and further recognise the fact that more and more music is being stored on mobile phones.
More phone accessories will be added in the future, but only if they can be sold at a reasonable price offering very good value for money to our customers.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Disposable MP3 Players?
BPM have in stock Trekstor MP3 players selling at €9.95 and €14.95. Both have a memory of 512Mb - enough to hold over 100 songs. My personal choice would be the €14.95 version as it has a built-in radio and a battery that can be recharged via a USB cable.
For €14.95 you get an MP3 player, a radio and a voice recorder facility. Also included is a good set of earphones, a USB cable and 3.5mm to 3.5mm connection cable. I have seen these cables on sale in one of the supermarket chains for €19.95 on their own!
I would admit that the instructions that come with the player are very basic and we have had a few returned to our shops as "faulty". We have found no defect in them other than a failure by the manufacturer to give clear instructions. We found that all was required was to format the memory and the player worked perfectly.
I would consider these MP3 players as disposable. They would be ideal for high risk use - holidays, etc. where the maximum you can lose is the €14.95 you paid. You do not want to bring your expensive iPod on holidays where it is likely to be damaged, lost or stolen. Load up your favourite tracks on a 'disposable' player (and FM radio) - if you still have your player at the end of your trip that would be a bonus!!!
For €14.95 you get an MP3 player, a radio and a voice recorder facility. Also included is a good set of earphones, a USB cable and 3.5mm to 3.5mm connection cable. I have seen these cables on sale in one of the supermarket chains for €19.95 on their own!
I would admit that the instructions that come with the player are very basic and we have had a few returned to our shops as "faulty". We have found no defect in them other than a failure by the manufacturer to give clear instructions. We found that all was required was to format the memory and the player worked perfectly.
I would consider these MP3 players as disposable. They would be ideal for high risk use - holidays, etc. where the maximum you can lose is the €14.95 you paid. You do not want to bring your expensive iPod on holidays where it is likely to be damaged, lost or stolen. Load up your favourite tracks on a 'disposable' player (and FM radio) - if you still have your player at the end of your trip that would be a bonus!!!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Downloading .v. CD
Outside of CD's and DVD's other forms of digital media could be viewed as a threat to the traditional music store. MP3 players that download directly from internet sources have had an impact on physical music sales. The real music enthusiast will still want to buy the physical product but a lot of casual listeners are happy to just download the tracks. There are concerns regarding the legitimacy of some internet sites offering free downloads. If income is not generated for the music industry then investment in upcoming talent cannot be made and the future of music will be all the poorer.
I do not believe that there will ever be adequate control on music distributed via the internet. If the music industry is to survive in its traditional form (i.e. major labels creating major acts rather than fragmented with individual acts promoting themselves purely via the internet) then the way forward has to be via a physical product - CD or its successor.
The challenge is to keep the ordinary music consumer interested in the physical product. To do this there must be value for money for the consumer. The day of expecting more than €20 for an album is fast passing. The benchmark for a new release (other than 'special' editions) is now €16.95. The new Oasis album is actually on sale in our stores at €13.95.
Ours is the only business where the average retail price of our main product - a CD - has fallen by 25% over the past 5 years. I believe that the price will continue to drop.
For the past few years we have been offering a lot of back catalogue in a deal of "2 for €20". We have now abandoned this deal as we can offer most of our back catalogue at an individual price of €9.95 or less with average prices dropping to €8.95 and €7.95.
It has never been a better time to be a consumer. You have all the options.
But do not dismiss your local music store. If you have not visited in a while come in and have a look. You may find that you can enjoy the physical CD for not much more than you are paying for a digital download. A CD looks and feels much better than a listing on your computer screen! It cannot be lost by a computer crash and you will not lose your entire music collection if your mp3 player is lost or stolen!
I do not believe that there will ever be adequate control on music distributed via the internet. If the music industry is to survive in its traditional form (i.e. major labels creating major acts rather than fragmented with individual acts promoting themselves purely via the internet) then the way forward has to be via a physical product - CD or its successor.
The challenge is to keep the ordinary music consumer interested in the physical product. To do this there must be value for money for the consumer. The day of expecting more than €20 for an album is fast passing. The benchmark for a new release (other than 'special' editions) is now €16.95. The new Oasis album is actually on sale in our stores at €13.95.
Ours is the only business where the average retail price of our main product - a CD - has fallen by 25% over the past 5 years. I believe that the price will continue to drop.
