Back-from-the-dead music retailer HMV launched their new digital download service last night; their latest (and some may call it their last) attempt to securing a slice of the UK download market.
Whilst available through their hmvdigital.com portal, the service has launched with mobile as its main focus, driving attention to the firm’s newly-released iOS & Android mobile apps. However, bizarrely, with this focus in mind, the organisation have failed to launch a mobile-enabled site (incredibly rare these days to fall at this hurdle), along with clear calls-to-action on their site to the various app-stores.
Anyhow, the focus on mobile is unsurprising; newly-appointed head of digital James Coughlan originally worked at Vodafone on their own digital music service, whilst new owner Hilco have not been quite regarding their focus on mobile.
The mobile apps additionally place a focus on music discovery, thanks to their Shazam-style ability to hear a track and download instantly from the online store. In their attempt to fuse the high-street with the digital world, HMV will be encouraging customers instore to snap the track through the audio-listening feature, instead of leaving to download via iTunes or Amazon.
It’s obvious that the challenge is going to be to make a dent in the market mostly dominated by the aforementioned players, Much like Microsoft’s Bing service, whom have stated in the past that there would be no way they could topple Google from the top-spot of search, we’re sure HMV don’t believe they can topple iTunes. However, as long as they listen and implement customer suggestions, they could be going the right way.
HMV’s main online service at HMV.com will be relaunched next week, in a revamped state. Speaking to CMU, Hilco chief Paul McGowan said “The new website, launching next week, together with a revitalised YouTube channel will start the journey towards enhancing the experience of interacting with the entertainment industry, an engagement that will be further increased by the massive ramp-up in the number of live events being held within our stores on an ongoing basis”.