Tom 1960 Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 Tower Records has been in a state of steady decline for several years. Stores have closed all over the place. I'm still getting over the fact that Tower closed their Boston store on Newbury and Mass Ave. Yes, and ones that haven't closed have slashed their jazz sections down to microscopic size. Sad. Fortunately, not true for my local Tower on the upper west side of Manhattan near Lincoln Center. It has a huge jazz section downstairs with a big selection. They converted the whole downstairs into jazz, blues, oldies, soul, etc. I spend a lot of time in there. I've got to get my butt down there soon! One wonders how much time is left for Tower? Very sad to read these news reports. Man, this sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Went tonight to Tower. They used to have a separate section in the downstairs devoted to new releases in classical. Not any more! When I asked about it, the fellow said that the summer was slow for new releases and that the "new" section was probably discontinued because of that. uh, huh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Went tonight to Tower. They used to have a separate section in the downstairs devoted to new releases in classical. Not any more! When I asked about it, the fellow said that the summer was slow for new releases and that the "new" section was probably discontinued because of that. uh, huh. NOT good..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 I have to say that I wasn't talking to the classical/jazz guy himself - they are never there at night. This was just a guy who just happened to be downstairs straightening up things. It used to be nice checking out those 4 or 5 rows of new things, but in the last 9 months or so, I've noticed that they would put older discs in there for filler and then they began putting new classical DVDs in the same space. When I paid, I casually asked if they'd be open tonight to midnight and another fellow said that they'd be open even later due to their policy of providing early Tuesday new releases. I'm surprised that they're still getting those based on what I've read so far. Late start-early closing last night, so I'm probably going back tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 In August of '73 I drove across the country from New Jersey to San Francisco with a buddy. When in Los Angeles we stopped at the Tower on the Sunset Strip. I had never seen such a place. I remember buying Mark Murphy's first Muse LP, Bridging a Gap, which was new at the time. Ah, the memories of that fine emporium . Picked up lots of Japanese import Blue Note titles there (including a rare sighting for the time of the Tyrone Washington). The range they had in the early to mid 1990s was pretty astonishing. Indeed. The Tower at Columbus and Bay streets here in town used to have a great jazz section. I bought loads of stuff there right up through the early 2000's. Used to be a great place to just browse too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Get 10% Off Your Next Order of $20 or More! Use Coupon Code: AUGUST7 Plus! Free Standard Shipping! Free 2nd Business Day Shipping on Orders Over $100! Online Only. Offer Ends August 7, 2006. Some Restrictions Apply - Click for Details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted August 7, 2006 Report Share Posted August 7, 2006 Just did a search for some Cal Tjader OJC's..... Latin Kick and Tjader Plays Mambo..... neither one listed...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted August 8, 2006 Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 DO NOT ORDER FROM TOWER! From CDBaby, who sells our CDs: Due to an administration change at Tower, CD Baby's deal with Tower has been indefinitely put on hiatus. Read the news here: http://news.google.com/news?q=tower+records If you have links to tower.com website, you should remove them, because they are not selling any CD Baby CDs anymore. We will take the responsibility of making sure you get paid for sales that already happened, but there will be no more sales through tower.com in the future. They are going under, folks! Don't order from them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trane_fanatic Posted August 8, 2006 Report Share Posted August 8, 2006 (edited) I stopped in at the Tower on Columbus & Bay here in SF last night to pick up Sun Ra's "Space Is The Place" at the Impulse sale. Asked the young lady at the counter whether they are closing down and her reply was "No, we always have sales." Take it FWIW. Is Tower going the way of Whorehouse Music & Sam Fooley? Time will tell. As a former Whorehouse employee, I can relate to upper management lying about they are in good shape, everything's gonna be alright and one day, boom... the ax falls on everybody. Edited August 8, 2006 by trane_fanatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 I stopped in at the Tower on Columbus & Bay here in SF last night to pick up Sun Ra's "Space Is The Place" at the Impulse sale. Asked the young lady at the counter whether they are closing down and her reply was "No, we always have sales." Take it FWIW. Is Tower going the way of Whorehouse Music & Sam Fooley? Time will tell. As a former Whorehouse employee, I can relate to upper management lying about they are in good shape, everything's gonna be alright and one day, boom... the ax falls on everybody. As a former Music Plus employee....I concur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILLYQ Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 It's not looking good for Tower at all. I googled 'Tower Records bankruptcy' because I vaguely remembered them filing. Tower filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2004 because they couldn't find a buyer, and they still can't find a buyer. The major music companies have now refused to supply Tower with additional product after Tower informed them that Tower would not be paying any outstanding invoices. Tower is also on their 3rd CEO in 4 years, the latest a turnaround specialist. Upcoming liquidation sale is my best guess. It's very rare that a company comes out of Chapter 11, as Tower did, and survives for long afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Last week I received a special order for some Japanese cds. It took them about two weeks to fill the order. The cds cost me about 50% less they I could find anywhere else online. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought they don't charge your credit card until the items ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 It's not looking good for Tower at all. I googled 'Tower Records bankruptcy' because I vaguely remembered them filing. Tower filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2004 because they couldn't find a buyer, and they still can't find a buyer. The major music companies have now refused to supply Tower with additional product after Tower informed them that Tower would not be paying any outstanding invoices. Tower is also on their 3rd CEO in 4 years, the latest a turnaround specialist. Upcoming liquidation sale is my best guess. It's very rare that a company comes out of Chapter 11, as Tower did, and survives for long afterwards. They came out of bankrupcy extremely quickly last time, because the majors couldn't let such a major retailer die. Whether they are willing to let it die now is the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffrey r Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 I just got this interesting e-mail from Tower regarding a special order item I had ordered. "Dear Jeffrey, Due to some major changes currently happening at Tower.com/Tower Records, including the sale of the company, the backordered item(s) on your order# xxxxx have been cancelled as they are temporarily unavailable at this time." Strange they would mention the sale of a company in a cancellation e-mail. Be that as it may, my local Tower is still up and running, well stocked and well staffed. I don't see any major changes happening anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 I haven't yet received a similar email for my backordered (and OOP) titles. I did just get a "buy 4 get 1 free" promotion notice that is in-store only and limited to CD/DVD stock on hand. Now through Sept 4. Vulture circling time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morganized Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 I haven't yet received a similar email for my backordered (and OOP) titles. I did just get a "buy 4 get 1 free" promotion notice that is in-store only and limited to CD/DVD stock on hand. Now through Sept 4. Vulture circling time? Yea, I just received the same email. Could it mean a Sept. closing for the brick and mortar stores? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris olivarez Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 It doesn't sound good. Could a liquidation sale be too far away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Sadly, buy 4 get 1 free is just not too compelling when they price most Blue Note midlines at $12.99. Perhaps this vulture will swoop down before prices fall to Concordian levels, but it ain't happening yet/now. They want to move product, how 'bout one of them $7.99 spectaculars they used to have every year or so (back in the day)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 It's doesn't look good. I stopped at a Tower around Huntington L.I. yesterday and the selection is definitely thinning out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted August 11, 2006 Report Share Posted August 11, 2006 Hitting the downtown Tower in NYC was a treat I looked forward to back in the day. There was always a great selection of jazz, blues, r&b, ethnic - just a lot of great music to choose from. These days, buying online is just easier - tho I'd patronize Tower if one were nearby. Hope they make it, just for the old time connection I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Tower Records died out in my town three years ago. Figures. At $18-20 bucks a pop....nobody is going there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 I was there again today. Now, there's nobody working downstairs [the jazz, classical, (non-rock) area of the store]. This used to be the case during the night hours, but, today, it was smack dab in the middle of a Friday afternoon. They just stuck on some Les Miserables to serenade whomever and closed the counter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 In Chicago, there are two Tower stores (that I shop at anyway). One is a kind of dingy place downtown that I rarely go in. When I do, the only thing I look at are the new releases, since they have discounts. The normal prices are always too high. The other has a nicer layout and is a better shopping experience, esp. to browse for jazz, but is a bit far from where I lived. So I very rarely patronized Tower when I was in Chicago. On the other hand, I used to spend quite a bit of time in the Manhattan Tower on Broadway in the Village (and almost never the one near Lincoln Center). That one was quite amazing to me years and years ago. But I still spent much more of my money at the Tower Outlet store across the street. I suppose like most Americans, I'm willing to give up the browsing factor and the immediate gratification of the B & M store, and replaced it with internet shopping for better deals and looking forward to things arriving in the mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sailor Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 I was a teen (1977) when I first stepped into a Tower Records. At that age, I like meandering at the Billboard Hot 100 singles wall. Selectively picking weird song titles and picture sleeves that stuck out visually. The summer of 1978, taking my paper route proceeds, I remember seeing the Rolling Stones “Beast of Burden” picture sleeve, I did not get the record opting for some oldies – years later I met an owner of a record store who did get one (from the same store) and sold it on ebay for an ungodly amount. If I could go back in time. Sigh. But below the wall of Hot 100 were the bin of oldie re-issues hence my unceasing addiction to the 45 rpm. I have many good memories about some of the knowledgeable sales clerks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris olivarez Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 Tower Records died out in my town three years ago. Figures. At $18-20 bucks a pop....nobody is going there. When I was in San Francisco on buisness I used to like to go to the Tower which wasn't too far from the hotel that I stayed at(the St Francis Westin). Is that the Tower you were referring to?If it is that's too bad because it was pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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