HMV to continue consignment for Halifax musicians

HMV is reassuring Halifax musicians that the closure of its store onSpring Garden Road won't mean the end of its consignment program.

The store, which isslated to close at the end of January,is among only a few Halifax music stores that offer consignment, giving local musicians an opportunity to see their CDs and albums on shelves in the city.

HMV shares the profits with the musicians.

Charlie A'Court, a Halifax artist, worried that losing the Spring Garden store could mean losing exposure.

"In the case of working with a larger, like a national brand, if you're independent it's really, really hard, almost unheard of just to get in the stores unless they have some sort of a consignment program in place," he told CBC News.

Thursday, HMV announced it will now offer the consignment program at its stores in Mic Mac Mall and the Halifax Shopping Centre.

Halifax musicians did have another option. Taz Records is another downtown Halifax music store that offers consignment.

Manager Jimmy Donnelly said many of the records by local artists take up space, but he recognizes that it's important to the local industry.

"Without doing that, there's really nowhere else where the public can buy the consignment product," he said.