It was announced last week that HMV is closing all it’s stores. It wasn’t really that surprising but it marks the end of an era. In Canada, it’s one of the last standing chains where you can buy physical music, though this fact may be arguable since movies, video games and merchandise have taken over in the past few years.

Physical music still holds a special place for me. I still get excited looking at the packaging of music and the magic of pulling something randomly off a shelf. Playlists don’t really have the same magic. It’s actually fun when you are restricted to the things you own. There’s an intimacy with a record (I collect vinyl) that is super special to me.

I’m lucky enough to have a record store within walking distance from where I live. I visit it frequently and I even tweet at them to hold records for me to pickup. Independent record stores are becoming a rare breed, but it’s important to support the ones that are still living. Let our art, like books, still live in the physical realm.