Down the alley behind Union Trading Company is a small shop dedicated to bygone music formats: the CD, the LP, the DVD. After fourteen years of peddling music and more to a Hi-Fi addicted crowd, Classic Music Store will be shuttering this Sunday at noon closed last Sunday.

*** The little alley at 64 Fenyang Lu contains two things; the backdoor to a decent bar, and a converted living room dedicated to music you can hold in your hand. Classic Music Store isn't especially remarkable, a cramped, ramshackle affair, but it's one of Shanghai's last, and long-lasting, independent music shops. Before Douyin memes became the de facto way to discover music, shops like this were the ones bringing new sounds to the city. Having staved off the ravages of modernity for nearly a decade and a half, its time has finally come, for the usual reason; the landlord won't extend the lease. Opened in 2004 by an audiophile fresh out of uni, Classic Music Store has been pulling in the punters with a combination of low prices, broad selection and down-to-earth, DIY attitude. Didn't find something in stock? Check back in a few days. Some of it's legal. Very much of it is not. With only a day left, the little space is packed with people leafing through rows of cracked and worn CD covers. The LPs are gone. A pair of harried store-minders hover over everyone's shoulders. Though some shelves have already been cleared out, stacks of Japanese pop divas, anonymous Christmas singles, unlicensed Mariah Carey live recordings, movie soundtracks, 70s rock albums and a lot of classical music lingers in piles. There's a box dedicated to concert DVDs. Everything is up to 80% off in the clearance sale. 10rmb for most things. We asked the owner, a man so serious about his music that he builds his own headphones, if he thought there was still space in the era of MP4 for the physical medium. Sure, he says. "If you pursue quality, there will still be people who choose CD, just like mahogany furniture." Most of his fellow store operators closed shop a long time ago. Would he consider a move online, keeping up with the times? "I won't consider pure online trading, because it's boring. You'd lose all the fun of looking for CDs." * Classic Music Store was at 64 Fenyang Lu, open from 11am-9pm. It closed for good at noon on Sunday, November 18..