Tower Records

[david r]

Tower Records is ending. After over 40 years of selling music and being a force in the retailer industry, the once-mighty Tower name is over.

Living in Sacramento, where Tower originated, this is especially a hard-hit. I work right next to the original Tower Records on Watt Avenue. And when they close it, the area there will look like a wasteland. Thousands of people will lose their jobs. I've seen the same employees in that Tower for years, and it's hard for me to believe that the day of the music store is done.

In 1996, Tower made $1 billion worldwide. 10 years later, Target, Wal-Mart and the internet has killed off Tower, Wherehouse, and many other record stores. Any thoughts?

[The Mirrorball Man]

It's not me! I'm innocent! I'm the one who's still buying CDs!

[DrewTheXenocide]

Does this mean a big "Everything must go" type sale for all Tower branches?

[Buried Alien]

This is a disaster indeed. The last and once sturdiest pillar of traditional record retail has fallen. There is literally no place to shop for music in the old-fashioned way anymore.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[DrewTheXenocide]

What about Virgin?

[Buried Alien]

What about Virgin?

Still standing, for now, but not easy to locate everywhere. The nearest Virgin outlets to my house are 20 and 30 miles from where I live in either direction, while the two nearest Towers are within 10 miles.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[clayholio]

I'm kinda disappointed that they're closing up shop, mainly because I'm going to have to look that much harder to find a lot of the art magazines I pick up (the one in Portland had a great magazine selection). I went by the nearest Tower today to check out the clearance sale (CDs & DVDs 10% off!!!), but was a little unimpressed. It was a reminder that even with a discount, they still didn't have very good deals on anything that wasn't brand new.

These days, I buy a lot more music digitally than I buy CDs. So I can see why stores that were based on CD sales are having trouble.

[DrewTheXenocide]

Still standing, for now, but not easy to locate everywhere. The nearest Virgin outlets to my house are 20 and 30 miles from where I live in either direction, while the two nearest Towers are within 10 miles.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I actually walked into the nearest Virgin Megastore today. When I came out, it was just Megastore.

....I am so sorry for that.

Anyway, I usually find better deals from Amazon or something, but its still pretty bad for those folks who rely on Tower.

Well, besides Virgin, at least there's still Sam Go...oh. Huh. FYE?

[Buried Alien]

10 years later, Target, Wal-Mart and the internet has killed off Tower, Wherehouse, and many other record stores. Any thoughts?

Well, one big problem is that Target, Wal-Mart, and even the Internet often don't have the kind of merchandise selection that Tower has. The former three cater mainly to clientele who don't take their music that seriously. Tower served that demographic (had to, to stay aloft for as long as they did), to be sure, but it also served the audiophile set that treated their music very seriously.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[DWEarhart]

This sucks. The first time I entered a Tower Records, I was in bliss for about three hours. I went through every section twice, some three times. It was years ago, but I loved being there. Any music store, and iny used cd places always get my support as much as I am allowed.

Ouch on this. Ouch.

[Ontir]

There's a huge Virgin Mega-Store @ Sunset & Crescent in Hollywood. About a year ago, another opened, mere blocks away @ Hollywood & Highland, which is smaller. Now there are rumours that the one on Sunset (2 floors) is going to close.

The ones I really lament, are Penny Lane, and Rhino, the little indies that were so cool.

[Dan Apodaca]

Well, one big problem is that Target, Wal-Mart, and even the Internet often don't have the kind of merchandise selection that Tower has. The former three cater mainly to clientele who don't take their music that seriously. Tower served that demographic (had to, to stay aloft for as long as they did), to be sure, but it also served the audiophile set that treated their music very seriously.

Don't you live in the L.A. area? From my experience, Tower always had a pretty limited selection and serious audiophiles were better served going to someplace like Amoeba.

[Buried Alien]

Don't you live in the L.A. area? From my experience, Tower always had a pretty limited selection and serious audiophiles were better served going to someplace like Amoeba.

I live about 40 miles from Amoeba Records. Regular drives out there aren't feasible for things that are obtainable at Tower.

Tower was no match for Amoeba (who is?), but it ran circles around other chain stores such as the Wherehouse, Sam Goody, Blockbuster Music, etc., in terms of product availability.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Patient Boy]

Tower Records was the first of the large record stores to open in Singapore, and at the time it was really a God send for music fans. Before that, anything that didn't make a dent in the top forty charts you had to run around town hunting down or order by mail (mail! those were the days, huh?). Tower Records wasn't particularly cheap, especially at the time, but you could get CDs and books that most stores wouldn't bother bringing in because it wasn't profitable. It was the first place I'd found the Jack Kirby Collector and the Comics Journal, among others.

In any case, things got better since then for fans of rap, punk, jazz, metal and other niche buyers. Censorship laws loosened up and in general record stores realised that people's tastes were diversifying. An HMV outlet opened up, but it wasn't the same as Tower. I liked spending time in Tower Records, and I think at least partially it was because it had a lot of more of the feel of a smaller shop, with obviously DIY decorations and store promotions and employee picks.

Over time, Tower was probably losing money and had to move from its location in town to a smaller outlet further out. Even that store ended up getting smaller and smaller over time until it ended up closing about a month or two ago.

Goodbye Tower, we shared some memories.

[david r]

Well, one big problem is that Target, Wal-Mart, and even the Internet often don't have the kind of merchandise selection that Tower has. The former three cater mainly to clientele who don't take their music that seriously. Tower served that demographic (had to, to stay aloft for as long as they did), to be sure, but it also served the audiophile set that treated their music very seriously.


This is the main reason I will miss Tower Records. Where else will jazz and classical lovers find obscure CDs? Who else carries a deep catalogue of music? Definitely not Target or Wal-Mart.

I went into the historic first Tower Records here in Sacramento on Saturday, the first day of their sale. The place was jammed packed with people buying everything 10% or 20% off. Some even had grocery lists for CDs. Where were these people the last few years? Stealing music on the internet? I found myself unable to buy anything, even with the sale. It just seemed wrong.

[Jonathan Bogart]

The Tower Records in North Phoenix has become one of my favorite record stores over the past couple of years. Even though I no longer work in the north Valley, I still make the half-hour drive up there a couple times a month to look for CDs that aren't at Borders, Best Buy, or the local indie chain. More often than not, I find them. I wouldn't have been able to buy import CDs by the Pipettes and Lily Allen (two of my favorite albums from this year) if not for Tower; and I think I've bought more box sets there than anywhere else.

They always had a diverse and deep selection; some of my favorite music now I heard because I took a chance on an odd-looking CD that I'd never heard of before running across it in Tower. I've gotta run up there this week; I hope a couple of CDs I've vacillated over in the past are still there.

It's a damn shame. I don't think I'd ever have found the Ronettes' pre-Spector recordings anywhere else. Yeah, there's Amazon, but I kind of hate shopping there unless I have to; not even the prices can beat walking out of the store with the thin sliver of plastic in your hand and popping it into the car CD player for the drive home.

They'll be missed.

[Paul McEnery]

Tower Records is ending. After over 40 years of selling music and being a force in the retailer industry, the once-mighty Tower name is over.

Living in Sacramento, where Tower originated, this is especially a hard-hit. I work right next to the original Tower Records on Watt Avenue. And when they close it, the area there will look like a wasteland. Thousands of people will lose their jobs. I've seen the same employees in that Tower for years, and it's hard for me to believe that the day of the music store is done.

In 1996, Tower made $1 billion worldwide. 10 years later, Target, Wal-Mart and the internet has killed off Tower, Wherehouse, and many other record stores. Any thoughts?
Uh, no.

The original Tower Records is now the Tower Cafe at 16th and Broadway. The next one is the store opened opposite. Where I used to work, btw (well, in the bookstore). And then in the London store in Piccadilly.

And by God did they deserve to fail.

The only reason they didn't suck is because of the few employees who cared, most of whom were paid minimum wage and underpromoted and then either fired or forced to quit, because the management didn't have a clue and promoted purely on the "fun at parties" principle. By which they meant, ready to stand round a barbecue and talk about baseball.

Oh, and they overextended, to a large extent I always suspected as a way of laundering drugs.

And then they centralized buying to the point of having zero response to the trade or to the customers.

I've still got a lot of friends who I met through Tower, and by God in Sacramento at the time, that was your key to the door, especially if you weren't too scrupulous at the till. And the store manager I eventually worked with (as opposed to the one who was on the take and blaming junior employees who'd get the sack) was a forgiving man who let me show up late, especially when I was doing a radio show, and I hope he's fallen on his feet.

But Tower never understood the trade, and got lucky during some boom times that there wasn't much competition.

Ain't no loss.

[Buried Alien]

But Tower never understood the trade, and got lucky during some boom times that there wasn't much competition.

I don't think businesses just "luck" into getting more merchandise that consumers want on the display shelves than do their competitors. From the very beginning, Tower's edge over its once myriad competition (there were several major music retail chains back in the halycon days of the 1980s) was that Tower often carried merchandise that its competitors didn't...and in greater quantities.



Ain't no loss.

Those of us who've shopped there for years think otherwise.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[nonhosonno]

Where else will jazz and classical lovers find obscure CDs? Who else carries a deep catalogue of music?

Have you ever been to Canterbury Records in downtown Pasadena? A very nice indie shop with a fairly comprehensive in-store stock of classical and jazz CDs (rock, too).

P.S. Sorry, I assumed you lived in SoCal. You don't, do you?

[Jonathan Bogart]

P.S. Sorry, I assumed you lived in SoCal. You don't, do you?
Since he mentioned living in Sacramento in his first post, that'd be a pretty definitive no.

[Paul McEnery]

I don't think businesses just "luck" into getting more merchandise that consumers want on the display shelves than do their competitors. From the very beginning, Tower's edge over its once myriad competition (there were several major music retail chains back in the halycon days of the 1980s) was that Tower often carried merchandise that its competitors didn't...and in greater quantities.

I saw how things worked from the inside, and it wasn't pretty.

Basically, Tower had a monopoly in Sacramento, and expanded there to five locations. There wasn't much going on in the way of major music chains in San Francisco either, so they had a crack at that, too. (The Berkeley store, btw, was the first to fail -- Rasputin's was a tough nut to crack, but then Amoeba moved in.)

Now if you're comparing Tower to Sam Goody, sure; but otherwise, the selection wasn't that hot, and in Sacto, you'd choose to shop at The Beat if you didn't have the discount. Same deal with the video store -- just as soon as some competition sprang up. And there wasn't any competition for the books or mags in Sacto either.

Where things started getting wobbly was when they tried to go up against New York and London competition, where huge and better established stores that actually knew what they were doing and paid their employees competitively were in place. The only thing Tower had going for it was the Piccadilly location -- and in New York, it was a disaster. Basically, the big city stores turned into tourist hellholes, with little but schlock. And they hit the chopping block quickly.

Of course, YMMV in your neck of the woods.

The big expansion led to the rot setting in. Everything was now about the bottom line. Some big money people were brought in to fund the expansion, and they wanted to get rid of the weird people -- you know, the ones who actually cared, either about the staff or the product. And then the overall trend was towards the bland.

By the end, the bankruptcy happened because Tower was spending all of its last bucks, and then some, on a really crap advertising campaign -- not that any of their campaigns was ever any good. Having a clue was never management's big achievement. Like I say, they walked into areas where there was no competition, and then coasted.

And by the end, Tower was up against professionalism and convenience. Why shop when you can go online. And if you want to find specialty stuff, go to Amoeba or its local equivalent. And if you want the middle market, Borders and Barnes and Noble did it better, and leapt into better locations in malls when Tower was left stranded with leases on decaying buildings on the outskirts. And this in Sacto, where the main offices were.

That 80s looking red and yellow didn't help, either.

[Valmore]

Never shopped at Tower.

I miss The Wall more than Tower.

[cactusmaac]

There was a Tower Records in High Street Kensington I used to visit.

Never bought anything from there though. HMV - and Virgin to a lesser extent - has a much better selection and really good sales.

[i_mmmchocolate]

I've only purchased stuff at Tower Records three, maybe four times. Their prices were always too high.

[Ontir]

Don't you live in the L.A. area? From my experience, Tower always had a pretty limited selection and serious audiophiles were better served going to someplace like Amoeba.


The one on the Sunset Strip has a much better selection than most other locations I've ever seen. Aside from sales, it's still, generally, highly overpriced. Amoeba IS far superior; but nothing beats the Great, Great House of Guitars in Rochester, New York!

[leonaozaki]

While I still have fond memories of shopping in the Tower Records in New Orleans during high school, if I'm being honest I didn't buy that much at the store, because their prices were always more than my high school budget could afford...and once my tastes expanded Tower seemed kind of mainstream and boring. Not completely mainstream, not Sam Goody mainstream, but still kind of dull.

Rhino Records in Claremont; Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, Amoeba in Berkeley; even the Great Escape in Nashville-- those are record stores! I'm going to say that-- even though I shop at Borders frequently-- Tower seemed like Borders for records: okay if you can't shop at a truly good store, but not all that great.

No great loss to me personally; I never bought anything for myself at the Nashville Tower and the parking was abominable even by Nashville-near-Vanderbilt standards.

rob

[Lone Ranger]

Sorry, I was one of the people who never shopped at Tower Records.

I steer clear of their Yonge St here, along with the Yong St HMV Superstore in order to ensure that my money was handed over the Sam the Record Man.

It seemed like an evil American Empire type store.

Sorry

[Dan Apodaca]

Either the Tower Records' in other cities were WAY better than the ones here, or you people need to seriuosly try going to a record store.

[Buried Alien]

Either the Tower Records' in other cities were WAY better than the ones here, or you people need to seriuosly try going to a record store.

The Southern California Towers have always been pretty good about inventory. Compared to independent record stores, Tower could hold up in everything except the *really* obscure stuff.

I also liked that Tower seemed proud to display its merchandise, and did so meticulously, whereas its rival chains just seemed to kind of have merchandise strewn haphazardly everywhere as if they didn't care about the stuff and couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Pepsigirl]

Either the Tower Records' in other cities were WAY better than the ones here, or you people need to seriuosly try going to a record store.

Yeah, pretty much. Last time I ended up in a Tower I barely found any of the CDs I was looking for, and I ended up buying those online for about $10 or $12, instead of the $18-20something Tower wanted to charge me. :mad:

[Ontir]

In all honesty, the only person I know who shops at Tower regularly, is a friend from Manhattan, for whom Tower is THE record store, more out of habit than anything else. I think I've bought 4 things from them, and one was so I could attend a signing.

[Dan Apodaca]

The Southern California Towers have always been pretty good about inventory. Compared to independent record stores, Tower could hold up in everything except the *really* obscure stuff.

See, this is where we have to just chalk it up to having different experiences. Because that is the fundamental opposite of what I've seen. I specifically remember not being able to even find a movie soundtrack at Tower Records.

I wonder if your idea of "really obscure" music is more broad than others.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Either the Tower Records' in other cities were WAY better than the ones here, or you people need to seriuosly try going to a record store.
Show me a decent one in Phoenix, and I'd gladly shop there. It's not like Tower was my only music-buying destination, but it was better than any of the other corporate monoliths (including the local Virgin Megastore, which has gone into one of the worst commercial tailspins I've ever seen). My music buying has been non-rock-oriented for a while, and no local indie shops cater to that.

I probably spend more time in record (i.e. vinyl) stores than CD stores, though, if that's what you meant.

[i_mmmchocolate]

They're going out of business and their prices (with discounts) are still too high.

[Jonathan Bogart]

They're going out of business and their prices (with discounts) are still too high.
I'll agree with that. I just bought six CDs, six DVDs, and a book at the local store (I don't think I'll be back before it's gone), and it cost about a hundred dollars more than I would have liked.

Of course, I bought import CDs and small-label DVDs. The Criterion Collection is expensive everywhere.

Which reminds me: Tower was the only store I ever saw that carried the wonderful Fatty Arbuckle box set -- even Amazon didn't have it when I bought it from Tower. That alone will make me miss them.

[Ontir]

There just aren't too many "Indie" and "Underground" classical and jazz record stores out there, are there? The Virgin Megastore up on Sunset used to have a huge, beautiful classical room, which was fairly soundproofed against the rest of the store. It's now the house/techno/dance/rave room. I know years ago (pre-Amazon), I was looking for a copy of Jessye Norman's recording of Berlioz' Nuits d'Ete, and had an awful time, even with a specialty store, which tried to order it for me.

[the film freak]

In all honesty, the only person I know who shops at Tower regularly, is a friend from Manhattan, for whom Tower is THE record store, more out of habit than anything else. I think I've bought 4 things from them, and one was so I could attend a signing.

The music store on Broadway and 4th isn't anything special. At least what I listen to. Doesn't help it's across the street from Other Music. They had better prices then Virgin. I usually went to Tower for New Releases. The Video Store has a decent selection and the prices arent too bad. It's sort of a happy medium between Virgin and Best Buy.

[i_mmmchocolate]

I'll agree with that. I just bought six CDs, six DVDs, and a book at the local store (I don't think I'll be back before it's gone), and it cost about a hundred dollars more than I would have liked.
I was hoping they had slashed prices in half.

10% just doesn't cut it, dagnabit!

[david r]

Tower's founder, 81-year-old Russ Solomon, plans to start a new record store in Sacramento called Resurrection Records. Russ would like to use one or two of the existing Tower Records locations, if possible.

He says he is trying to find investors to take part in this deal, but is having difficulty. Many feel that the record store concept is dead, but in fact, many small music shops can still make money catering to specific tastes.

[Valmore]

Tower's founder, 81-year-old Russ Solomon, plans to start a new record store in Sacramento called Resurrection Records. Russ would like to use one or two of the existing Tower Records locations, if possible.

He says he is trying to find investors to take part in this deal, but is having difficulty. Many feel that the record store concept is dead, but in fact, many small music shops can still make money catering to specific tastes.

Yeah, but is his concept of his new store pretty much Tower Records in one place? Because if it is - why would anyone back a dying breed?

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Tower's founder, 81-year-old Russ Solomon, plans to start a new record store in Sacramento called Resurrection Records. Russ would like to use one or two of the existing Tower Records locations, if possible.

He says he is trying to find investors to take part in this deal, but is having difficulty. Many feel that the record store concept is dead, but in fact, many small music shops can still make money catering to specific tastes.


This seems like a long shot. With smaller chains in and all , many will see this as a new attempt at remaking Tower. I'll hate to see it fall , but they should have saw how things were falling in 2001 and planned better.

[Buried Alien]

Yeah, but is his concept of his new store pretty much Tower Records in one place? Because if it is - why would anyone back a dying breed?

I think only the bean counters (my apologies to the fine professional accountants out there) really consider record stores a "dying breed." To people who really care about their music, there will always be the need for retailers such as Tower.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Ontir]

Tower's founder, 81-year-old Russ Solomon, plans to start a new record store in Sacramento called Resurrection Records. Russ would like to use one or two of the existing Tower Records locations, if possible.

He says he is trying to find investors to take part in this deal, but is having difficulty. Many feel that the record store concept is dead, but in fact, many small music shops can still make money catering to specific tastes.

In order for "Resurrection" to work, it would have to focus on DJ Culture (Vinyl), Classical, Jazz, Big Band, and non-pop/rock independent music, as well as indies.

[Valmore]

I think only the bean counters (my apologies to the fine professional accountants out there) really consider record stores a "dying breed." To people who really care about their music, there will always be the need for retailers such as Tower.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

People who care about their music are going to find a specialized place to cater to their tastes. Be it an indie store or online outlets, it'll beat Tower in selection and/or prices. And the general populace is going to find a place that doesn't charge $18.00 for a single-disc CD like Tower Records.

Tower Records is a dinosaur.

[Buried Alien]

Tower Records is a dinosaur.

Yeah, but I sympathize with dinosaurs.

Those who aren't computer conversant deserve to be able to get their music too...without needing to cross rivers, lakes, and valleys to do so.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Valmore]

Yeah, but I sympathize with dinosaurs.

Those who aren't computer conversant deserve to be able to get their music too...without needing to cross rivers, lakes, and valleys to do so.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

But here's the problem - the general populace tends to like what's mainstream, and want to get it at the best price possible. This is where most music sales lie, in availability of the latest hot act at a reasonable price.

When one can get U2's latest album or Gwen Steffani's latest for $12 at Wal*Mart, that denies Tower sales of those CDs at $16 to $18 a pop for the same disc. This sucks out the majority of music buyers, leaving Tower Records as a large outlet with overpriced mainstream CDs and maybe a few lesser-known discs you can't get elsewhere easily. You can't run a retail outlet selling mostly what an Indie Store does. You're just not going to make enough money to pay your employees and overhead and turn a profit.

Instead of solving the problem, Tower chugged along like nothing was wrong. And it killed them.

[Buried Alien]

But here's the problem - the general populace tends to like what's mainstream, and want to get it at the best price possible. This is where most music sales lie, in availability of the latest hot act at a reasonable price.

When one can get U2's latest album or Gwen Steffani's latest for $12 at Wal*Mart, that denies Tower sales of those CDs at $16 to $18 a pop for the same disc. This sucks out the majority of music buyers, leaving Tower Records as a large outlet with overpriced mainstream CDs and maybe a few lesser-known discs you can't get elsewhere easily. You can't run a retail outlet selling mostly what an Indie Store does. You're just not going to make enough money to pay your employees and overhead and turn a profit.

Instead of solving the problem, Tower chugged along like nothing was wrong. And it killed them.

What about the market that isn't served by either the other retailers (i.e. Borders, Sam Goody, Best Buy) or the indie stores? Many people's tastes (including mine) aren't served by either of these, but were pretty well served by Tower. For example, I tend to buy CDs that are reissues or high-end compilations of works by major 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s mainstream rock performers. Borders and Best Buy don't carry these because they're not "mainstream" enough (i.e. it's not Jay-Z, Fergie, or Linkin Park), but they're also too mainstream for indie stores (Amoeba aside, the indie stores generally don't cater to the Elvis/Beatles/Rolling Stones crowd). Tower had the benefit of serving that market and, for me personally, being about 1/5 the drive I would have to make to get to Amoeba.

There was definitely a demographic that Tower served well...that neither the other big name retail chains nor the indie stores did.



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Dan Apodaca]

There was definitely a demographic that Tower served well...that neither the other big name retail chains nor the indie stores did.

But can't you get all that kind of stuff online, often for cheaper?

