EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Tower VP Munyon On Tower’s New Digital Store

Tomorrow music retail giant Tower Records unveils it’s new download store (sneak a peak here). Tommorrow we’ll review the service, but today we’re bringing you an exclusive Hypebot interview with Jason Munyon, the VP of Business Development for Tower Records.

Q: Is this a first for Tower and how do you think it will affect your own brick and mortar sales?

A: Tower was one of the pioneers in the digital download space as one of the first online stores to offer LiquidAudio tracks back in 1999 (at 99 cents, nonetheless!).  With the launch of Tower Records Digital, we’ve found a more comprehensive solution to offer our customers. As for the whether or not we feel that this new download initiative will affect our own brick and mortar sales… this will help our brick and mortar sales because we are cross-promoting digital music with physical product in our stores and online at Tower.com.

Q: Your downloads are at a superior 192kps. What other plans do you have make your service different than the competition?

A: A major differentiating factor is the fact that as a bricks and mortar retailer, Tower is uniquely able to “bundle” digital music tracks with traditional CD purchases. Bundling is a key aspect of the digital store, allowing Tower the ability to offer digital music exclusives and bonus material to customers who purchase select CDs in stores or online at Tower.com. 

Q: Increasingly online music stores – just like your own retail outlets have always been – are good places to discover new music. You offer good biographic info, but your song samples are only 30 seconds (unlike Napster who offers full songs) and you don’t feature trusted gatekeepers like Urge’s blogs.  Since I’m sure you’re interested in selling more than just hits; how do you plan to encourage music discovery on your site? 

A: Thirty second samples are indeed very standard for the industry. As for music discovery, we’re very proud of Tower Records Digital’s search functionality at launch…(read more after the jump)

"…It gives the most options for our customers and the most selection of answers possible, as they come from different sources, which is truly no small feat. Tower believes that it’s better to think outside the box to discover more about the artist that you are actually looking for. The discovery process begins when you go to “Related Artists” and/or the “Influencers” tab, both of which will give you greater insight into the music that inspired your favorite artists, and the different kinds of projects that your artist has done. In the coming months, we are also planning to encourage music discovery through expert recommendations and special promotions that feature artists that may go overlooked by other sites. We will integrate these recommendations and promotions with both Tower.com and our traditional Tower retail locations.

Q: Can you imagine a day where Tower’s digital revenue exceeds its brick and mortar sales?

A: As America’s leading music retailer, Tower Records is of course still going to cater to the millions of people who want to buy CDs… With well over 90% of all music sold on CD, it’s the dominant format for music on the planet and it will continue to be. In fact, we’ve just opened a new store in Buena Park (Anaheim) to meet consumer demand.

But just as people are listening to CDs in their cars and homes, they are also buying them and ripping them onto their digital music players… Now, with Tower Records Digital, we’re making it easier for music fans who desire a digital track to easily be able to do so. We see digital music as an exciting addition that fits well with our traditional stores and Tower.com.

Q: Tower has been aggressive online for some time with Towerpod.com and your "Secret Shows" collaboration with MySpace. What’s next for Tower online?

A: Tower prides itself on finding new and exciting ways to reach out to consumers, both face-to-face as well as online. We’re very proud of our collaboration with MySpace for “Secret Shows”, as well as the great consumer response that we’re having to TowerPod. We will continue to find ways for our customers to discover new music through innovative approaches that will feature Tower.com, TowerPod, Tower Records Digital, and our traditional retail stores.

For decades, Tower has been the dominating force above all other music retailers when it comes to featuring and promoting Developing Artists and Independent Music. We’re also known for our Depth of Catalog, and in particular the attention that we pay to key subgenres like Classical, Jazz and Blues.

Our content acquisition strategy will center around our ability to cater to our customer’s needs and what they desire in a music download store. We’ve found through research, that our consumer is a collector, they want everything from a specific artist to a specific movement of music. If our consumer wants the physical good, well… they have 89 spectacular retail locations across the country that they can walk into, or access available 24-hours a day at Tower.com. If our consumer needs a quick download fix or desires mobility, Tower Records Digital will now give them that access. Beginning today, we’ll be working diligently with our label and distribution partners to offer a very unique download store that has the same inherit qualities of any Tower location.