JB Hi-Fi have responded to viral claims that the stores are axing their stock of physical media in an increasingly-digital age.
Earlier this week, YouTuber and filmmaker Dave Lee Down Under shared a video on his social media account which showed him visiting a Victorian JB Hi-Fi with a cordoned-off aisle and an empty shelf which once held 4K Blu-Rays.
Describing it as the day that “all physical media advocates absolutely dread”, Lee also showed a notice on the shelves which advertised a "new look, [and a] new space" which advised, "sadly CDs, vinyls & DVDs are leaving our store".
“Here in Australia at least, this is pretty much the only brick and mortar store which is still selling – or was still selling – physical media brand new,” Lee added.
“And I've heard reports of stores sort of slowly getting rid of them over the last four or five years.”
As his video continued, he showed that these shelves instead appeared to be now dedicated to holding Pop! Vinyl figurines and T-shirts, while the areas in which shelves once stood were now hosting boxes of consumer goods.
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These claims soon went viral online, with a number of social media accounts – including the Australian 90s 00s Nostalgia page, which boasts 312k followers – citing this video and reporting on the removal of physical media in JB Hi-Fi stores.
Understandably, the general reaction from lovers of physical media was one of disappointment, especially given the recent reports of upward trends in physical media in the streaming age.
Just last month, the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry (IFPI) unveiled its latest Global Music Report, and while it noted that streaming is still the most popular method of musical consumption (featuring revenues of US$22 billion, representing 69.6% of total recorded music revenues), it stated that physical media had rebounded and became the fastest-growing format in music, generating US$390 million in revenue.
The popularity of vinyl was the key driver of physical media’s success last year. Vinyl alone increased revenues by 13.7%, marking its 19th consecutive year of growth.
Meanwhile, CD revenues grew by 3.7% – reversing its decline in some markets but continuing to decline in many Western markets – while revenues from downloads and other digital media remained in decline for a 13th consecutive year.
In a statement given to The Music, a spokesperson for JB Hi-Fi claimed that the company, “continues to support physical media in movies, music and games available in over 150 of our JB Hi-Fi stores, which is the majority of our network.”
“From time to time, we rebalance the mix in our stores to introduce new categories and that may impact some others,” the statement continued. “We have and will continue to support Australian consumers with physical content on movies and music in stores and online.”
Most notably, the notice posted by staff the JB Hi-Fi location in which Lee’s video was filmed actually pointed customers toward the nearest locations which did stock these formats, indicating that this removal is not a widespread one, and specific to the store in question.
Though anecdotal evidence has appeared online that certain stores have reduced what they carry, it’s also important to note the distinction between a standard JB Hi-Fi store (which carries the majority of items, including physical media) and their JB Hi-Fi Home stores (which do not typically carry physical media), to which some of the former have been converted.
Most importantly, it doesn’t appear as though the alarm bells need to start ringing just yet for those who yearn for a physical product in the streaming age.
