Historical Background

HMV is a chain of stores that operate in North America and in the United Kingdom. The particular store that I chose to visit for this site analysis is in the Eaton Centre. In district 114 on the south side of the first floor, HMV is one of the only music-based stores that exist in the entire mall.  The store was not always around since the mall’s inception. HMV was introduced into the Eaton Centre in 2005. In regards to the Eaton Centre as a whole, it was not always the bustling city space that it is today.

 

The Eaton Centre has its roots as a dry goods store owned by Timothy Eaton during the late 1800’s. His store was located on King Street just east of Yonge Street. Throughout the beginning of the 20^th century, the Eaton name expanded into several other stores. One of these being The Eaton’s Annex which was constructed in the 1890’s and was located on Albert Street. There was also the Eaton’s College Street store which was built in the late 1920’s and was located on southwest corner of Yonge Street and College Street. Over time the Eaton empire grew, but during the 60’s, the Eaton family planned on building a store that would be the most impressive out of the chain.

 

In March 1966, Cadillac Fairview partnered with the Eaton family and were in negotiations to create a grandiose shopping complex. The plan was to tear down old City Hall and the Church of Holy Trinity along Bay Street to use as the site for the mega mall. In total, the site would expand from Yonge Street to Bay Street and would stretch down to Queen Street from Dundas Street. After a number of protests from angry Torontonians, this plan was cancelled. After more than a decade of back and forth negotiations and attempted planning, the first phase of the Eaton Centre was opened on February 1977. The mall spanned from Dundas Street to Albert Street while occupying the area from Yonge Street to James Street. During this time, the mall was owned by the 60% by Cadillac Fairview, 20% by the Eaton’s family and 20% by Toronto Dominion bank. On August 8, 1979 the second phase of the mall, which involved expanding the mall from Albert Street to Queen Street, was completed. By now, the complete experience of the shopping complex was fully open to the public. The mall received much attention and was widely known as Toronto’s most exciting shopping experience.

 

During 1999, the Eaton Centre underwent renovations; this process included the addition of stores and an overall rejuvenation of the mall to fit the description of a modern day 21^st century shopping centre. To mall underwent several other fix ups after this to maintain its image as Toronto’s urban shopping experience. The most recent one was completed in 2012 and involved the creation of the Urban Eatery among other things. The Eaton Centre that stands today is much different from the one conceptualized during the late 60’s. Today the Eaton Centre, currently the largest mall in downtown Toronto, is filled with more than 230 retailers and restaurants. It is located at 220 Yonge Street – in the middle of the downtown core – and has direct access to the PATH underground system and the Toronto subway system. Standing five floors high and spanning from the corner of Yonge Street and Dundas Street to Yonge Street and Queen Street, the Eaton Centre is truly one of Toronto’s most recognizable landmarks.

 

 

 

 

Environment Analysis

In her article “Sounding Out the City: Music and the Sensuous Production of Place,” Sara Cohen focuses on the role of music in the production of place. Throughout the chapter, she appropriates the use of music in particular contexts. Sara uses her discussion with Jack to understand what music life meant in Liverpool’s Jewish community during the 1920’s. In the context of HMV, the store has many distinguishing features that emphasize the use of musicality in the environment.

 

The store is shaped in the form of a rectangle. Just before you walk in, there are two large glass windows at the front of the store on either side of the door that showcase the latest products. In this display window, there are mannequins modeling the latest HMV clothing. The right wall of the store is filled with shelves of graphic t-shirts of band logos and of popular culture icons. Some of these notable images include the logos for Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Batman and Breaking Bad. Hoodies and sweaters also hang from a rack in front of the shirts. Further down the wall, there is a section devoted to books and movies. Most of these books include biographies of popular musical bands and artists. The movies that share this shelf are biographies of bands and artists, concert DVDs and popular culture films. The back wall does not devote any of its space to music but is instead a holiday section. The wall on the left side of the store is devoted to television shows that have been released on DVD along with headphone/earphone accessories and speakers for musical devices. Beside this area, there are the cashier desks. Behind the desk, the two flatscreen televisions on the wall are playing the Rolling Stones’ latest DVD release, “Sweet Summer Sun.” On the left side of the cashier area, there is the poster station that has a collection of over thirty different posters and many of these have some sort of relation to music. Clearly HMV takes advantage of the space they are given and use it to their fullest advantage to display their many products that are offered. Much of the space in the store is filled with merchandise and is not wasted.

