No more J & R Music World in lower Manhattan. The iconic outlet closed last week, as reported here in the New York Daily News. The combination of music sales moving online and consumer electronics sales moving online makes it inevitable that brick-and-mortar stores such as these will struggle and ultimately have to find new revenue streams or face going out of business. I remember J&R back in the day, before CDs, when it was the place to buy records that were in print. It stocked pretty much everything and the prices were fair. But that was a long time ago. Last time I was there, maybe three years ago, they were trying to revive vinyl sales with reissues and even some used vinyl, but, with the used vinyl, the prices were way too high for regular buyers like me. Another one bites the dust.

This one is kind of silly, but it came in the mailbox: The CBS program “60 Minutes” conducted a survey and ask respondents to choose which was more important, jazz or hip hip. 73% chose jazz and 19% chose hip hop. And this means . . . .?

Our friend CeeDee sends the following link and note regarding a 45 by The Precisions that sold for $4,350: “Ok,it’s not jazz. I thought you’d get a kick out of the winning bid,though..which just confirms that the big bucks are out there for the “right” items(and a heads up as you come across collections of various types). A 45,for cryin’ out loud!

Here’s the story of a collector donating his records to a university. As I think about my own legacy, I ponder taking a similar route with a lot of my records — not all of them — as well as my books, magazines and other ephemera. Doing research on a suitable donee is on my list of things to do. Any suggestions are welcome. I think the only pre-conditions would be that the records and collectibles would be accessible and that my name would somehow be attached to the collection.