Other Music To Launch Digital Store
Our favorite New York music store, Other Music, has big plans for February [from Wired via BrooklynVegan]
Wired News: Other Music has been a strong presence in New York's East Village for years, but the thing that always amazed me was that you guys set up shop right across the street from a massive Tower Records store. Talk about cojones. Were you guys happy when you found out Tower was shutting down? Did Other Music "win"?Josh Madell: Funny, a friend of mine said that to me last night, how it gave him hope for the little guy with our triumph over Tower. Sadly, I think Tower's passing is more accurately a sign of how tough record retailing has become. It was always a difficult business, but all stores are suffering these days, and while Tower had definitely fallen off in quality over the past several years, they were once a really good store, a good chain overall, and I don't take any hope from their going bankrupt. There will be a lot more closings to follow, I'm certain.
WN: Why is Other Music launching a digital music store next month?
Madell: We are trying to stay current, and to continue our "mission" of spreading great music. I personally prefer vinyl to CDs and CDs to MP3s, but in the end I'm just glad people are listening to music, and the convenience factor of MP3s is undeniable. Our weekly e-mail update, where we review the week's interesting new releases, has been one of the most popular aspects of the store. Our new site will be an extension of that, with recommendations and reviews of great music and a simple click-to-buy option.
