kaput

true to my prediction last year, all tower records branches (1-utama, lot 10, plaza damas) in malaysia are closing down....

of the 3 remaining record chain stores in malaysia, namely rock corner, victoria music and cd rama, i would think rock corner is the most aggressive and creative, with many ideas to rescue this dwindling market.

rock corner is definitely eyeing on the audiophiole market. they are the only one who distributes s2s (a japanese audiophile label who has an office in s'pore) cds in malaysia. whether they get it directly from s'pore s2s or they parallel import them, i am not sure. but as far as i know, the relationship between the retail operator and the label is always a controversial and messy one.

rock corner also produces their own compilations, with the approval and blessings from major labels. this is definitely a very creative idea as they can push aggressively this kind of compilation albums in their stores.

comparatively, victoria music is very conservative. they still rely on their regular loyal customers. as far as i know, victoria is also not doing anything on audiophile market.

cd rama, on the other hand, is still focusing on china-made audiophile cds. they have a definite advantage as their customers are predominantly chinese-educated listeners.

this local music industry is facing many challenges now. those who survive these trying times would emerge stronger at the end.