For the past few years we have been offering a lot of back catalogue in a deal of "2 for €20". We have now abandoned this deal as we can offer most of our back catalogue at an individual price of €9.95 or less with average prices dropping to €8.95 and €7.95.
It has never been a better time to be a consumer. You have all the options.
But do not dismiss your local music store. If you have not visited in a while come in and have a look. You may find that you can enjoy the physical CD for not much more than you are paying for a digital download. A CD looks and feels much better than a listing on your computer screen! It cannot be lost by a computer crash and you will not lose your entire music collection if your mp3 player is lost or stolen!
Friday, October 24, 2008
No Shows & Big Shows
Mr. Osmond was a no show at our Wexford store yesterday. We will put it down to the weather!
The big show today is Slane. Our ticketmaster stores opened at 8:00 a.m. As usual our busiest outlet was Waterford where some customers queued from the middle of the night. So far all customers have been satisfied but the availability of tickets on the system is becoming limited as of now.
The big show today is Slane. Our ticketmaster stores opened at 8:00 a.m. As usual our busiest outlet was Waterford where some customers queued from the middle of the night. So far all customers have been satisfied but the availability of tickets on the system is becoming limited as of now.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
New Releases - Friday 24th October
Tomorrow sees some new releases of note!!
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Pink - Fun House
Ryan Adams - Cardinology
Also out tomorrow is Tommy Tiernan's new DVD "Bovinity".
Tickets for Slane (Oasis / Prodigy) will be on sale at 8:00 a.m. We will open early to sell if you will come early to buy!!
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
Bloc Party - Intimacy
Pink - Fun House
Ryan Adams - Cardinology
Also out tomorrow is Tommy Tiernan's new DVD "Bovinity".
Tickets for Slane (Oasis / Prodigy) will be on sale at 8:00 a.m. We will open early to sell if you will come early to buy!!
Merril Osmond & Luan Parle
Today we are expecting Merril Osmond and Luan Parle to make an appearance in our Wexford store. They are expected at around 3:30 p.m. Merril may have two of his brothers with him. If you want to meet a member of one of the biggest bands of the seventies please come along and say hello.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ticketmaster
In April 2008 BPM became an agent for ticketmaster. The agency extended to the stores in Waterford, Mallow and New Ross but excluded Wexford.
This was a new departure for the business requiring a settling in period.
The main problem has been explaining to customers that a ticketmaster agent has no great advantage in the allocation of tickets. In most cases we would advise customers to purchase their tickets on line directly from ticketmaster.
Though, as an agent, we have no great advantage in ticket allocation we can offer some other small advantages.
1. The service charge is less when you purchase from an agent rather than on line.
2. When you purchase from an agent you get your ticket immediately (on line purchased tickets are only issued a few weeks prior to the event date).
3. As an agent we are probably guaranteed to be able to get some tickets as our system is linked directly to the Ticketmaster database. However if an event sells out in five minutes we might get time to print only four or six tickets. Great if you are first in the queue but not much good if you are down the line.
When the ACDC tickets went on sale on Friday last we managed to satisfy all customers outside our New Ross and Mallow stores at 9:00 a.m. that morning. However, there was a large queue outside our Waterford store and there was only the same number of tickets as New Ross and Mallow. Unfortunately a lot of would-be concert goers went away disappointed.
As a business we hate to see any customers disappointed but tickets are way beyond our control.
Oasis (Slane) tickets go on sale on Friday at 8:00 a.m. Hopefully there will be tickets to satisfy all customers!
This was a new departure for the business requiring a settling in period.
The main problem has been explaining to customers that a ticketmaster agent has no great advantage in the allocation of tickets. In most cases we would advise customers to purchase their tickets on line directly from ticketmaster.
Though, as an agent, we have no great advantage in ticket allocation we can offer some other small advantages.
1. The service charge is less when you purchase from an agent rather than on line.
2. When you purchase from an agent you get your ticket immediately (on line purchased tickets are only issued a few weeks prior to the event date).
3. As an agent we are probably guaranteed to be able to get some tickets as our system is linked directly to the Ticketmaster database. However if an event sells out in five minutes we might get time to print only four or six tickets. Great if you are first in the queue but not much good if you are down the line.
When the ACDC tickets went on sale on Friday last we managed to satisfy all customers outside our New Ross and Mallow stores at 9:00 a.m. that morning. However, there was a large queue outside our Waterford store and there was only the same number of tickets as New Ross and Mallow. Unfortunately a lot of would-be concert goers went away disappointed.