 

Coloured seasonal banners hang from the ceiling to remind customers of the current holiday promotions. Along with this, the store encourages customers to become part of the HMV community by offering store specials such as saving an extra percentage by signing up to be an HMV member, devoting some aisles to trending items, a clearance section, deals on CD, limited edition/HMV exclusive products.

 

Also hanging from the ceiling are eight speakers along with two large subwoofers. The music coming out of the speakers is from the satellite radio and is playing non-stop. In addition to this, lights hang from the ceiling and border the inner perimeter of the store. They shine all along the walls to emphasize the HMV products around the store. There are also twenty-four large ceiling lamps that hang from the ceiling and are positioned to illuminate any dark areas of the store.

 

The store also offers multiple ways of interacting with the musical environment. There are employees walking around and are ready to help customers with questions. As well, this particular store has two listening stations where customers can sample some of the newest music. Along with this, the customer is able to openly touch and read the front and back covers of CDs, DVDs, books and other merchandise in order to gain a well-rounded description about the product.

 

In Dick Hebdige’s article “Signifying Practice,” he takes a look at the study of subcultures and appropriates them in their social context. Hebdige says that there is a relationship between the lifestyles of groups of people and the social spaces they create for themselves. As well, the ways that they present themselves coincide with the values they emulate. In his article he examines the subcultural group of the punks in the 1970’s and the ways that this community creates meaning. Wearing trashy cut up clothes, having the spiky haircuts, spitting and vomiting on things communicated values such as masculinity, toughness and recklessness. These are the values that create unity and bind members of the subculture. Evidently there are signifying practices embedded in subcultures.

 

In the context of HMV, the store tries to cater to a variety of subcultures with the different kinds of products they have. The five main aisles that make up the store are divided up depending on the kinds of media. About two and a half aisles in the entire store are filled with DVDs of popular culture films. One and a half aisles are fully devoted to CDs along with a small vinyl collection that has recently been introduced. In addition to this, the aisle in front of the front desk has numerous music memorabilia such as mugs and key chains. Popular classic rock artists such as Pink Floyd, Nirvana and Kiss are showcased on these items. At the end of each aisle, there is a mini wall with shelves and it creates a “T” shape with the rest of the aisle. Out of the ten of them that exist in the store, six of them are stacked with CDs, three of them are filled with movies and the last one has musical related picture frames resting on it. Although there is not an enormous amount of CDs, the collection in the store is enough to satisfy anyone’s musical needs. The genre of music that exist on these shelves are rock, pop, country, metal, punk, easy listening, electronic, soundtracks and urban.

 

When it comes to their clothing, HMV has a wide assortment that would please any music junkie or popular culture fanatic. The genres of t-shirts and hoodies they have include logos for alternative rock, classic rock, indie, hip-hop, punk, electronic and metal bands. In addition to this, there are also clothing with super hero logos, television show characters and video game icons. Along with this, the books they have in the store appeal to a range of readers. Those who are looking to gain some insight on music related subjects could read “40 Years of Queen” or perhaps “The Art of the Album Cover.” Those who are in need of some humor could pick up “1001 Facts That Will Scare the Sh*t Out of You” or “Geek Lust.” Along with this, fiction, graphic novels, biographies and sheet music are available for readers. The accessories that the store has are perfect for anyone who is looking for popular cultural or musically themed knickknacks. Bobbleheads, pins, patches, stickers, wallets, bags are just some of the many items offered at this location. In addition to the ones found in-store, HMV has a website where customers can browse an even greater selection of products from the comfort of their home.

 

During an experience at HMV it is evident that the store has a variety of products to cater to the many different customers that visit. With all these kinds of items, HMV addresses the multiple communities that shop there. Having something for every kind of shopper is what makes the store so successful among other retailers. By adapting to new trends and offering a range of media, the store is able to focus on the needs of their diverse clientele. HMV is truly the ultimate entertainment shopping experience.

