An era really ends: The last traces of the Virgin Megastore in New York City’s Union Square are being covered with plywood right now, as the gigantic space on 14th St. begins its eventual transformation into a Nordstrom Rack. I suppose it’s an OK fate given the alternatives, but still, sigh. [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York via Curbed / Previously] MORE »
POSTS FROM "everything must go" CATEGORY
everything must go
everything must go
MTV Reportedly Giving Up Its Times Square Studio Space
The giant studio at 1515 Broadway that hosted many of MTV’s biggest televised moments—from the run of TRL to, uh, the end of TRL—is going on the market because Viacom is tired of paying $11.6 million in yearly rent, according to the landlord. Also up for grabs: the corner space on 44th and Broadway that houses the MTV Store, which apparently will be rented to whatever company is eager to pay $1,000 a square foot. Where are all the teenage Jonas Brothers fans going to congregate when they’re cutting school now, huh? MORE »
everything must go
Independent Label Throws Itself Gigantic Clearance Sale
The Champaign, Ill.,-based label Polyvinyl has found a new problem presented by music’s digital age: The distributor the label used is downsizing its warehouse, which means that Polyvinyl needs to get rid of 10,000 albums that will take up too much space (read: cost too much money to be housed) in the distributor’s new space. So they’ve decided to turn into Overstock.com for a few days, giving anyone who plunks down $50 via the microfunding site Kickstarter 26 CDs and two DVDs from their catalog–shipping included. The bands on offer include past blog darlings like Architecture in Helsinki, current favorites like of Montreal, emo titans like Rainer Maria, and the delightful Philadelphia outfit Audible. It’s almost like what would happen if a used-CD bin was brought over to your house as a gift! After the jump, the full list of available records. MORE »
everything must go
The United States’ Virgin Megastores (Finally) Head To That Big Shopping Mall In The Sky
Not with a bang: “It was the final day of business for the Virgin Megastore chain in North America, which at its peak had 23 locations but by Sunday was down to two… when the [Union Square] store opened, perhaps 90 percent of the merchandise had already been sold, leaving two tables of CDs and DVDs, a dozen T-shirt racks and a few other scattered displays.”
Last Virgin Megastore In New York Closes [NYT]
[Pic via Jeff Baum] MORE »
everything must go
Green Day Knows Its Enemy, And Its Name Is Wal-Mart
Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown is not available at Wal-Mart because the band refused to reconfigure the album into a cleaned-up version required by the Arkansas-based megachain. Yet it sold better than every other album that was available at a Wal-Mart last week. Is this a sign that holding on to artistic integrity pays, or just that your typical Green Day fan is more of a Target type? [AP] MORE »
everything must go
Is Bob Dylan’s Poem About A Dead Dog Worth Five Figures?
A poem handwritten by a teenage Bob Dylan, which was published in his camp newspaper during the 1950s, is one of the many Dylan-related pieces of memorabilia that will be up for auction at Christie’s next month. The poem is expected to fetch at least $10,000 from some Dylan completist out there, with proceeds going to the camp; it’s after the jump. Be warned: If the idea of a drunk man beating a dog to death (because the dog “barked in joy”) is something that upsets you, you might want to proceed with caution. (Although I rather do like the meter employed by Dylan here, I have to say.) MORE »
everything must go
Also, He’s Looking For A New Guitarist
A Craigslist ad titled “I caught my guitarist screwing my wife so I am selling his guitar amp!” has some pretty, uh, interesting specs on the amp itself: “It has three channels, Clean, Crunch, and Look At Me, I Am Playing Another Lead! It has a foot switch that changes between the channels and turns on and off the effects loops so you can have a ginourmous home made pedal board and look like the biggest douche that ever graced the stage of the Riot Room. There is also a reverb so you can make your guitar sound like the moaning echos of a man who’s wife is a cheating whore. I assure you, it is in pristine shape, as the former owner took care of it like it were his baby. Well, he is busy taking care of other things now, isn’t he? Please buy this thing before I throw it through the window of his house.” That is what you’d call a “motivated seller” right there. [Craigslist via yvynyl] MORE »
everything must go
Anybody Want To Go In On A Slightly Used Music Venue?
Its onetime presenting sponsor went to the ever-expanding magazine graveyard a few weeks back, so it’s probably not too surprising that the Gramercy Theater in New York–formerly known as the Blender Theater At Gramercy–has had its lease put on the market by owners Live Nation. Are you interested in getting involved in the exciting business of live music? (It’s going to save the music business, you know!) The ad for the two-story venue (it has 186 seats on its top level and an all-important already-existing liquor license, FYI) is after the jump. MORE »
everything must go
New Yorkers, take note: The final close-out at the Union Square Virgin Megastore–the last music-focused superstore in Manhattan–begins tomorrow, when all the merchandise in the store will be brought back to its original list price, then discounted 20%. What this means for you: If you’re in the hunt for a bargain, you should either go there tonight, before the “sale” stickers get peeled off en masse; otherwise, you should wait a few weeks. (But not too many, as the sale will run through May.) Hey, anyone want to get together for a big old-fashioned meetup when the prices are a little more right? [Racked] MORE »
everything must go
Things Aren’t Much Better For UK Record Stores
Ten years ago, there were more than 1,000 independent record stores in the UK, although by 2007, there were only 408. The news has only gotten worse in the last two years, with trade association the Entertainment Retailers Association reporting that the number has since slipped to around 300. MORE »
