Tower Records facts for kids
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| Music retailer | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Fate | Defunct, 2006–2020; Relaunched, 2020 |
| Founded | 1960 (as retail music chain) 1995 (as online retailer) |
| Headquarters | New York City, U.S. |
| Products | DVDs, compact discs, videos, video games, records, posters, books, collectibles, accessories |
Tower Records is a well-known international music store that used to have many physical shops. It started in Sacramento, California, USA. From 1960 until 2006, Tower Records had stores all over the United States. These stores closed down because the company faced financial problems.
However, Tower Records didn't disappear completely! A different company bought the brand. On November 13, 2020, Tower Records announced its return as an online store. They even have plans to open new physical stores in the future.
Contents
The Story of Tower Records
How Tower Records Started and Grew
In 1960, a man named Russell Solomon opened the very first Tower Records store. It was in Sacramento, California. He named it after his father's drugstore, which was in the same building as the Tower Theatre. That's where Russell first started selling records!
The first store that was just for Tower Records opened nearby. By 1976, Russell had also opened Tower Books, Posters, and Plants. This showed how much the business was growing. In 1995, Tower.com launched, making Tower Records one of the first stores to sell things online.
Tower Records quickly grew beyond Sacramento. Seven years after it started, a store opened in San Francisco. Then, in 1979, Tower Records began its business in Japan. The first international store opened in Sapporo, Japan, the very next year.
The company kept expanding, opening stores in many countries. These included the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, and Mexico. The Tower Records stores in Japan later became independent, meaning they run their own business now.
One of the most famous Tower Records stores was in West Hollywood, California. It was a special building that opened in 1971. Many staff members even helped build it themselves!
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In New York City, Tower Records had several stores. The main store was in Greenwich Village. There was also a Tower Video store that sold movies and books. Another popular location was near Lincoln Center, which was a favorite spot for people who worked in musical theater.
The Nashville store was also very popular. It was known for its late-night events when new music was released. Because it was close to "Music Row," where many country music stars work, you could sometimes see famous singers shopping or even performing there!
In 2005, Tower Records added "scan and listen" stations in its stores. These cool stations let customers listen to parts of CDs before buying them. You could also search for specific songs or artists.
The company also started the Tower Insider program in 2006. It was a free membership that gave customers coupons and special deals by email.
Besides compact discs and cassette tapes, Tower Records sold many other things. These included DVDs, video games, electronic gadgets like MP3 players, and even toys. Some stores also sold books.
Pulse! Magazine
In 1983, Tower Records started its own music magazine called Pulse!. It had music reviews, interviews with artists, and advertisements. At first, it was given away for free in their stores to help sell more music. Later, it was sold in other places too. The magazine was published every month until December 2002, when the company stopped its U.S. operations.
Why Tower Records Closed Its Stores
Tower Records faced big financial challenges. In 2004, the company had to file for bankruptcy. This means they needed help from the court to manage their debts. Some reasons for this included having a lot of debt from growing too quickly. They also faced strong competition from large discount stores and the rise of online music sharing.
In 2006, Tower Records filed for bankruptcy again. This led to the company's assets being sold off.
Closing Down and What Happened Next
On October 6, 2006, a company called Great American Group bought Tower Records' assets. They started "going-out-of-business" sales at all U.S. Tower Records stores. The last of these stores closed on December 22, 2006. The Tower Records website was sold to a different company.
Many other music stores took over the leases of former Tower Records locations. For example, Rasputin Music expanded in California by taking over stores in Fresno and Stockton.
On December 22, 2006, exactly 40 years after the first store opened, the last Tower Records store in New York City closed. All other remaining U.S. stores closed that day too. The very last store to close was in Mountain View, California.
The building in Boston that used to be a Tower Records store was very important for the area. It was a large, eight-story building that was later taken over by other retailers.
Tower Records Returns Online
On June 1, 2007, an online company called Caiman, Inc., reopened the Tower Records website. They had plans to open physical stores again, but this didn't happen at that time.
However, in November 2020, Tower Records officially relaunched its online store with a brand new website! It now sells vinyl records and other merchandise. The website also features an online version of the Pulse! magazine, which is updated regularly.
Tower Labs: A New Idea
In October 2022, Tower Labs opened in Brooklyn, New York. This was the first physical space for the brand since 2006. Tower Labs is a creative space where artists and bands can meet with their fans and create new things. It's like a special backstage experience. Tower Records is still thinking about opening a main retail store again.
Tower Records Around the World
Tower Records had stores in many countries, showing how popular it was globally.
Argentina
Tower Records had nine stores in Argentina, including in Buenos Aires and Córdoba. They opened their first store in 1997 and closed the last one in 2006.
Canada
In the mid-1990s, Tower Records operated in Canada. They had a large store in the Toronto Eaton Centre that opened in 1995 but closed in 2001.
Hong Kong
Tower Records opened stores in Hong Kong in the 1990s. There were two stores, one in Times Square and another in Diamond Hill.
Ireland
Tower Records still operates in Ireland today! There are two stores in Dublin, one on Dawson Street and another on O'Connell Street.
Israel
Tower Records Israel opened in 1993. The first stores were in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. The Tel Aviv store was a popular spot for Israeli pop stars. The last store in Israel closed in 2015.
Japan
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Tower Records Japan started in 1979. In 1981, a Japanese company called Tower Records Japan Inc. (TRJ) was created. In 2002, TRJ became completely independent from the international chain. This means that when Tower Records in the U.S. went bankrupt in 2006, it didn't affect the stores in Japan.
As of 2014, TRJ has 85 stores across Japan. The Shibuya store in Tokyo is one of the biggest music stores in the world, with nine floors! TRJ also publishes free magazines about music. They even have their own record label called T-Palette Records, which focuses on idol performers.
Mexico
The first Tower Records store in Mexico opened in the mid-1990s. After the international company faced problems, the Mexican stores were bought by another company. While many closed, one store in Puebla (Las Animas) is still open today.
Philippines
Tower Records opened three stores in the Philippines in the 1990s. These stores closed by 2018. However, in 2020, Tower Records Philippines was relaunched!
Singapore
Singapore had two Tower Records stores in the 1990s. One was at Pacific Plaza and the other at Suntec City. The last store closed in 2006 when the main company faced bankruptcy.
South Korea
Tower Records opened stores in South Korea in the 1990s, with locations in Seoul and Busan. The Seoul store later became part of another music store chain. The Seoul branch was even used as a filming location for a TV show called Beautiful Days in 2001!
Taiwan
Tower Records opened three large stores in Taipei, Taiwan in the 1990s. These stores were very popular and became important places for fashion and music. They closed in December 2003.
Thailand
Tower Records opened stores in Thailand in the 1990s. They brought a new way of selling music CDs to the country. There were several stores in Bangkok, including big ones in popular malls. As online music became more popular, these stores gradually closed.
United Kingdom
Tower Records in the UK started in London in 1984. A very large store opened in Piccadilly Circus in 1985. They also had stores in other cities like Birmingham and Glasgow. However, due to tough competition, Tower Records left the UK market. The London stores were sold to Virgin Group in 2003.
Documentaries About Tower Records
The story of Tower Records is so interesting that it inspired documentaries!
The 2015 documentary All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records tells the whole story. It uses old videos and interviews with former staff, including the founder Russell Solomon. Famous customers like Bruce Springsteen and Elton John also share their memories.
Another documentary called Art Gods (2013) talks about how Tower Records created its unique and influential in-store displays.
See also
In Spanish: Tower Records para niños
