Fat Beats to Close NYC and LA Retail Stores
RIP Fat Beats' last retail locations
Brooklyn-based record label/retailer/distributor Fat Beats has announced that they will be closing their last two remaining retail locations in New York and Los Angeles.
Although the Manhattan location at 406 Avenue of the Americas will cease operations on September 4th, there will be a series of sales and tribute parties open to the public in the final weeks – updates will be available at http://www.fatbeats.com.
Since opening in 1994, the Fat Beats stores (which also had locations in Atlanta, Amsterdam and Tokyo) were an epicenter of hip hop culture, and an ambassador of NYC to the world. “The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away,” DJ Premier noted. “They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye.”
Meanwhile, Fat Beats, headed by owner and president Joe Abajian, pointed out that digital sales continue to increase industry-wide, and the label is operating a profitable and growing online retail store selling digital downloads, vinyl, and CDs. Plans are also in the offing to re-open a brick and mortar hip-hop lifestyle location sometime in the near future.
In addition, Fat Beats Distribution, which has been renamed FB Distribution, is continuing to forge ahead in multiple genres. The Fat Beats Records label will continue be active, as well, releasing albums from their own roster of artists including ILL BILL, TruMaster/KRS-One, Black Milk, Trinity, Sha Stimuli, and Q-Unique.