Universal Edition to close historic Salzburg and Vienna music shops

Universal Edition will close the Mayrische Musikalienhandlung in Salzburg and Musik Müller in Vienna at the end of September, ORF reported. The Mayrische, which has sold sheet music and scores since 1592, is believed to be one of the oldest music retailers in the German-speaking world.

After an extensive review of various options, the management of Mayrische Buch-, Kunst- und Musikalienhandlung decided to end the shops’ physical operations, the publishing house said. Universal Edition has owned both businesses since 1994.

A new operator is still being sought for the Salzburg shop. In Vienna, the company said it had found no comparable prospect for Musik Müller despite efforts to do so. Details of the closures and the sales periods will be announced separately.

For many years, the two shops served musicians, students, teachers, institutions and music enthusiasts. In Salzburg, important customers included students at the nearby Mozarteum University, musicians from the Mozarteum Orchestra and the Camerata, and people connected with the Musikum.

The Salzburg shop already faced closure in 2020. More than 3,000 people supported petitions to save it after an outcry from the cultural community. The business was then downsized and moved from Theatergasse to the Kunstquartier Salzburg in Bergstraße.

Universal Edition said economic conditions had deteriorated further since then. Sales fell significantly, particularly after the coronavirus pandemic, and did not return to their previous level. At the same time, energy, staffing and other operating costs rose considerably.

Online retail had also permanently changed the physical music retail business, the publisher said. Continuing the shops in their previous form was therefore no longer economically sustainable.