With another giant store--the British-owned HMV on Brattle St.--opening next month, though, some wonder whether there is enough consumer demand to support each and every music shop in the Square.
All of the music stores agreed that customer service will determine who ends up on top. And all them claimed to provide the best in service.
In particular, many store managers questioned Tower Records' commitment to customer service.
"Everyone goes into Tower knowing that there is no one there to help you," said Lee.
"It is hard to get someone to research for you. They point you in the right direction and that's it," Hoffman said.
David M. Belote, the manager at Tower, admitted that Tower has a bad reputation for ignoring customers, but said that in one month the store would totally dominate customer service.
"Once we get the bugs worked out, we will have better customer service than anyone," he said