Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"AC/DC", "HIGHWAY TO HELL"

Date

2003

Materials

PLASTIC, CARDBOARD

No. Pieces

1

Length

14

Width

12.6

Description

COMPACT MUSIC DISC. THE CD CASE IS MADE FROM CARDBOARD AND PLASTIC THAT IS UNOPENED, COVERED IN CELLOPHANE WRAPPER. THE COVER INCLUDES A PHOTO OF THE BAND AND SAYS “AC/DC” , “HIGHWAY TO HELL”. ON TOP OF THE CELLOPHANE IN A HMV SALE STICKER THAT READS “HMV 2/20…”. THERE IS A SECOND STICKER ON THE FRONT THAT IS BLACK AND SAYS, “DIGITALLY REMASTERED”. THE BACK COVER HAS A BLACK AND WHITE PICTURE OF THE BAND AND LISTS TEN TRACK TITLES. THE LABEL INCLUDES “1979, 2003…” “9699-80206”. EXCELLENT CONDITION. HOLES IN CELLOPHANE ON THE BACKSIDE AND THE BLACK STICKER IS LIFTING.

Subjects

SOUND COMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

LEISURE

History

IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF 2017 THE MUSIC FRANCHISE, HMV CANADA, BEGAN TO THE PROCESS OF CLOSING DOWN ALL 120 OF THEIR STORES ACROSS CANADA. AFTER 30 YEARS OF BUSINESS, THE COMPANY WENT INTO RECEIVERSHIP. PARK PLACE MALL IN DOWNTOWN LETHBRIDGE HAD AN HMV LOCATION OF ITS OWN, WHICH OPENED IN 1994. THIS AC/DC CD IS INDICATIVE OF A TYPE OF CD SOLD BY HMV. AC/DC IS A POPULAR ROCK BAND THAT FORMED IN THE 1970S IN AUSTRALIA. THE ALBUM, HIGHWAY TO HELL, WAS RELEASED IN 1979 AND WAS THE FIFTH AC/DC ALBUM TO BE RELEASED INTERNATIONALLY. ON 27 FEBRUARY 2017, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN, THE MANAGER OF THE HMV LETHBRIDGE, BRENDAN FRIZZLEY, REFLECTED ON HIS PAST EXPERIENCE AT THE MUSIC STORE, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC STORES, AND ON THE RECEIVERSHIP PERIOD. FOR MORE INFORMATION OF THAT PERIOD, AS WELL AS FRIZZLEY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STORE, PLEASE SEE P20170004001. DURING THE INTERVIEW, FRIZZLEY REFLECTED ON THE NATURE OF PEOPLES’ RELATIONSHIPS WITH MUSIC STORES. HE EXPLAINED, “… IT’S THE STRANGEST SORT OF STORE BECAUSE IF YOU WENT INTO A GROCERY STORE AND THEY HAD EXPANDED THEIR ORGANIC SECTION YOU WOULDN’T BE OFFENDED… [BUT] WITH MUSIC STORES, IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU’RE A 16-YEAR-OLD LISTENING TO PUNK MUSIC, OR A EARLY-20’S METAL GUY, OR AN OLD PERSON LISTENING TO THE GENRE CLASSICAL... THERE’S THIS FEELING THAT WHENEVER ANYTHING IS ASSAULTED, IN TERMS OF MUSIC, LIKE, 'HEY, THE METAL SECTION WENT FROM LIKE 8 FEET OF SPACE TO 12 FEET OF SPACE." WE DIDN’T ACTUALLY ADD ANY PRODUCT, BUT THE METAL GUYS WILL BE ECSTATIC, BECAUSE CLEARLY WE HAD DONE THIS THING THAT HAD MADE IT BETTER. WE CARED ABOUT THEM… AND SIMILARLY, WHEN THE PUNK GUYS LOST THAT SPACE AND WENT FROM 8 FEET OF SPACE TO 4 FEET OF SPACE, THEY WERE LIKE 'YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS JUST DON’T HAVE THE SAME SORT OF SELECTION YOU USED TO.' BUT IT’S THE PERCEPTION OF [HOW MUCH PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THEIR MUSIC] AND THAT’S ALWAYS SORT OF BEEN IT... YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE OFFENDED BY MUSIC THAT THAT THEY DON’T LIKE BEING IN A STORE. THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I CAN REMEMBER A NEW JUSTIN BIEBER COMING OUT, AND GOING UP TO THE FRONT OF THE STORE, AND BEING LIKE 'WELL WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?' AND SOMEONE HAD TAKEN MY ENTIRE IRON MAIDEN SECTION AND PUT IT IN FRONT OF EACH JUSTIN BIEBER CD. I CAN’T FATHOM ANYBODY BEING INVESTED IN ANY SORT OF OTHER PURCHASE WHERE THEY WOULD BE LIKE 'THIS SORT OF THING OFFENDS ME...' I CAN’T IMAGINE FEELING THAT WAY ABOUT A PARTICULAR BRAND OF KETCHUP OR A PARTICULAR CAR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT…" SPEAKING ABOUT THE TYPICAL HMV SHOPPER FRIZZLEY SAID, "THERE’S THIS NARRATIVE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO [BE] THE OLD, DYING CD BUYER... THERE’S ALWAYS PEOPLE WHO COME IN, AND SAY THINGS LIKE, 'OH, I JUST DON’T DO THE DIGITAL,' - [BUT ALSO] 'OH, I