Sam the Record Man, a Yonge Street staple since 1961 and once Canada's top music retailer, will be closing its doors for good next month.
Citing ubiquitous music downloads, Jason and Bobby Sniderman, the sons of Sam Sniderman and present owners of the flagship Toronto store, said rarely does a day go by without a story about declining CD sales.
“We are making a responsible decision in recognizing the status of the record industry and the increasing impact of technology,” said Bobby Sniderman in a press release.
He would not elaborate when reached by telephone Tuesday.
The store will close June 30.
This is sad news, but totally understandable. I buy far more music on iTunes these days that I spend on CDs. The story notes that Sam Sniderman gave Canadian artists a chance to sell music when no one else did.
That's commendable, but in the market of 2007, that's no longer enough.
Afterthought
CTV Toronto did a story on the move. The video report showed photos of Sniderman with stars like Sammy Davis Jr., Burton Cummings and Johnny Cash.
I found those photos to be both quaint and revealing.