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The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

Hey folks, long-time vinyl collector here. Let's hit rewind and talk about Tower Records. It was THE place for music enthusiasts to score records, CDs, and merch. At its peak in the 90s, Tower had the vibe every record store strived for. Then, bam, digital music and poor management decisions took 'em down. They filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and by 2006 all U.S. stores were liquidated. It's like, one day you're on top selling that new Nirvana CD everyone wants, and the next, you're a case study in a business course. Anyone else remember the smell of vinyl in those aisles?

Submitted 7 months, 3 weeks ago by retailpocalypse


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I inherited a bunch of my dad's old records from Tower, some of them still have the price tags on. Wish I could've seen it in its prime, seems like it was more than just a store but a place to live the music. Digital's convenient and all, but you lose the soul.

7 months, 3 weeks ago by TheAnalogKid

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It's that tangible experience ya know? Recommended by a human, not an algorithm. The crinkle of the plastic wrap, the glare off the glossy covers... Tower Records had that magic. Would pay good money for a time machine right about now to go back to that smell of fresh vinyl 😌

7 months, 3 weeks ago by SleeveSniffer

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lol vinyl smells better than the music sounds 🤣 y'all just hanging on to nostalgia. digital is clean, efficient, and doesn't take up half your living room with cardboard squares. move on peeps

7 months, 3 weeks ago by RandomRanter

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The Tower Records downfall is classic disruption theory in action. They failed to pivot when the digital age came barreling in. Should've invested in online sales early on instead of doubling down on their brick-and-mortar model. A cautionary tale for all retail businesses indeed.

7 months, 3 weeks ago by BizGrad_92

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Never been to Tower, I grew up on Spotify and iTunes 😂 But damn, the way you guys talk about it makes me wish I'd experienced it. Sounds like it was a community as much as a store.

7 months, 3 weeks ago by digitalmusicFTW

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Sigh, I remember going there when I was a teen. First time I ever heard about Green Day was in a Tower Records store. A complete bummer they couldn't keep up with the times. I sometimes pass by the old location and just feel the ghost of music past lol.

7 months, 3 weeks ago by 00sKidsRemember

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Dude, Tower Records was THE spot. Literally every weekend, I was there, fishing through the bins for those rare finds. The staff actually knew their stuff too. Like, you could ask them about some obscure band from the 70s, and they'd not only know who you were talking about but also recommend something similar. Miss those days, nothing compares now. Everything's too... sanitized. 😔

7 months, 3 weeks ago by VinylVeteran