Amoeba Music Is Getting Demolished — Then It’s Moving Down the Street

Amoeba Music isn’t going away — in fact, it’s moving just down the block. The legendary Los Angeles record store currently sits on Sunset Blvd.  It’s been in that location since it opened back in 2001. But the current location’s…

Amoeba Music Is Now Selling Weed

Amoeba Music’s flagship store in Berkeley just opened a weed-friendly pot shop to boost business. California has legalized weed, which means that lots of businesses are making the drug a little bit more accessible to the public.  But this ‘seed&#…

Tower Records on Sunset Dodges the Wrecking Ball — For Now

Gibson Guitar is now wriggling out of its expensive lease of Tower Records on Sunset.  Now, the building’s property manager is looking for a new tenant — while the owners decide what’s next. The towering Tower Records was long ago toppled. …

Tower Records on Sunset Could Face the Wrecking Ball — Thanks to Gibson Guitar

The storied Tower Records building on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles could be getting demolished — thanks to the situation surrounding Gibson Guitar’s bankruptcy. Tower Records has been out of business for more than a decade, but its legacy remains …

Russ Solomon — The Guy Who Started Tower Records — Is Dead

He was the king of music retail, until music retail came crashing down.  Russ Solomon, founder and longtime ruler of the Tower Records empire, has just passed away at 92. It started in Sacramento in 1960, and ultimately spread its tentacles as far…

Best Buy Will Stop Selling CDs Effective July 1st — and Target Is Next

CDs don’t sell anymore.  So Best Buy is ditching them — and Target is about to follow suit. Who buys CDs anymore?  Not enough people, at least at Best Buy stores.  Accordingly, the mega-retailer is ditching the shiny discs in a matter of months. …

Sales of Cassette Tapes Have Quietly Grown 136.1% In the Past Year

Vinyl records aren’t the only media format on the rise. Over the past few years, the classic cassette tape has been growing in popularity.  Oh so quietly. The numbers aren’t huge, but they’re increasing.  According to media metrics fi…

Canadian Record Store Chain Grows 925% — In One Year

This is the story of a small Canadian record chain that made it through the hard times.  Then, became one of the largest record store chains in North America. Ten years ago, the fate of traditional record stores looked really, really bleak.  By 2007, f…