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Musicland/Defunct Record Store Chains Other Than Tower

Posted: 24 Jan 2007 17:26
by dth1971
Who remembers the Musicland record store chain mostly seen in shopping malls that was later merged with Sam Goody and later taken over by FYE?

Licorice Pizza

Posted: 25 Jan 2007 17:09
by dth1971
Who remembers the West Coast record store chain Licorice Pizza which was taken over in the 1980's by Musicland/Sam Goody.

Posted: 26 Jan 2007 19:14
by javelin
Vaguely remember the commercials, but not much else...too young. But not young enough not to realize how dumb a name that was, right when CD's were first coming out and cassettes were outselling vinyl.

Posted: 29 Jan 2007 19:19
by Buckethead
This was my favorite record store ever. As a kid, this was the only place I would buy my albums, cassettes,posters,etc. I remember going to the mall, and walking right past the wherehouse and going to the middle of the mall(upstairs) where Musicland was located.

Once Musicland went under, I started buying albums at wherehouse and many other locations. Musicland was the only record store I ever had any sense of loyalty to. Why, I dont really know.

Posted: 29 Jan 2007 21:30
by Jeff
Montebello Town Center still has the original Musicland facade from the store when it opened in 1985, only today its a kids store. It closed in 2000 when a Record Town opened on the other end of the mall, and FYE opened upstairs closing the Record Town.

Posted: 29 Jan 2007 22:43
by Dean
Wasn't the jingle:

MUSICLAND...WE BRING ENTERTAINMENT...TO LIFE!

Musicland memories

Posted: 30 Jan 2007 00:53
by storeliker
I remember this. A huge draw in malls in the Cd and record days before the music industry died down and everyone started to go to the computer for music.They were independent for some time before joining Sam Goody. I'm not sure where each orginated. Another rival at least in the Pacific Northwest that competed with them besides biggie and now extinct Tower Records was Tape Town. Tape Town went down when everyone coverted to CD's and no longer bought the tapes and records. Does anyone remember Tape Town?

Posted: 30 Jan 2007 11:43
by dth1971
Was Tape Town owned by TransWorld/Record Town? Transworld even owned Tape World.

Other Musicland slogans: "Everything a music store should be" and "We got what's hot".

Re: Musicland memories

Posted: 02 Feb 2007 00:37
by tkaye
storeliker wrote:I remember this. A huge draw in malls in the Cd and record days before the music industry died down and everyone started to go to the computer for music.They were independent for some time before joining Sam Goody. I'm not sure where each orginated.
I believe Musicland was based in Minnesota and Sam Goody started around Philadelphia, but don't take my word for either one. For quite awhile after the transition from Musicland (around 1999), there were two Sam Goody stores at the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale, Wash. I guess they were just riding out the lease on the old Musicland spot.
storeliker wrote:Another rival at least in the Pacific Northwest that competed with them besides biggie and now extinct Tower Records was Tape Town. Tape Town went down when everyone coverted to CD's and no longer bought the tapes and records. Does anyone remember Tape Town?
Yes, I remember Tape Town... in Bremerton, they were in an old 7-Eleven store on Wheaton Way that is now a real-estate office. 7-Eleven had moved five doors down to a corner location with gas pumps in the early '80s, so that would date Tape Town's entry to around then.

How about Peaches Music & Video?

Posted: 02 Feb 2007 18:09
by dth1971
Peaches was owned by Transworld which later changed the name to Coconuts.

Sam Goody was launched in New York City, not Philadelphia!

Do you also remember the Musicland owned Pickwick Music stores and Discount record stores? Musicland/Sam Goody also owned Suncoast (still active somewhat), On Cue, and Media Play; while Transworld also owned Record Land, Music World and Saturday Matinee.

Other record chains you may remember: Listening Booth, The Wall, Record Shop, Flip Side, Big Daddy's, National Record Mart, Waves, Camelot Music, Waxie Maxie's, Record World, Square Circle, J.R.'s Music Shop, Harmony Hut, Harmony House, Hasting's, We Three, Variety Records, Wall to Wall, Oranges Records, Rainbow Records, Blockbuster Music, Sound Warehouse, and Wherehouse Records.

Posted: 02 Feb 2007 18:14
by TheStranger
The Wherehouse had a Colma location (at 280 Metro Center) for years, but then moved to a smaller unit in the same shopping center for a few months ca. 2002 before closing.

Posted: 10 Feb 2007 16:55
by dth1971
I didn't even mention for defunct music record store chains Record Theatre.

Posted: 11 Feb 2007 05:02
by J-Mac
... and nobody has mentioned MusicPlus ...

I will, although I just remember shopping there - I don't have any real insight or memory of their commings and goings, though I think they were gone with the advent of CDs.

Think being the operative word...

I will add that they were more of a suburban/stripmall operation. In fact I remember there being one down the street from the Fullerton East Gemco on Yorba Linda Blvd, in a non-descript stripmall.

Posted: 11 Feb 2007 08:36
by Dave
For some reason, I seem to recall that Peaches was originally out of Cincinnati. One of the local Peaches locations is still in operation as an independent music store, and it still seems to me to be a fairly large store - of course we thought it was huge when it originally opened back in the '70's.

Did Wherehouse Music exist before they took over the former Blockbuster Music locations?

Posted: 11 Feb 2007 11:13
by dth1971
Wherehouse Music first existed in California. And California record store chain Licoriche Pizza was taken over by Musicland/Sam Goody in the 1980's.