Tower Records

Tower Records was an iconic American music retail chain founded in Sacramento, California in 1960 that grew into a global chain of over 200 stores selling records, cassettes, CDs, videos, and related music merchandise. At its peak, Tower Records was the destination for serious music enthusiasts—offering unmatched catalog depth, knowledgeable staff, and a browsing experience that reflected the culture of music discovery before streaming made catalog access ubiquitous.

The company went through two bankruptcy filings (2004 and 2006), ultimately liquidating all US retail locations in October 2006—a closure that became a cultural moment marking the transformation of the music industry by digital downloads and file sharing. Tower Records' closure preceded the streaming era that would further transform music consumption, but its failure was the canary signaling the structural disruption that would reshape recorded music retail entirely.

Tower Records closed all US locations in 2006. The documentary "All Things Must Pass" (2015) chronicles the company's rise and fall. Physical music retail continues at Best Buy (reduced), Barnes & Noble's vinyl section, and independent record stores supported by Record Store Day's cultural revival of vinyl collecting. Online music purchases are primarily handled through Apple Music, Spotify, and Bandcamp for streaming/download, while physical music (vinyl particularly) is sold through eBay, Discogs, and Amazon.