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In Reply to: RE: 'All Things Must Pass' - Tower Records documentary posted by mbnx01 on July 17, 2016 at 20:30:40
I saw an early screening of ATMP about a year ago at the Arclight theaters in Hollywood, with the film makers and Russ Solomon himself there, in a great Q&A after the movie. --Very good doc., though I was a just a bit disappointed and perplexed by the lack of mention of Tower's competition in the 70's and 80's, especially The Wherehouse record chain, as well as Licorice Pizza, etc. That competition was at least one of the important factors that contributed to Tower's eventual downfall. --Granted, I'm biased, as I worked for Wherehouse records in the late 70's.
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Never heard of them, and they certainly didn't exist in New York City or elsewhere in the Northeast. Were those chains on the West Coast?At its zenith, Tower had 3 big stores within a two block radius in Greenwich Village and another huge store on the Upper West Side. There were also Tower stores in the NYC suburbs (I once spied Tom Gillete AKA Stereophile's "Sam Tellig" in the magazine section of the Stamford CT Tower).
Edits: 07/22/16
We had three Tower Records in San Diego by the '80s. But also other "major" chains such as several Wherehouses and at least a couple of Licorice Pizzas. Plus there were many independent stores selling new and/or used records and cassettes. By mid-decade add CDs, and major retailers such as Target and WalMart expanded their music sections.
But no doubt Tower ruled. They had the largest selection and usually had staff in each section who were knowledgeable and helpful, whether for newbies or dedicated shoppers looking for rare finds. They remained the busiest and frequently had lines at the registers.
It couldn't have been simply competition or the strongest would have survived. So other factors - failed business management? over extended financially? expansion of the internet and online shopping? changing tastes in the market? No simple answer I'm sure.
"The piano ain't got no wrong notes." Thelonious Monk
Chula Vista, El Cajon Blvd, and Sports Area. I used to go to all mostly the El Cajon Blvd one. Sometimes you would even get to see some artist there signing autographs.
I still remember the day I walked into the El Cajon Tower records and all the Lp's were gone. Just in one weeks time. I was like "What the F".
Sony and all the rest of the major record labels decide to stop making LP's in favor of pushing the new format CD. So Glad the LP has made a come back.
What the record companies didn't know was that LP's were still selling in the USED record store market and could never see the actual numbers of LP sales.
No competition really played a big role. Yes there was Napster and I lived rural by then and was buying mostly online so the net had more effect than other retail competitors.
Must have been great to be at that screening. Russ is an icon.
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
from within. The Columbus Ave. shop was also a one-stop and the many times I purchased
LPs there for resale I know nothing was rung up when paying cash. Also, if you knew anyone
working there at the registers, the discount was almost... embarrassing.
Alas, almost every record shop I ever bought records from had similarities, but
that was usually used records so the mark-up was good and the discounts appreciated.
Tower on Columbus was a jewell through the 1970's until the advent of CDs,
Heaven on Earth for music lovers.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I'll never forget sitting on the floor six feet away from Cowboy Junkies doing an in-store there.
That was always a stop for me when I'd buzz up to the City.
See ya. Dave
Poo-Bahs. On Walnut Ave. Talk about eclectic selections!
. . . he related the story of some precocious kid who told his dad that he knew why the store was called The Wherehouse: "It's because you have to know where it is before you can go there."
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