HMV is returning to making records for the first time after 40 years after launching its own music label, 1921 Records.
Named after the year the company opened its first His Masters Voice store on London’s Oxford Street, the label will be available exclusively at its 115 high street stores as well as online.
India Arkin, a Newcastle-based singer-songwriter is the first person signed to the label, according to the Retail Gazette.
The launch of the label comes as the retailer pledged to focus on live music, with more than 100 gigs set to take place in its stores on 15 October, National Album Day.
So far this year, more than 1,000 gigs have taken place at the retailers’ shops via its HMV Live & Local Programme.
HMV has focused on expansion this year, opening nine more stores with three more to come before Christmas, all with an emphasis on vinyl and fan-based pop culture, said the Gazette.
Doug Putman, who bought HMV in 2019 via Canadian company Sunrise Records, where he is chief executive, envisages the retailer reaching somewhere between 130 to 135 stores.