Tower Records back in the groove as online retailer
Tower Records has returned to action in the US as an online store.
The retailer closed its stores 14 years ago and declared bankruptcy.
The new version includes online events, the return of its Tower Pulse! magazine, and a merchandise section. Oh, and music, of course, including vinyl, CDs and cassettes.
The original plan was to launch at 2020 South by Southwest, but that was pulled due to the coronavirus pandemic. A series of pop-up shops were also in the works, an idea also delayed by Covid-19.
Danny Zeijdel, Tower Record’s new CEO, said the return “has been met with tremendous success, feedback. A lot of people are so happy taking pictures of when they receive an order from Tower Records, posting it on Instagram.”
All Things Must Pas
The rise and fall of Tower Records was the subject of a rather excellent documentary, All Things Must Pass, directed by Tom Hanks’ son Colin, in 2015.
Film critic Roger Ebert said it was "a documentary that inspires long, gauzy gazes back to the carefree, youthful past of viewers of a certain age".
He added that "any movie that begins and ends with the sound of a phonograph needle hitting vinyl knows the audience sweet spot it’s aiming for, and for those folks, All Things Must Pass is a rousing success.”
Sign up for our free retail technology newsletter here.
Continue reading…