Tower Records

Russ Solomon opened the first Tower Records shop in Sacramento, California, in 1960 inside his father's drugstore chain. The store grew from a single vinyl rack into a massive retail empire that dominated the music landscape for decades. At its peak before the 2006 bankruptcy, the brand operated over 500 locations across the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Europe. These "megastores" became community hubs where fans discovered new artists and attended in-store performances.

The original American entity filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2006 due to rising operational costs and the rapid shift toward digital downloads. This event liquidated North American assets and closed all U.S. stores, but the Japanese branch remained solvent. Tower Records Japan continued operating independently under TOWER RECORDS INTERNATIONAL, preserving the brand name and culture in Asia.

On November 13, 2020, a new entity acquired the rights to the Tower Records name and relaunched it as an online retailer via tower.com. The revived brand sells vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and exclusive merchandise while maintaining physical operations in Japan. Recent activities include pop-up collaborations with STARDOM wrestling and themed cafes like Fallout × Tower Records Cafe Omotesando. Plans also emerged in late 2026 for an 88-foot digital billboard at the former West Hollywood site. [edit]