Tower Records is Closing.

[Steve Jordan]

ABC News reports that Tower Records is closing its stores, due to increased competition (primarily with the online music industry).

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I have not been buying CDs like I used to, due to a difficulty to identify the music I want to buy, and the higher cost of non-pop music, which often infuriates me (I am a jazz fan almost exclusively). But I liked shopping at Tower, even though I bought little (or ended up buying a DVD instead of music).

On the other hand, Tower (and Peaches before it) drove most of the small Mom-and-Pop music stores out of business long ago... and now that Tower is closing, leaving no mega-stock music store behind, there will be very little physical music browsing possible for me. I do not expect other CD venues to increase their non-pop selections once Tower is gone, so I don't expect to see any decent variety of jazz CDs in any one place, ever again.

And online? I can't say I've had fantastic luck finding and buying CDs online, again, due to trouble finding the stuff I like, and often being dissatisfied with the cost of non-pop music. And although I listen to MP3s, most of them are recorded from albums and CDs I already own.

How does anyone else feel about this? Is it good that we're rid of a mega-music store? Are we losing out on the opportunity to physically browse music? Will I ever buy a jazz CD again?

[Steve Jordan]

ABC News reports that Tower Records is closing its stores, due to increased competition (primarily with the online music industry).

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I have not been buying CDs like I used to, due to a difficulty to identify the music I want to buy, and the higher cost of non-pop music, which often infuriates me (I am a jazz fan almost exclusively). But I liked shopping at Tower, even though I bought little (or ended up buying a DVD instead of music).

On the other hand, Tower (and Peaches before it) drove most of the small Mom-and-Pop music stores out of business long ago... and now that Tower is closing, leaving no mega-stock music store behind, there will be very little physical music browsing possible for me. I do not expect other CD venues to increase their non-pop selections once Tower is gone, so I don't expect to see any decent variety of jazz CDs in any one place, ever again.

And online? I can't say I've had fantastic luck finding and buying CDs online, again, due to trouble finding the stuff I like, and often being dissatisfied with the cost of non-pop music. And although I listen to MP3s, most of them are recorded from albums and CDs I already own.

How does anyone else feel about this? Is it good that we're rid of a mega-music store? Are we losing out on the opportunity to physically browse music? Will I ever buy a jazz CD again?