 

Interviews

The first person I interviewed was Dan, the manager of the store. These are the questions I asked him:

1)    How many people come through the store per day? Does the store have a peak time? If so, how long does it last?

• In a typical weekday, there are roughly about 15,000 people who pass in and out of our doors.  The flow of people is pretty steady throughout the say and then around 7PM, the traffic starts to pick up and is maintained until slightly before closing. This is when there is a slight drop in the number of people who visit. During the weekend, a typical day at the store is completely different. The amount of people pretty much doubles. The peak period on weekends has got to be between 1PM and 4PM. After this, there is still a steady amount of traffic until slightly before closing.

2)    Describe your experience of music at the site

• The satellite radio is the first thing you hear when you enter the store. We always have music playing. Then you see the two panels of CDs right at the front that showcase the newest releases. We also have different kinds of rock and pop memorabilia showcased around the store. There are so many options in the store to engage with music. We have mugs, t-shirts and vinyl records and many more things. Basically music in the store is everywhere and it is in your face.

3)    What is your favorite kind of music? Any bands in particular that you enjoy listening to?

• I would have to say my favorite genre of music is classic rock. My top two artists would have to be Bob Dylan and the Beatles.

4)    Do you think that your store does a great job at providing a well-rounded musical experience for customers? Explain

• Yes, I do. There are a lot of options and resources that our store provides. We have several locations across Toronto and the GTA for customers to visit. If they cannot find something in our stores, we can order it in for them. We also have a team of educated staff to help out customers. We also have several listening stations where customers can experience music for themselves. In addition to this we have an online site that customers can access from home.

5)    Why do you think that music is available in so many kinds of media here?

• Music is everywhere, people flock to it. It acts as an escape from life.

6)    What kinds of products do you think people buy most of? Why?

• People buy a little bit of everything. Especially during this time of season, we have so many types of products and are prepared for the Christmas rush during December.

 

The second person I interviewed was Jessica, a loyal HMV customer. These are the questions I asked her:

1)    How often do you visit the store? Do you visit for the same reason(s) each time?

• I visit this location about twice a month. No, I don’t visit for the same reason each time. Sometimes I’m interested in checking out a TV series on DVD, other times I want to pick up a new cd and I also like to check out band t-shirts.

2)    What is your favorite kind of music? Any bands in particular that you enjoy listening to?

• Personally I’m into a bit of everything but if I had to choose, I would probably say folk rock is my favorite. Bands like the Lumineers, the Temper Trap.

3)    Describe your typical experience while visiting the store

• When I visit this store, I feel like there is a positive environment. All the people who work here seem interested in their job and they also know a lot about music. It’s easy to have a conversation with them.

4)    Do you feel that music is the store’s main focus? Or do you feel that other kinds of media have been taking over the spotlight for music?  

• When you walk into the store, all you see is music. They promote music more than anything else. Sure they sell other things but music is what they promote the most.

5)    How do you feel about the various kinds of musical media that are available for customers?

• I feel like there a lot of variety. There are a lot of creative things they sell here, like this: (points to a hoodie that’s made to look like Chewbacca’s fur). There’s something for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

 

Cohen, Sara – “Sounding Out the City: Music and the Sensuous Production of Place,” from The Place of Music, Leyshon, A., Matless, D., and Revill, G. (eds), New York: The Guilford Press, 1998.

 

Hebdige, Dick – “Signifying Practice,” excerpt from Subculture: The Meaning of Style, Routledge: London 1979.

 

“Page A10.” Toronto Star (1971-2011): 1. Feb 10 1977. ProQuest. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

 

Katherine Macklem, Real,Estate Reporter. “EATON’S SELLS TORONTO CENTRE STAKE FOR $115M: Cadillac Fairview and TD Realty Snap Up Real Estate Holding.” Financial Post: 1. Jun 05 1997. ProQuest. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.

 

Flavelle, Dana. “Eaton Centre Set for $120M Facelift.” Toronto StarJun 16 2010. ProQuest. Web. 26 Nov. 2013 .

 

CBC. “CBC Digital Archives – Eaton’s: A Canadian Institution – Toronto’s Eaton Centre Opens in 1977.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.