McLaughlin

THE AUTHOR OF HIS MASTER’S VOICE, THE STORY OF A 38-YEAR CAREER AT THE ICONIC HMV

Q Did you develop a love for music at an early age?

A I guess I was about 6 or 7-years-old when I started to enjoy music. My sister Christina played music in our house in Portsmouth. My favourites were Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and Billy Fury.

Q How did your career in the music industry begin?

A I applied for a sales assistant’s post in the radio, TV, and record department at the Co-Op in Portsmouth aged 15 and was fortunate enough to get the job. It became clear quite quickly that I was more interested in selling music than radios and TVs, and gradually spent more and more of my time in the record department.

A few years later I heard that HMV were opening in Portsmouth, and they too were advertising for a sales assistant. It was a dream come true to work for them as everybody knew the iconic store at 363 Oxford Street in London, which was opened by Sir Edward Elgar in 1921.

Q How di erent was the retail side of the industry back then?

A Very di erent! One thing I’ll always remember is that only the album sleeves were displayed in the browsers. If you wanted to buy an album, you would take the sleeve to the counter and the assistant would find the album for you and put it in the sleeve. Music retailers were worried about shoplifting so this was their solution to the problem!

Q Did you always have the ambition to rise up the ranks at HMV?

A No, I didn’t have any ambition to rise up the ranks in HMV, I just really enjoyed working there. I was promoted several times because I worked very hard and fell in love with the company, its people and the music industry.

Q Running the business, was it a thrill or a highly pressurised job?

A It was an honour and a privilege to run HMV. It was a role I never expected to get. I wasn’t prepared for it, and therefore struggled at the beginning to come to terms with the enormous responsibility I had taken on. My health su ered initially, and I was o work for several months due to stress and anxiety. Once I recovered, I set out to expand the business rapidly, with the sole aim of making HMV the most successful music retailer in the world.

Q Could you give us a snapshot of your favourite HMV anecdotes?

A My first anecdote relates to a Board Meeting when I was Chief Operating O cer of HMV and Waterstones. One of the nonexecutive directors was unhappy with the performance of our Canadian business and felt I wasn’t doing enough to improve it. My then Chairman, Eric Nicoli, intervened, and said: "I have every faith in my hairy arsed friend to resolve the issues you refer to, can we now move on to the next item on the agenda."

My second anecdote relates to new store openings. In the evening we would all meet up at the hotel and it became a custom of mine to order toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches – often in the early hours of the morning! My sta would find this request very di cult to deliver as invariably the kitchen was closed and a certain amount of money would change hands with the Night Porter to arrange delivery of the sandwiches. After several store openings and the stress I was putting on my sta , they presented me one night with a toaster, a packet of cheese and a loaf of bread, so I could make my own sandwiches in the hotel lounge! My final anecdote relates to a lunch whereby I admit to having one too many. I had to make my way home via Paddington to Reading, but fell asleep on the train. When I woke up, the guard told me to get o as we had arrived at our destination. I asked where we were, and he said Paddington. I said that’s not possible as I boarded the train two hours ago. He said, “you are correct, but you have been to Oxford and back to Paddington in that time”!

Q Was being the MD of Waterstones more sedate?

A I loved my time at Waterstones. It was anything but sedate, as the business had several fundamental issues to be addressed. Namely on the marketing and sales areas of the business. They didn’t take to me initially, but eventually I won most of them around.

Q How did your family life fit in with your career?

A With di culty! We moved from Portsmouth to Leeds and then Leeds to London. Most of my time was spent visiting stores or chairing meetings that ended late at night. Fortunately, I have a terrific wife, Sue, who encouraged me, and supported me throughout my career.

Q Where do you live today?

A We live in Goring on Thames, and we love the village and the surrounding areas, which are beautiful. We have great restaurants, a train station and good road connections. We have lived in the area for over 40 years.

Q What are your favourite local spots?

A The restaurant would be Don Giovanni at the Leatherne Bottel in Goring, our local shop Jacks, and The Ridgeway for the most incredible walks.

Q What is your ideal summer day out in the area?

A The Henley Regatta and the Henley Festival.

Q What do you hope people will get from reading His Master’s Voice?

A That a talentless, uneducated guy from Portsmouth can, through a combination of hard work and good luck, build a successful career for himself.

His Master’s Voice by Brian McLaughlin is out now, priced at £19.99 hardback