Last two Virgin Megastores close their doors, forever

It was a pathetic end for the once-glitzy, multi-level Virgin Megastore in Manhattan's Union Square: a couple of tables piled up with a few remaining CDs, DVDs, and T-shirts.

That was the scene Sunday as described by the New York Times, which sent a reporter to one of the last two Virgin Megastores in the U.S.; the other is (or was, anyway) in Hollywood. Both are now closed, for good.

The Times reporter spoke to a former Virgin employee scooping up a few last bargains, and the man rueful noted that the "large retail music store is a dinosaur"—and indeed, it's hard to argue with that. When was the last time you bought a CD at a brick-and-mortar store, after all? Exactly.

Still, as I wrote back in March when news broke that the U.S. Virgin Megastore chain would history as of this summer (several Virgin locations—under different ownership—are still humming away in Europe and the Middle East), it's a shame that the experience of mixing with fellow music lovers at, say, a Virgin Megastore or a Tower Records is also history.

So for now, those of us who want to flip through actual racks of CDs (remember CDs?) with, you know, other people, are left with the soulless music aisles at the likes of Target and Walmart, or (if you're lucky) the independent, often niche-oriented record stores that still manage to stay afloat.

OK, but what about online music stores—is there room for something more social than, say, the standard user reviews and ratings? Something that could simulate the experience of browsing the aisles at a Virgin Megastore?

Personally, I'd always held out hope that Sony's PlayStation Home would have an online music store where you could shop alongside fellow gamers and their avatars; so far, though, no dice—and indeed, the entire PS Home "Mall" is little more than a portal to a standard point-and-click shopping interface. [Full disclosure: My wife happens to work at Sony Music.]

But that's just me; what do you think? Do you miss the social aspect of shopping (or simply browsing) for music in an actual store? Is it something that could somehow be simulated online? Or would you just as soon mix with other music lovers at, say, a concert or a festival?

Related:
Retailing Era Closes With Music Megastore [New York Times]