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Imagine working in the largest, most prestigious record store in Manhattan in the 1980’s. Now imagine doing that twice. Today’s guest, Billy DePasquale started his record retail career at the largest record store in Manhattan, Sam Goody in Rockefeller Center, in September of 1980. Tower Records wouldn’t land in Manhattan for another 3 years. One event that stands out during his time at Sam Goody is the day after John Lennon was murdered and the lines to get into the store to buy John Lennon and Beatles records.
Billy worked at a small local chain called The Record Factory on 8th Street in the Village. A co-worker told him about an upcoming store about to open. When the co-worker got a job at the brand new Tower Records at 4th & Broadway, she spoke for him. Billy interviewed and got the job. From there he spent years at both the Village store and later at Lincoln Center.
Eventually Billy was hired by WEA Distribution in New York where he started working as an inventory person and then worked up to Sales Director for the Northeast Region. After Tower closed in 2006, Billy left WEA in May of 2007.
Throughout our interview Billy talks about the camaraderie among the staff of #125 including very late nights at The Cactus Cafe with Keith Richards and Patti Hansen tucked into a table aside from the partying Tower revelers, the working relationships he forged in those early years, the differences between Tower Records and other music accounts and a whole lot more.
