A private company, MDC music and movies, founded in 1974 was known then as the Music Discount Centre or simply MDC.
MDC is the UK’s leading independent specialist classical music retailer and pioneered the discounting of recorded music, initially on LP, and subsequently on cassette and then CD. MDC was also one of the first companies to import rare recordings from the US, Europe and the Far East.
MDC has had specialist shops all over London: Strand, St Paul's, Rathbone Place, Dean Street, Camden Town, South Kensington and the Barbican. Outside London there were shops in Cambridge and Liverpool, and a number of MDC pop-up shops including one at the Aldeburgh Music Festival.
MDC is the UK’s leading independent specialist classical music retailer and pioneered the discounting of recorded music, initially on LP, and subsequently on cassette and then CD. MDC was also one of the first companies to import rare recordings from the US, Europe and the Far East.
MDC has had specialist shops all over London: Strand, St Paul's, Rathbone Place, Dean Street, Camden Town, South Kensington and the Barbican. Outside London there were shops in Cambridge and Liverpool, and a number of MDC pop-up shops including one at the Aldeburgh Music Festival.
mdc music & movies at the Royal Festival Hall, London
MDC put specialist classical music shops on the high street. Since 2005 MDC music and movies has positioned itself where music is played live in London with its flagship store at the Royal Festival Hall and its Opera shop in St Martin’s Lane next door to the ENO.
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In 1984 MDC launched Classical Express, a widely circulated monthly newspaper, containing reviews, and interviews, articles featuring major artists, as well as offering new releases and special offers. It was a bible for live recordings and ran for 15 years.
More recently, MDC launched a joint venture with Foyles bookshop, creating an MDC music and movies on the third floor of their world-famous Charing Cross store. This has also led to live performances in Foyles' Gallery, featuring artists such as Sarah Chang, Marcelo Bratke, Philippe Jarrousky and the Endellion String Quartet. On a regular basis throughout MDC’s history the major record companies chose MDC shops as the perfect venue for personal appearances and signings by their greatest performers – Claudio Abbado, Victoria De Los Angeles, Daniel Barenboim, Carlo Bergonzi, Placido Domingo, Juan Diego Florez, Mirella Freni, Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price, Sir Georg Solti, Cheryl Studer, Joan Sutherland, Renata Tebaldi and many more! Please take a look at our Archive Gallery to see photographs from these events. |
 MDC classical express - june 2002
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In June 2007, following the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall after its refurbishment, MDC music and movies started to sponsor and curate a series of free Saturday afternoon recitals in the Clore Ballroom called ‘Close Up’ featuring the brightest young stars of the classical world such as Julian Bliss, Natalie Clein, Colin Currie and Xuefei Yang. More recently ‘Close up’ has featured, among others, , Leif Ove Andsnes, Alfie Boe and the Quatour Ebéne. Classical CDs are still a priority at MDC music and movies, and with our knowledgeable and experienced staff we have also established a highly respected range of World Cinema DVDs, considered to be the best in London, at our Royal Festival Hall shop, and a great selection of World and Jazz music reflecting the artists performing at the Royal Festival Hall. We hope our new website will mirror all of the above and more.
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