Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 4/10/2025
The explosive trajectory and tragic demise of iconic music retailer Tower Records, and the legacy of its rebellious foun | dG1fSDNnOWxMSl9oYkU
Transcript
00:00I got a job at Tower Records because that's the only place I could get a job with my f***ing haircut.
00:07That is the truth.
00:09The largest record store in the universe is Tower Records.
00:13Tower Records had everything.
00:16They were like friends.
00:18If you came into town, you went to Tower Records.
00:23Tower was the center of it all.
00:25San Francisco.
00:26New York.
00:27Japan.
00:27London.
00:29Revenues of a billion dollars.
00:31The whole thing became a phenomenon.
00:35Tower was like the place to work at.
00:39We had no dress code.
00:41It was always a party atmosphere.
00:43And even if you threw up, you had to show up.
00:51You were part of his family.
00:53That was the fun part.
00:54Russ Solomon.
00:56Tower Records was what he did.
00:57I don't think he thought he could do any wrong.
01:05A perfect storm of events was developing.
01:09There was no need for kids to even go in a record store to get their music.
01:13When the banks came in, we knew that things were going to change.
01:16It's the end of an icon.
01:22He fought, but he basically had to cut the heart out of the company.
01:27Somebody was taking it away from us.
01:29The bank said, we don't need a visionary.
01:31It defied the generation.
01:36It was really the statement of that time.
01:39To be able to go into a store where there was people that knew music, it's just a missing
01:43part of our society now.
01:44I don't really understand why it's gone.
01:53We just happen to be at that right place at the right time.
01:56You want to call that luck?
01:58We call it luck.
01:59What would you call it?
02:00Luck.
02:00Luck.
02:01Luck.
02:02Luck.
02:03Luck.
02:04Luck.
02:05Luck.
02:06Luck.
02:07Luck.
02:08Luck.
02:09Luck.
02:10Luck.
02:11Luck.
02:12Luck.
02:13Luck.
02:14Luck.
02:15Luck.
02:16Luck.
02:17Luck.
02:18Luck.
02:19Luck.
02:20Luck.
02:21Luck.
02:22Luck.
02:23Luck.
02:24Luck.
02:25Luck.
02:26Luck.
02:27Luck.
02:28Luck.
02:29Luck.

Recommended