Metal cd store in NYC?

[Metal66]

My wife and I are going to New York in a few months. I know there has to be a great metal cd store someplace! I saw a huge one featured on Headbangers Ball awhile back but found out they closed their doors 3 years ago. Can anyone recommend one in Manhattan or the boroughs?

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Unfortunately there aren't many, especially with the closing of every Virgin Megastore in NYC that had great CD selections.

But feel free to try this still-legendary store: http://www.generationrecords.com/

The bottom floor has a SWEET selection of rare merch items.

J&R Music World is also good:

http://www.jr.com/

I've bought many an album from there.

 

[AngraRULES]

Wow, I didn't even know about Generation Records. Looks like a neat little place!

 

[AeonicSlumber]

You know what the weird thing is, Virgin Megastore was actually doing pretty well financially, and it wasn't like it was dying or anything. They literally decided to just not get a new lease for the stores. It's actually frustrating as shit to say that, because it was such a good place for metal and we didn't lose them due to poor sales like so many others, but basically due to greed and laziness.

 

[AngraRULES]

I bought a lot of stuff from Virgin Megastore - I remember finding a *lot* of awesome metal imports at really cheap prices... then all of a sudden, they jacked them up big time. I thought they had been in financial trouble because of that.

That was a fun store to go to...

 

[Photino Decay]

Well, they chose to get out while they were still in ok condition financially instead of plowing ahead till bankruptcy. The physical CD stores just aren't as important to the music industry as they once were... let alone any discussion of the physical CD product's importance... Just gotta change with the times, and Branson is the master of that. Space rockets instead of CD stores, ya know

Anyway, yeah, a friend started working at Generation Records a little while ago and he says it's great for metalheads... have yet to go there myself...

 

[Angrafan]

You know what the weird thing is, Virgin Megastore was actually doing pretty well financially, and it wasn't like it was dying or anything. They literally decided to just not get a new lease for the stores. It's actually frustrating as shit to say that, because it was such a good place for metal and we didn't lose them due to poor sales like so many others, but basically due to greed and laziness.

Yeah, I was bummed out when I found out they were closing. I was a big fan of the store... I thought they were in financial trouble, never knew the reason why they closed.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Well, they chose to get out while they were still in ok condition financially instead of plowing ahead till bankruptcy. The physical CD stores just aren't as important to the music industry as they once were... let alone any discussion of the physical CD product's importance... Just gotta change with the times, and Branson is the master of that. Space rockets instead of CD stores, ya know

Right exactly. Greed and laziness.

 

[Stingray11214]

To those of you blasting Virgin: Virgin Megastores in the US were bought out by Vornado Realty Trust and the Related Companies (Vornado was the creation from the ashes of the venerable New Jersey chain Two Guys.) The purpose of that purchase was for the properties those stores sat on. Forever 21 in Times Square is generating more cash than Virgin ever did on that site.

That said, I miss Virgin. Got some nice CDs out of there. Problem was, the only things being bought were things that were off the beaten path. They were moving more Moonlight Agony's than Britney Spears. Though good for us, it is not good for the bottom line. I was on there lines many a time, and most that were buying were the non-pop stuff, and not many bought at that. Though I miss Tower Records far more (Got a lot of Nightwish and Sonata imports from them. Even bought my first Tarot CD was there.), Virgin was a great place.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

To those of you blasting Virgin: Virgin Megastores in the US were bought out by Vornado Realty Trust and the Related Companies (Vornado was the creation from the ashes of the venerable New Jersey chain Two Guys.) The purpose of that purchase was for the properties those stores sat on. Forever 21 in Times Square is generating more cash than Virgin ever did on that site.

That said, I miss Virgin. Got some nice CDs out of there. Problem was, the only things being bought were things that were off the beaten path. They were moving more Moonlight Agony's than Britney Spears. Though good for us, it is not good for the bottom line. I was on there lines many a time, and most that were buying were the non-pop stuff, and not many bought at that. Though I miss Tower Records far more (Got a lot of Nightwish and Sonata imports from them. Even bought my first Tarot CD was there.), Virgin was a great place.

Tower Records was disgustingly expensive. I remember them charging $17 for regular non-import CDs. I was an idiot for buying from them back in the day. I'm glad I switched to Generation and Virgin when I did.

And nobody's "blasting" Virgin. I'm just saying that greed can get really silly sometimes.

 

[Diabolik]

The Tower Records and Virgin Megastore in Chicago were both really overpriced. They did have some good deals but the average CD at both were about 17.99. They had great movie/DVD selections and had hard to get stuff but you were paying an arm and a leg for it. This was way before Amazon really kicked in. I used to go there a lot on lunch hour during work. I used to live down the street from a Tower when I lived in the burbs and it was nice to be able just to go over whenever I needed. Sad they are gone. Now even Borders Books is pretty much gone. I live literally a block from one and it closed a few weeks ago.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Yeah Borders ruled.

While Virgin was expensive, it was justifiable if you ask me because I found alot of indie releases there from labels not distributed by the majors. Tower had your typical Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade, Century Media -- your typical major label-distributed releases with a few imports here and there, but at Virgin I found alot of kvlt and underground shit surprisingly. Was always a fun time surprising myself and seeing a Hydrahead release or something there.

 

[Diabolik]

I agree.....Virgin has lots of stuff no one had. I got a few things that I never thought I would find in a store there. Hands down they had the best DVD section.

 

[BenMech]

On the Jersey side - There's Vintage Vinyl in Woodbridge/Fords right off the intersection of the Garden State Parkway and Rte 1 (and not that far from Rte 287 either)

http://www.vvinyl.com Their metalness is legendary.

 

[Pellaz]

Gotta say, if you have the time and mobility, Vintage Vinyl was quite the stuff of legend the one time I was there.