Allans Music was a chain of
music stores
A music store or musical instrument store is a retail business that sells musical instruments and related equipment and accessories. Some music stores sell additional services, such as music lessons, music instrument or equipment rental, or r ...
in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. It sold all categories of musical instruments, instrument accessories and sheet music. In 2010 it became Allans Billy Hyde, but collapsed in 2012. It collapsed again in 2018, but into
voluntary administration
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on ...
. Shortly after, the
Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Taxation in Australia, Australian federal taxation ...
ordered the company to enter
liquidation
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...
. The Billy Hyde Music brand was brought back to life in 2019 by the Dale Cleves Music Group and is now family owned again, and trading in South Australia and Victoria.
History
Allans was established in May 1850 when
Joseph Wilkie and John Campbell Webster started a music warehouse (Wilkie and Webster) in
Collins Street,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. George Leavis Allan
joined the company in 1862, then twelve years after becoming a junior partner Allan found himself sole proprietor. (The original store had signage "Wilkie, Webster & Allan".) His son George became a partner in 1881 when the name of the firm was formally altered to Allan & Co. By 1877 it was the largest musical warehouse south of the equator, a distinction it retained; in spite of many changes in musical retailing, the firm of Allan built its name into the record of Australian music.
The company subsequently became Allans Music Australia Ltd.
It was bought by
Brashs
Brashs, formerly Braschs, was an Australian music and electronics retailer. It was founded in 1862 by German Australian Marcus Brasch. The C in the name was dropped during World War I due to anti-Germanic feeling. In addition, the pronunciation ...
, to become Australia's biggest music retail chain. Brashs collapsed (going into
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
in 1994 and in 1998), and Allans Music was subsequently bought by private investors, including The Roland Corporation. In 2005 The Brackenbury Group acquired Allans Music and as at 2009, operated seven physical stores (three in Victoria, two in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and one each in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
) and an online presence.
2012 and 2018 demise
In 2010, Allans Music merged with Billy Hyde Music to become the largest music retailer in Australia.
The company was later placed into
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
on 23 August 2012. All stores with the exception of Mona Vale (New South Wales), Shepparton (Victoria), and Darwin (Northern Territory) faced imminent closure. In November 2012, the majority of the Allans/Billy Hyde stores were liquidated. The final day of trading was on Sunday, 25 November. On 28 November 2012, it was announced that rival music company Gallins music had successfully purchased Allans Billy Hyde effective that date, meaning major stores would re open.
The company was placed in
voluntary administration
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on ...
on 20 June 2018 after mass store closures to downsize the company and allegedly again owing employees.
On 20 July, the company faced court over a case with the ATO and the Federal Court declared the Group insolvent and
ordered it to be wound up. The company re-appointed
Ferrier Hodgson
Ferrier Hodgson was a firm specialising in corporate recovery, corporate advisory, forensic accounting and forensic IT. The firm has a specialist management consulting arm called Azurium.
Ferrier Hodgson was established in 1976. It became on ...
as voluntary administrator and liquidator and was looking to still sell the business, but was holding a liquidation sale at the same time.
2019 reopening
In November 2019 Billy Hyde Music opened a 'super store' in
Nunawading, Victoria
Nunawading () is an Eastern suburbs (Melbourne), eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 18 km (11 miles) east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the ...
, where it continues to trade. It followed with another new 'super store' in
Marleston, South Australia
Marleston is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, in the City of West Torrens. Marleston was home to 1,950 people at the 2021 census.
The earliest European settler in this area was Donald McLean, who selected Section 50, Hundred of Adelaide, ...
, and in December 2023 opened a second Victorian store in
Ascot Vale
Ascot Vale is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Ascot Vale recorded a population of 15,197 at the 2021 census ...
. The company is owned and run by the Cleves family who have been involved with music and music retail since 1964 - just two years after the first Billy Hyde store was opened.
In 2024 the Ascot Vale store closed and relocated back to Nunawading.
In February 2025 the Adelaide store was
compulsorily acquired for
demolition
Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction (building), deconstruction, which inv ...
for the
North South Corridor. The company started a closing down sale and planned to move to
Adelaide CBD in March.
References
External links
The History of Allans Music*
{{Authority control
Music companies of Australia
Retail companies established in 1850
Musical instrument retailers
2012 disestablishments in Australia
Australian companies disestablished in 2018
Australian companies established in 1850
Defunct retail companies of Australia