HMV: 92 years of bringing music to the masses
From Oxford Street to Pedder Street, retailer played central role in music industry before internet's rise turned industry on its head and replaced disk buying with downloading
The global entertainment chain known as HMV began its rise in 1921, when The Gramophone Company opened its first shop on London’s Oxford Street.
Described at the time as “the most up-to-date and artistic business house yet seen in London”, the shop’s arrival sped Oxford Street’s rise as Europe’s busiest shopping district, according to the company’s website.
The chain’s name is an acronym for His Master’s Voice, the unofficial title of Francis Barraud’s 1899 iconic painting of his brother’s fox terrier Nipper listening to a phonograph.
The image served as Gramophone’s trademark, as it did for Victor Records and later RCA across the Atlantic.
Composer Edward Elgar performed at the opening ceremony of the Oxford Street shop. That first shop, which sold only HMV-branded products, including records, gramophones and sheet music, was notable for the large, moving illuminated sign, which stood in front.