HAVE A CD PLAYER IN MY TRUCK, SO THAT’S THE ONLY REASON I’M BUYING CD’S TODAY,' AND THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN A SUBSECTION OF WHAT WE SELL TO - BUT, I THINK THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE JUST WANT TO HAVE THAT PHYSICAL CONNECTION WITH THE THING THAT THEY LIKE. AND THAT [TYPE OF] PERSON DIDN’T DIE, BUT THEY ALSO WEREN’T MARKETED TO BY ALL THE MARKETING... SO THAT’S SORT OF WHY THE FOOTPRINT OF CDS SHRUNK. IT WASN’T TO ASSAULT WHAT THEY WANTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE COMING IN [AND] BUYING SPECIFIC THINGS, OR COMING UP AND ORDERING SPECIFIC TITLES THAT THEY’VE ALREADY PUT THEIR RESEARCH INTO. THEY WANT THIS TOKEN OF WHAT THEY LIKE (WHICH IS THE PHYSICAL CD). AND ANYTIME THAT ANY AFFRONT HAPPENED TO CDS, THEY TOOK IT SO PERSONALLY…" AS THE SALE OF CDS DECREASED WITH THE ADVENT OF DIGITAL CONTENT AND STREAMING SERVICES, FRIZZLEY NOTED THAT SOME POSITIVES EMERGED. HE SAID, “THE POSITIVES ARE THAT BARRIERS ARE BROKEN DOWN. YOU KNOW THE FACT THAT BANDCAMP IS HUGE; THAT LITERALLY ANYBODY CAN MAKE MUSIC, AND CAN MAKE IT AVAILABLE IS SO COOL. YOU’VE GOT SHAWN MENDES RIGHT NOW, WHO IS VINE FAMOUS... [MEANING], ‘I MAKE SHORT VIDEO CLIPS OF ME SINGING SONGS AND THAT’S GOING TO LEAD INTO THIS MASSIVE CAREER.' THAT’S SURREAL… [AND] I THINK IT LETS PEOPLE FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO THEIR MUSIC... IT CHANGES THE WAY THAT PEOPLE SORT OF PERCEIVE THEIR CONNECTION TO IT. PEOPLE LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING A PART OF SOMETHING...” FRIZZLEY WENT ON TO DISCUSS THE SHIFT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, “I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THERE’S MORE POSITIVES THAN THAT, BUT I REALLY THINK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY MADE A SYSTEM THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE FINANCIALLY VIABLE FOR A LOT OF MUSICIANS. IF YOU LOOK AT STREAMING, - WHICH IS GREAT - [BUT] I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPOTIFY AND NETFLIX. WHEN YOU DO NETFLIX, IT’S MOVIES THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD THEIR THEATRE RUN; ALREADY MADE THEIR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS; ALREADY HAD A CHANCE TO BE SOLD, WHETHER DIGITALLY OR PHYSICALLY, AND THEN FINALLY END UP ON NETFLIX. SPOTIFY [IS LIKE], ‘HEY, IT’S $10.00 A MONTH AND HERE’S ALL THE MUSIC FOREVER.’ SPOTIFY ROYALTIES AREN’T ENOUGH. EVERYONE KNOWS THEY’RE NOT ENOUGH, BUT I THINK PEOPLE HAVE IN THEIR HEADS THAT ALL THE MUSIC FOREVER IS WORTH $10.00 A MONTH… MUSIC HAS NO VALUE ANYMORE. LIVE MUSIC DOES AND THE PHYSICAL TOKENS DO, AND THAT’S WHY VINYL IS SEEING THIS RESURGENCE, BUT MUSIC HAS NO VALUE. AND I THINK PART OF THAT [IS] BECAUSE OF THE RADIO, [WHICH IS] SORT OF HOW MUSIC HAPPENED; HOW WE’VE LISTENED TO MUSIC. SO RADIO HAPPENS, AND YOU CAN LISTEN TO RADIO FOR FREE, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO BUY THE RECORDS. AND IT WORKED. BUT NOW WE STILL HAVE THIS IDEA THAT ‘WELL, THE TECHNOLOGY EXISTS FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO, AND CHOOSE WHAT I LISTEN TO ON THE RADIO... SO I SHOULD BE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT I LISTEN TO, BUT I STILL WANT THAT PREMISE OF FREE MUSIC’… I DON’T KNOW HOW THE WORLD IS ABLE TO FINANCIALLY COMPENSATE YOU FOR MAKING YOUR MUSIC, AND I DON’T KNOW IF IT NECESSARILY NEEDS TO. ART WILL ALWAYS EXIST REGARDLESS WHETHER OR NOT THERE’S PEOPLE PAYING FOR IT. BUT IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO COMPENSATE PEOPLE, THEY CAN FOCUS ON THEIR ART FULL TIME, [AND] YOU END UP WITH JUST BETTER QUALITY.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT RECORD FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND ARTICLES REGARDING THE RECEIVERSHIP AND LIQUIDATION OF HMV CANADA.

Catalogue Number

P20170004003

Acquisition Date

2017-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail