Though it’s true that Tower Records filed for bankruptcy… it’s not true that it’s been “cut off by several major distributors”. In a statement that Tower’s CEO made yesterday, Tower has renegotiated with the trade for product, and it’s business as usual. You can still go into any Tower and buy music, movies, games and gadgets.

Tower Records holds a ton of memories for me. The store in Austin, TX introduced me to so much music – just literally by spending hours in there. It’s an unfortunate circumstance that a second party cannot step in and save the day.

The end looks inevitable now.

RIP.

Wow, you must work there… or something. lol

It’s exciting to hear Jeff Beck will tackle conventional rock music again – but here’s hoping he doesn’t make a conventional record.

I’ve always liked Beth Hart and her worn, weathered whiskey voice. I can already hear her singing those classic Rod Stewart songs off of “Truth”.

Let’s hope Jeff Beck is the comeback story of the year.

HA!

No, I never worked there. I’m just a music fan that appreciates a record store that had something for everyone.

And a store that opened my eyes to so much great stuff.

Tht’s all.

Business is business, but it’s just a sad deal.

ummm I go to Tower Records all the time…and they have every album ever made there….what are you guys talking about?

sorry… that was for the first comment. damn upload time…

An ex Tower buyer once told me that Tower used to have a policy with their distributors, where you had to agree to NET 364 day terms. so if they ordered from you on Jan 1 you would get paid on Dec 31…and they could always return the disc on Dec 30th and order it again the next week! So it turned into consigment.This was for the smaller labels of course, but also for medium size labels of Jazz, world, New Age etc.
I have no idea if this still goes on, but it shows you just how much trouble the record stores are in.

Best Buy and Circuit City can get by losing money on CDs, and the small stores just barely survive. The Sam Goodys and Towers of the world will (sadly) be gone soon. Glad I sold my CD shop back in 1998

Tower Records? People still go there? I thought the high prices, crummy selection and the general lack of knowledge by the employees drove the customers away a long time ago. No wonder they have filed for bankruptcy yet again.

……..no big loss in my opinion, just another corporate music lacky trying to take everyone’s money.

Interesting that even though Tower was supposedly “cut off by several major distributors,” I was able to buy new releases there TODAY – including the newest issue of ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE. Check your facts.

I haven’t been to Tower Records since the black hip hop girls behind the counter ridiculed me for buying a Mister Bungle cassette. Fuck that place.

The Tower here only got one of this week’s new release DVDs in, Posideon. They said all the others didn’t arrive yet because they were cut off from the distributors

Sorry Tower. If you really want the newest CDs or DVDs for the cheapest price, come to the best music store that truly cares about Music and Film: BEST BUY. Also, please buy a refrigerator and/or hi-def plasma screen on the way out.

I like the lame quote from “Grim Reality”:

Yeah, whatever. Their commitment to service is as miserable as their dreadful, pedestrian, “greatest hit-centric” selection.

Thanks for the shout out Sphagnum.

I like your quote too. Your writing is a brilliant amalgamation of the Elegant Elliot Offen and the comic shop owner from The Simpsons. Can you add me as a friend to your Myspace page?

tower never had “net never” terms with anybody. The most I ever heard was net 90.

sorry to see them go as they were the best record store ever. blame your kids and the digital age for the decline, not the music in general

In reading these submissions, I couldn’t help but think of my Saturday mornings spent at Tower Records after payday. I spent a lot of money those days in Tower. I’m old enough to remember the days of the LP’s. I remember the average price for an LP, in the early 80’s, was about $10. I can remember Tower being hesitant to go full on into CDs when they first came out. I remember CDs first came out in those long waste of cardboard packages. Tower didn’t have the racks that could accommodate CDs, so they just put them next to the LPs. Tower’s costs for the CDs were so outrages, that I didn’t get into CDs right off the bat. I finally took in the CD format but, Tower really never lowered their prices. You would have an occasional AC\DC Cd for about $10 but, on the average, Tower’s prices were too pricey for me. This was about 1989. I remember thinking that it would not be a big surprise if Tower Records went out of business. I remember abandoning Tower for the used cd stores. I would still go there to browse but, I knew I could find what I was looking for somewhere else. Today, I’ve adapted to the ways of the internet, and it doesn’t bother me. I think Tower Records, for me, was a good place to browse. I don’t buy much music anymore, I have everything I would want. Tower Records gave me a good place to pass the time and it gave me ideas of what I would want to buy. I’m fine with their demise but, RIP anyways.