Another one bites the dust

[Ganma]

[Yokohammer]

We still have a Tower Records in Sendai (was just there on Monday), but the last HMV closed at the beginning of the year. There was a Wave somewhere too, but I guess that'll be gone now.

So Tower and Disk Union are the only two chains remaining?

[Mulboyne]

So Tower and Disk Union are the only two chains remaining?

Lawson took over HMV and Tsutaya still has a large share of the retail market, such as it still exists. Shinseido also has a nationwide presence.

I mentioned in other threads that the retail price maintenance system has extended the life of bricks & mortar CD retailers in Japan. Supermarkets couldn't offer the Top 20 at discount prices as you saw in the other countries. The discount gap was filled by Book Off and local second-hand shops (Disk Union is mainly Tokyo with a few shops in nearby prefectures). Nevertheless, "South American River" Japan became the leading domestic CD retailer last year so consumers have been switching away from stores for a while, even if they haven't embraced downloading as much as other parts of the world.

[Yokohammer]

Lawson took over HMV and Tsutaya still has a large share of the retail market, such as it still exists. Shinseido also has a nationwide presence.

Shinseido! I had forgotten about them. I just checked and there's one in Sendai that I'll have to check out next time I'm up there (thanks for the heads-up).

[tigermilk]

Whenever I make it to Tokyo I try to hit Disk Union, but the used section only. They should be OK as long as they continue selling used. Wife always gives me a classical music shopping list, and their classical store is always full of shoppers and has the most impressive selection we've seen in the world. Then just pop down a few floors to the punk/alt store. Disk Union and Amoeba in Hollywood are my "go to" places when I travel. Always hated the high prices of Tower, HMV, etc in Japan.

[Ganma]

Whenever I make it to Tokyo I try to hit Disk Union, but the used section only. They should be OK as long as they continue selling used. Wife always gives me a classical music shopping list, and their classical store is always full of shoppers and has the most impressive selection we've seen in the world. Then just pop down a few floors to the punk/alt store. Disk Union and Amoeba in Hollywood are my "go to" places when I travel. Always hated the high prices of Tower, HMV, etc in Japan.

Yep. Disk Union is the best I've ever been to. You can get anything online these days but I still enjoy browsing the old fashioned way. You can listen to second hand CDs/records in the stores too.
What keeps them going is not so much that they do second hand, but that they cater for collectors by concentrating of niche genres like prog/jazz/metal etc... They attract a lot of collectors (and musicians) who prefer product over downloads.

[Ganma]

Went to Recofan in Machida today. Lately every time I go there it's empty. I fear it could be next to go. Recofan in Shinjuku has already disappeared. They were never great for prices, but they have a large selection.