And that's no travel whatsoever.

[Buried Alien]

But can't you get all that kind of stuff online, often for cheaper?

And that's no travel whatsoever.

Sometimes, maybe...it depends on handling and shipping. Also, I only do online orders as a last resort. I'm not too crazy about sharing my credit card information online, and I do prefer to get stuff *today* when I can rather than have to wait an indeterminate amount of time for both the merchant and its chosen form of package carrier to get their act together.

Moreover, there are plenty of people out there who don't do online business AT ALL, and would prefer or even need to shop the traditional way.

I'm no Luddite and I can see the benefits of online purchasing, but traditional commerce should not be done away with because it still works best for many people.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[the film freak]

Amazon usually has my stuff in two days. And that's just standard post.

You can always ask Borders to order stuff for you if they don't have something in stock. It takes a while though.

Yeah I prefer to buy stuff at the store. But if I can't there's options.

[david r]

Buried Alive makes two excellent points.

--I also do not like to give my credit card information online. I know this is a prehistoric idea, but I don't feel comfortable doing financial transactions online. Every person I know who has made purchases online have gotten burned. It always seems to happen, and I don't trust it. A "brick-and-mortar" store takes care of that problem, like it has for decades.

--I must have the same musical tastes as Buried Alive, because I like music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, etc also. Who else but Tower would carry an obscure Johnny Cash CD? Or every single Bob Dylan, Elton John, or Rolling Stones CD? Or if I want the fourth Doors CD, is Wal-Mart going to have it? Does Target or Best Buy carry a deep catalogue of music from artists?

For someone like me who doesn't do commerce online, where else can I get a deep catalogue from popular artists. The major retailers only carry Greatest Hits packages, or the biggest selling CDs. Indie stores that cater to exotic tastes is fine, but they don't carry a deep catalogue from major artists. Now that Tower is gone, who else carries an artists' entire catalogue and career?

[Valmore]

--I must have the same musical tastes as Buried Alive, because I like music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, etc also. Who else but Tower would carry an obscure Johnny Cash CD? Or every single Bob Dylan, Elton John, or Rolling Stones CD? Or if I want the fourth Doors CD, is Wal-Mart going to have it? Does Target or Best Buy carry a deep catalogue of music from artists?

And ordering stock they can't move is another problem Tower Records probably had. Having every single CD from an artist is a sure way to have CDs gathering dust on the shelves, and you still have to PAY to have those CDs there. It isn't free to have CDs on the shelf - you pay distribution companies to have them.


For someone like me who doesn't do commerce online, where else can I get a deep catalogue from popular artists. The major retailers only carry Greatest Hits packages, or the biggest selling CDs. Indie stores that cater to exotic tastes is fine, but they don't carry a deep catalogue from major artists. Now that Tower is gone, who else carries an artists' entire catalogue and career?

Hopefully nobody, because nobody could afford to have all of those CDs sit on the shelf with little hope of moving them.

And most Indie stores, recognizing business when they see it, would be interested in special ordering CDs in the hopes of keeping the person as a customer. Kind of like asking your comic book store owner to order a book he normally wouldn't carry for you.

[curefreak]

its really weird a lot of the corperate record stores have gone away in the last couple of years here.
but the ones that are still chugging along are the locally owned "mom and pop" stores,
ive always wanted to go to a tower records just to see what the hubbub was about i guess ill never know.
i went to fye for the first time last week and i couldnt even find any santanna !

[the film freak]

Buried Alive makes two excellent points.

--I also do not like to give my credit card information online. I know this is a prehistoric idea, but I don't feel comfortable doing financial transactions online. Every person I know who has made purchases online have gotten burned. It always seems to happen, and I don't trust it. A "brick-and-mortar" store takes care of that problem, like it has for decades.

--I must have the same musical tastes as Buried Alive, because I like music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, etc also. Who else but Tower would carry an obscure Johnny Cash CD? Or every single Bob Dylan, Elton John, or Rolling Stones CD? Or if I want the fourth Doors CD, is Wal-Mart going to have it? Does Target or Best Buy carry a deep catalogue of music from artists?

For someone like me who doesn't do commerce online, where else can I get a deep catalogue from popular artists. The major retailers only carry Greatest Hits packages, or the biggest selling CDs. Indie stores that cater to exotic tastes is fine, but they don't carry a deep catalogue from major artists. Now that Tower is gone, who else carries an artists' entire catalogue and career?

I made purchases online and haven't had too much trouble. I generally stick with established vendors like Amazon. Once in a while they send me the wrong thing or it was damaged and had to send it back and get a replacement. But I didn't lose any sleep over it. Most of time I've gotten what I wanted in decent shape.

