Even though I have benefits and more pay, I have to be honest with myself and admit that the times I have been happiest on the job have been when working at a record store.
Not because of the free promos, or free tickets, but because for those of us without musical talent, it was a way of paying homage to what we loved.
I worked at three stores (including the fabled Record Co-Op on the campus of the University of Maryland) and the only one I didn't enjoy was a chain store. That said, even those "bad" days on the job seem pretty good as I sit in an office and go mad.
So it's with heavy heart that I read this article forwarded to me from a friend and former record store boss.
The Virgin Megastore in NYC's Times Square is closing.
In 1998, when I first went there, that was the most interesting thing there as Mayor Rudy had cleaned up all of the interesting -- read "dangerous" -- theaters in that area. Times Square was now simply another strip mall with a higher rental rate for retail.

I think this picture says it all; who the fuck is going to go to a record store to buy The Fray? The people that buy stuff that bland -- so bland they make Nickelback look like AC/DC -- either buy it at Walmart or simply buy it as a download from iTunes.
I liked the Virgin Megastore even while finding their prices a bit high; it was an awesome feeling just to be able to browse the import section and find albums that were less than a week old and fresh from England; they certainly got product stocked in that section much faster than Tower Records did, and almost faster than ordering from an online retailer in those days.
I think I got one of The Supernaturals albums there when it was fairly new. It was overpriced but I lucked out as both of the band's studio albums are mini-masterpieces of mainstream pop -- like Crowded House only Scottish -- and certainly worth the $30 I probably paid for the single CD. This song is from their 2nd album, released in 1998, A Tune A Day.
The Supernaturals "I Wasn't Built To Get Up"
Not because of the free promos, or free tickets, but because for those of us without musical talent, it was a way of paying homage to what we loved.
I worked at three stores (including the fabled Record Co-Op on the campus of the University of Maryland) and the only one I didn't enjoy was a chain store. That said, even those "bad" days on the job seem pretty good as I sit in an office and go mad.
So it's with heavy heart that I read this article forwarded to me from a friend and former record store boss.
The Virgin Megastore in NYC's Times Square is closing.
In 1998, when I first went there, that was the most interesting thing there as Mayor Rudy had cleaned up all of the interesting -- read "dangerous" -- theaters in that area. Times Square was now simply another strip mall with a higher rental rate for retail.
I think this picture says it all; who the fuck is going to go to a record store to buy The Fray? The people that buy stuff that bland -- so bland they make Nickelback look like AC/DC -- either buy it at Walmart or simply buy it as a download from iTunes.
I liked the Virgin Megastore even while finding their prices a bit high; it was an awesome feeling just to be able to browse the import section and find albums that were less than a week old and fresh from England; they certainly got product stocked in that section much faster than Tower Records did, and almost faster than ordering from an online retailer in those days.

The Supernaturals "I Wasn't Built To Get Up"