And the process is speeding up.

Last week HMV UK & Ireland reported a loss of around Euro40m for the half-year that ended in October. The figures were announced against the backdrop of a near 15% drop in the value of the UK and Ireland music market overall. Including downloads.

The main reasons for this are pirate download sites, cut-price websites such as Amazon. com and supermarket chains such as Tesco offering CDs on the cheap. After the results announcement, HMV UK and Ireland managing director Steve Knott fell on his sword.

Earlier in the week, figures from the Virgin chain showing strong sales were misleading, given the outlet's increasing reliance on DVDs as a revenue generator. It is hardly coincidental that last week also saw Steve Jobs unveil his Apple television - a technology that will before long obviate the need for a DVD player. On top of this, the launch of the iPhone over here later in the year will heap further misery on the record industry middle-men.

With Galway's Redlight Records closing its Shop Street store recently, this month the city's best known chain, Zhivago Records, shut its Eyre Square branch as well as a number of concession shops it had in a bookshop chain around the country. Big and small are being overwhelmed by the advances in technology.

One of the most serious binds record shops find themselves in is the opening up of the download charts, the process of which was completed last week. From now, all downloads are fair game for the UK charts, meaning any song can chart without there being a physical single for sale.

Another reason, then, for not going to the record store - the music might not even be there.

With around 200 independent record shops reportedly closing in Britain last year (the Manic Street Preachers-led movement to keep Spillers Records in Cardiff open is unlikely to prevent its closure), the Irish market is following closely behind. It's sad but it merely reflects the reality that convenience is king. The record shop, like the butcher, the travel agent and very soon the country pub, is about to become a thing of the past. In a few years, it seems hard to imagine record companies even bothering to press CDs. The funny thing is will we even miss them? Honestly??