March 19, 2007
Vinylmania Closes
West Village record shop Vinylmania has closed. The latest of casualities in one of the many neighborhoods where long time businesses are being priced out.
The shop first opened its doors in 1978, and has since become a little part of the New York music industry, supplying deejays with sounds to spin and music fans with vinyl for their collection. NY1 had this quote from owner Charlie Grappone:
"We affected a lot of people's lives and I can safely say that a lot record collections that still exist in New York City were built out of this store. I think it's like the end of an era. I think that when vinyl first came into play this store just took off,” said customer Doris Palazzo. “And as times changed, the record industry changed, and really I'm happy for them but I'm sad that it's ended."
We were happier to see Tower go.
Photo via shamrocktattoo's flickr.
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i don't think you can just blame rent prices. in the past two to three years or so, just about every professional DJ has stopped using vinyl.
Blame iTunes
Q: Did rent increases drive out the radio repair shops of lower manhattan pre WTC?
A: No.
Vinyl's awesome. What a shame.
I liked window shopping in there. They didn't sell what I was looking for, but I appreciated that they were there. Sucks.
Why were you happy to see Tower go?
They started out as a home-grown family business, and spread across the world. They had a wider CD selection than any other store - they stocked indie CDs and the mainstream crap, as well as local artists...and they had a large classical and jazz selection.
Yes, their CD prices were higher than Best Buy, but Best Buy undercuts MSRPs in order to attract consumers in to the store buy their bigger ticket items like TVs.
They also had the best/largest selection of classical music in the city.
The shuttering of Tower (here and across the country) is a dismal sign for the demise of the traditional music industry as it transitions to a download business.
Yes, it wasn't a perfect store, but I was sad to see it go. Not everyone across the country has a store like "Other Music" etc to buy CDs at in their cities and towns. Since Wherehouse, Sam Goodys, Coconuts, etc have closed, it pretty much just leaves the consumer with Limewire/Illegal downloading, iTunes, or Amazon.
word, smitty
I was sad to see Tower go-surprisingly sad, since the Virgin Megastore is overpriced and soulless and I like to buy CDs still and not just download records (singles I will download)
And I think Other Music (and the whole NYC record store scene) is overrated. Why cant NYC have a store like Amoeba in SF or LA or Waterloo in Austin? Those stores are big, hip and comprehensive, which cannot be said for any record store in this area unfortunately.
They had a no longer relevent business model. Rent increases were the least of their worries.
Tower ruled. Their classical department, at least prior to the last couple of years of their existence, was unmatched. I spent loads in there on CDs no one else would have even thought of carrying.
Where was Vinylmania?
A small niche market store is not a relevant business model? What the hell are you talking about? This is 100% due to rent increases. Thanks to a landlord looking to cash in on the hipness of the neighborhood, largely created thanks to stores such as Vinyl Mania, we can all look forward to a:
a) Starbucks
b) Duane Reade
c) a bank branch
d) Gap, Subway, or BestBuy
e) Day spa/manicure salon
YAY!!!!
Vinyl isn't dead but boutique shops that try to sell "rare" records for $50 that can be found on eBay for $9.99 are.
^ Well, they DO have to cover the overhead. But that's why i usually don't buy vinyl from a store. Online is the way to go.
Actually it was the Port Authority that drove out the radio shops, but I digress...
Tower also had a great jazz deaprtment. RIP.
While I'm at it, RIP the Village Jazz Shop, too. Here's hoping Bleecker Bob's can hang on a little longer.
People just aren't buying music in stores anymore. Music retail is going to way of typewriter repair.
SP: there is no future in selling recorded music media in a store like this. Particularly on vinyl! Maybe 1/2 dozen in a city like ny but they would be CD mostly.
Vinylmania was the go-to store for 12-inch dance records back in the early to mid-80's (along with, if I can recall, Downtown Records on 6th Avenue, Rock & Soul on 7th Ave. and Downstairs Records on 43rd St.). Saturday afternoons used to be a great time to just hang out there, listen to snippets of the newest singles (you could bring a pile of records up to the counter and they would play at least parts of each disc) and check out what music the DJ's were buying or discussing. Charlie was a no-nonsense and pleasant owner and the staff only had a little bit of 'tude. As Charlie alludes to in his quote, much of my disco classic collection came out of that store. The late 1970's/early 1980's was a golden era for dance music, and Vinylmania was at the center of it all.
I concur with the defense of Tower. Other Music fequently stocks only one or two copies of independent titles and when they sell out it can be weeks if ever that they are re-stocked. This is largely due to capacity but in the same time period Tower at 4th and Broadway would sell literally hundreds of the same title. For independent labels this is survival. Their is no retailer in many cities that will be able to pick up the slack. Tower was the only large retailer that would carry deep catalogue and independent music. Their closure is catastrophic.
Charlie is an amazing guy. I loved that store so much. It really stood head and shoulders above the other dance music outlets, always remaining up to date in music trends, while staying rooted in the great traditions of Larry Levan
Christ, so many record stores are gone it makes my head spin just remembering them.
Are the Academy guys still on 18th Street? How about those two shops in the same mini chain, one on the east side of Union Square and the other either on the south side of West 4th between 6th and 7th, whose name escapes me?
Well I miss buying cd singles. I'm a collector and its harder to find cd singles today, so now I have to stop collecting my cd's. I don't want to download because all you have is a file, with a cd from the store you get the cd in hand and a photo in the cd case. If you download a song, all you get is a file, so now you have to write on the cd or blank cover with the info about the artist and then you still don't have an artist cover photo. I think having a cd in hand is better for the collectors and everybody else.
Record lables listen here!! Keep the cds coming.
We want our cd's. I use to shop at Tower and I was shocked that they closed. I bought many cd singles there. I also shop at J&R & Virgin for my singles and even there they don't have many. I need my cd's singles. Pop, Rap, Dance, Ballads. Please bring them back so I can collect them.