As a business we hate to see any customers disappointed but tickets are way beyond our control.
Oasis (Slane) tickets go on sale on Friday at 8:00 a.m. Hopefully there will be tickets to satisfy all customers!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Opening Shot
BPM has been in business for twenty years in Waterford (as of 20/10/2008). The shops in Wexford (2001), Mallow (2005) and New Ross (2006) are more recent.
BPM has always been a specialist music store but recent developments in music retail have meant that music alone can no longer support the costs of running a business. This is in a large part due to music now being available in a much larger number of outlets. Ten years ago music was available in three or four outlets in Waterford - now it is available in almost every supermarket and service station.
BPM stores carry a huge range of music - from Irish country to heavy metal. Most of these titles are not available from the new sellers (supermarkets etc.). Unfortunately these back catalogue titles do not sell quickly or in large numbers. In the past, sales of chart titles could be relied on to pay the overheads - the huge back catalogue was a luxury. With the advent of music sections in the large supermarkets a lot of chart sales have been lost to specialist stores such as BPM. The back catalogue is now supporting the business. In this situation new faster moving products have to be found to sustain the business.
In June 2007 the shop in Waterford was re-organised to include a large DVD section. This was accomplished without a significant reduction in the specialist music sections through the use of a new design of browser.
However at that time our vinyl section was finally closed. This was the end of an era that at one point saw BPM with the largest selection of vinyl outside Dublin and Cork.
More recently BPM has introduced a large selection of branded merchandise. One line of merchandise is composed mainly of figures - Scarface, Crow, Kurt Kobain, Simpsons, Slash, Motorhead, Alien and many more. A second line of merchandise is composed of wallets, wristbands, keyrings, etc. Again, these lines have been introduced without significantly reducing the specialist music ranges.
How long the specialist music store can survive in its present form is anyone's guess but one thing is for sure - to survive in this business you need to keep changing, moving and adapting.
The major general retailers are having an impact on a lot of specialist stores - grocery, hardware, electrical, florists, off licences etc. In the case of music they are only interested in the fast moving chart titles or the low price (and low quality) budget titles. Unfortunately the chart titles were the 'bread and butter' of the specialist music store. There is nothing wrong with competition - it keeps all businesses sharp. It has never been a better time to be a customer!
If you are interested in music, not just the current charts, then you should support your local music store so that future generations can have the experience of physically browsing through a large back catalogue and discovering golden nuggets of music that they might otherwise never find.
BPM has always been a specialist music store but recent developments in music retail have meant that music alone can no longer support the costs of running a business. This is in a large part due to music now being available in a much larger number of outlets. Ten years ago music was available in three or four outlets in Waterford - now it is available in almost every supermarket and service station.
BPM stores carry a huge range of music - from Irish country to heavy metal. Most of these titles are not available from the new sellers (supermarkets etc.). Unfortunately these back catalogue titles do not sell quickly or in large numbers. In the past, sales of chart titles could be relied on to pay the overheads - the huge back catalogue was a luxury. With the advent of music sections in the large supermarkets a lot of chart sales have been lost to specialist stores such as BPM. The back catalogue is now supporting the business. In this situation new faster moving products have to be found to sustain the business.
In June 2007 the shop in Waterford was re-organised to include a large DVD section. This was accomplished without a significant reduction in the specialist music sections through the use of a new design of browser.
However at that time our vinyl section was finally closed. This was the end of an era that at one point saw BPM with the largest selection of vinyl outside Dublin and Cork.
More recently BPM has introduced a large selection of branded merchandise. One line of merchandise is composed mainly of figures - Scarface, Crow, Kurt Kobain, Simpsons, Slash, Motorhead, Alien and many more. A second line of merchandise is composed of wallets, wristbands, keyrings, etc. Again, these lines have been introduced without significantly reducing the specialist music ranges.
How long the specialist music store can survive in its present form is anyone's guess but one thing is for sure - to survive in this business you need to keep changing, moving and adapting.
The major general retailers are having an impact on a lot of specialist stores - grocery, hardware, electrical, florists, off licences etc. In the case of music they are only interested in the fast moving chart titles or the low price (and low quality) budget titles. Unfortunately the chart titles were the 'bread and butter' of the specialist music store. There is nothing wrong with competition - it keeps all businesses sharp. It has never been a better time to be a customer!
If you are interested in music, not just the current charts, then you should support your local music store so that future generations can have the experience of physically browsing through a large back catalogue and discovering golden nuggets of music that they might otherwise never find.
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