Bumped since the Megastores (at least the one I saw) are closing on Sunday. Everything's down to half off,.
and +1 for whoever said Tower>Virgin. Virgin was good for the magazine selection and the occasional $10 (or less) CD sale, but Tower had not only a better zine section but it also had an actual USED section (with marked-down new CDs as well) where you could make some surprising finds for (sometimes-much-)less-than-list prices. (plus have Virgin's prices always been pretty much ABOVE list price, or is that something that kicked in once they started having their liquidation sales?)
Back in the day, there was a kind of novelty in a store who had such an extensive back catalog of most artists. That was the only reason I ever went to one---I was seeking a rare or otherwise hard-to-find album. Internet sales, as other posters before me have talked about, did stand the whole industry on its head.
Still, it's hard for me to have much sympathy for a store which probably made millions of dollars of profit when one considers it now takes less than $1 to make a CD. The amount of pure profit Virgin made off of music geeks like me must be phenomenal.
soulcompromise said:
The thing about digital music is that for the most part unless you have a special adapter you can't play mp3s in your vehicle. I don't know about you but I absolutely dread having to purchase blank CDs for burning just from the looks I get at the store. Mailorder? I have no idea where people are getting there music these days, but first Tower and now VirginMega?
1. The looks you get? Everybody buy blank CDs. I think you're misinterpreting something.
2. (If you really wanna know where to get your blank media via mailorder or online) MediaSupply.com
As an audiophile, I use a brand called Taiyo Yuden. I trust mediasupply to send me actual Taiyo Yuden from Japan over the fake stuff not made in Japan you'll usually find in stores (tip... if you're in a store and see Verbatim, which is made by Taiyo Yuden, check to see where it was made. If it wasn't made in Japan, chances are it's low-quality and you'll have more new coasters then playable CDs).
I also hate MP3, so all of my music is on CD... in fact, much of it is actually on vinyl (I'm seriously in a love affair with vinyl... it just sounds so... I don't know... real). I do have a lot of bootlegs on my computer as FLAC files, though only because I'm too low on blank data-DVD discs to store what I currently have.
I am not, however, sad to see Virgin go. The very fact that they called themselves a superstore, yet not only had their prices jacked way over MSRP, but didn't sell vinyl royally ticked me off. I never bought anything from them. I actually get most of my CDs and vinyl (and DVDs) online or at places like CD Warehouse and CD Go Round (note... you can actually find bootlegs at these places). I do, however, still miss Tower.
As far as this Amoeba... does it exist outside of California? Like, say... in Georgia? Maybe near Atlanta or, better yet, Marietta? (Anyone? Bueller?)
otaku
USA
January 2004
APR 17, 2009 11:50 PM