If you are really paranoid about credit card info. A lot of stores like Borders and even some of your smaller stores will order stuff for you if you ask them too. You might have to put some money up front and wait a few weeks but otherwise most people are willing to help you out. In the case of the smaller stores it's in their best interest to help you get what you want.

As for obscure records I never really been able to find any obscure CDs at the Tower in NYC even form the 60s. They had a better selection then Best Buy but that's it. Might be different where you are at but if I wanted something difficult to find I went elsewhere.

BTW it's Buried Alien.

[the film freak]

And most Indie stores, recognizing business when they see it, would be interested in special ordering CDs in the hopes of keeping the person as a customer. Kind of like asking your comic book store owner to order a book he normally wouldn't carry for you.

I went to Tower yesterday for their going out of business sale and see if I can get any decent prices and didn't see much that caught my eye and it stlll cost about 15 bucks a CD (with the sale). I went to Virgin bought three Byrds CDs for about ten bucks instead.

The video store didn't have much either. Of course the sale had been going on for a few days but they still had a lot of stuff in the store.

[Valmore]

I went to Tower yesterday for their going out of business sale and see if I can get any decent prices and didn't see much that caught my eye and it stlll cost about 15 bucks a CD (with the sale). I went to Virgin bought three Byrds CDs for about ten bucks instead.

The video store didn't have much either. Of course the sale had been going on for a few days but they still had a lot of stuff in the store.

$15 for on-sale discs? See, even on sale Tower Records' prices are fairly high. You can get more recent stuff for cheaper elsewhere and have stores order things for you for about the same or less.

Three Byrds CDs for $10? Now THAT'S a great deal. That's the sort of thing that's going to keep customers coming back to the store.

[cadmium_blimp]

I agree with Buried Alien about ordering things from the internet. Somehow, it is easier for me to wait months for a CD I'm going to buy from a store than it is for me to order it from the internet. I absolutely hate going to the post office every day only for the CD not to be there.

[scratchie]

$15 for on-sale discs? See, even on sale Tower Records' prices are fairly high. You can get more recent stuff for cheaper elsewhere and have stores order things for you for about the same or less.

Three Byrds CDs for $10? Now THAT'S a great deal. That's the sort of thing that's going to keep customers coming back to the store.Yeah. Bingo. I can't remember the last time I was a regular customer of Tower Records -- it was at least ten years ago -- because their combination of high prices and unexceptional selection never made it worth the trip. I guess, at one point (like 15-20 years ago) Tower was the place to go if you wanted to buy a hard-to-find album, but that hasn't been the case for a long time.

And their prices are ridiculous. I don't remember them being this high in the past, but when I was there on Saturday, I saw a Brian Eno album for $17.99 (less 15%) which I had just purchased for $9.99 across the street.

[Ilash]

I went to Tower yesterday for their going out of business sale and see if I can get any decent prices and didn't see much that caught my eye and it stlll cost about 15 bucks a CD (with the sale). I went to Virgin bought three Byrds CDs for about ten bucks instead.

The video store didn't have much either. Of course the sale had been going on for a few days but they still had a lot of stuff in the store.

Wow, great deal on The Byrds albums. Which ones were they, out of interest?

[the film freak]

Wow, great deal on The Byrds albums. Which ones were they, out of interest?

Mr. Tamborine Man
Turn, Turn, Turn
5th Dimension

I generally like the Gene Clark stuff the best. Having trouble finding one of his solo albums though. I forget the name but it has "Tried So Hard" on it. I know what the cover looks like.

[the film freak]

$15 for on-sale discs? See, even on sale Tower Records' prices are fairly high. You can get more recent stuff for cheaper elsewhere and have stores order things for you for about the same or less.

Well just things I wanted to buy. Stuff I didn't want to buy was cheaper.


Three Byrds CDs for $10? Now THAT'S a great deal. That's the sort of thing that's going to keep customers coming back to the store.

10 dollars each. Still pretty good deal though. Tower didn't even have those CDs.Even before the sale the only the Essential Byrds collection. And some of the later records.

Virgin goes crazy sometimes. They always have these 10 dollar movie and CD sales I take advantage of. I kind wonder how long THEY might stay in business. They still won't put any of the good David Bowie records on sale.

[Valmore]

10 dollars each. Still pretty good deal though. Tower didn't even have those CDs.Even before the sale the only the Essential Byrds collection. And some of the later records.

$30 for 3 Byrds CDs is still a heckuva deal. Especially since the Byrds put out some darn fine music.


