> [any of you New Yorkers lament the loss of Tower Records?]
I'm not, and I worked there (the 4th and Broadway store). Actually, it's probably *because* I worked there that I don't lament it. I still can't believe I managed to pay rent in Manhattan on what they paid me (ok, so it was almost 15 years ago, and I was sharing a rent-stabilised two bedroom with three other people, but even so, the wages were ridiculous).
> From now on, no American city will have a large record
> store. And where New York leads, the rest of the world will surely
> follow. In Britain we still have similar outlets - mainly HMVs and
> Virgin Megastores - but the clock is ticking for them. I doubt there
> will still be a large record store in this country in a decade's time.
There are still Towers in Dublin. They're independently owned. I hardly ever go into them, though. Anything I'm looking for I can find at one of the city's numerous independent shops, usually cheaper than Tower would have them. They're also just as easy to browse, often more willing to let you listen before you buy, the staff are generally more knowledgeable about music. I actually can't see why anyone, apart from someone whose tastes extend no further than what's in the charts, would rather visit a megastore than an indie.