Virgin goes crazy sometimes. They always have these 10 dollar movie and CD sales I take advantage of. I kind wonder how long THEY might stay in business. They still won't put any of the good David Bowie records on sale.

I need to see if there's a Virgin record store around here.

[the film freak]

I need to see if there's a Virgin record store around here.

I think stores tend to vary from city to city. My brother tells me there was a Virgin in Detroit but it sucks (at least the last time I went there). While Borders in the Detroit area has a great selection I've been kind of dissappointed by the Borders in New York.

Harmony House was where I usually went as a kid and a couple of the smaller shops in Royal Oak were great. So I've been more into the smaller stores when I was younger. In general the Detroit area is a pretty good area to get music. At least when I was living there.

[Serik]

I grew up in Sacramento (where Tower got its start) and Tower Books and Music sold everything overpriced. I for one don't give a hoot that this company is going under. If you can't compete with the cheaper retailers, that's your problem.

Free market ftw.

[Buried Alien]

I grew up in Sacramento (where Tower got its start) and Tower Books and Music sold everything overpriced. I for one don't give a hoot that this company is going under. If you can't compete with the cheaper retailers, that's your problem.

Free market ftw.

There's alot of "Woohoo! Another Evil Corporate Giant is dead! Score one for the cool rebel guys!" sentiment going on here. People can choose to shop where they want, but I fail to see how having one less option (and a BIG option at that) is something that's *good* for consumers and worth celebrating.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[the film freak]

There's alot of "Woohoo! Another Evil Corporate Giant is dead! Score one for the cool rebel guys!' sentiment going on here. People can choose to shop where they want, but I fail to see how having one less option (and a BIG option at that) is something that's *good* for consumers and worth celebrating.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I don't know. A couple people including me said they like going to Amazon and Virgin to get music and I hardly call those the "little guys."

I agree it's one less option for me. But it wasn't that great of an option to begin with. It's kind of like when the shitty comic book store that was a block away from me shut down. It was convienent but that's basically it. But I love comics so you know what I went to a better store several blocks away.

[howyadoin]

Another great resource for online purchases is CD Baby (http://cdbaby.com). Really fast deliveries, and tons of cool indie shit for sale.

[Valmore]

There's alot of "Woohoo! Another Evil Corporate Giant is dead! Score one for the cool rebel guys!" sentiment going on here. People can choose to shop where they want, but I fail to see how having one less option (and a BIG option at that) is something that's *good* for consumers and worth celebrating.[/COLOR]

I wouldn't say I'm celebrating, per say. It's just that I'm not really broken up over the loss of what appeared to be a mediocre choice for buying music.

If I want new stuff at the best prices, Tower was usually beaten by any number of places from Best Buy to Wal*Mart. Neither of those guys are small-time businesses.

If I needed something with a bit more selection, Tower can't generally beat Amazon.com, which will also generally have a better price. And Amazon isn't small, either.

And if I needed something special ordered, I'd rather support a small, local indie place, who would be more enthusiastic about getting it for me than Tower. And the prices would probably be about the same.

[scratchie]

There's alot of "Woohoo! Another Evil Corporate Giant is dead! Score one for the cool rebel guys!" sentiment going on here. People can choose to shop where they want, but I fail to see how having one less option (and a BIG option at that) is something that's *good* for consumers and worth celebrating.I don't think people are celebrating. The most common sentiment seems to be "Oh well, I never shopped there much anyway" or "I haven't shopped there in years". It's never worth celebrating when a music store goes under, but it's hard to get too worked up about it when I literally can't remember the last time I bought anything there. (And when I did, it was probably a bunch of three-for-fifteen-bucks public domain movie DVDs).

Getting back to one of your earlier posts, it's been a long time since Tower was a destination for finding obscure albums, at least in my neck of the woods. You're right that they've probably lost a lot of mainstream business to the Wal-Marts and the Best Buys, but if they couldn't adapt (and, seemingly, they couldn't), they die. That's the free market.

Anybody who's interested in off-the-beaten-track music has, undoubtedly, already found an alternate source (either at a local shop that knows its customers or on the internet).

[Serik]

There's alot of "Woohoo! Another Evil Corporate Giant is dead! Score one for the cool rebel guys!" sentiment going on here. People can choose to shop where they want, but I fail to see how having one less option (and a BIG option at that) is something that's *good* for consumers and worth celebrating.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

It's not so much celebration as it is indifference. Every forum I post on has a topic about Tower Records' closing as if it's a tragedy. They simply failed to compete with superior retailers and now they're paying the cost. That's all.

Tower lost on both counts; it couldn’t match the cheap prices of the big retailers or the personality of the indie music shops.