Ep. 53 Russ Eisenman (Tower.com, Chief Marketing Officer Tower Records)

2500 DelMonte Street: The Oral History of Tower Records

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As a 13 year old from Southern California Russ Eisenman listened to KROQ, stole quarters from his step-father’s nightstand and went to Tower Records in Campbell to buy cassettes recommended to him by one of the store’s clerks. This opened up Russ’ depth and knowledge of popular music.

Many years later Russ Eisenman started with Tower Records working at Tower.com . By 2002 Russ was Tower's Chief Marketing Officer. And that clerk from the Campbell store? He rose to Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Universal Music Group, as Russ learned from a chance meeting years later.

But back to Russ Eisenman…how does a guy who started off studying psychology, finished with a Masters Degree in Sports Management end up as Chief Marketing Officer for Tower Records? “Stalking Russ and Michael Solomon” is one answer. A background in one of the pioneering internet businesses of the 1990’s (“before Google, before Expedia”) certainly helped. A drive and resolve after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma as a college student (he got through his treatments listening to The Smashing Pumpkins' “Siamese Dream” repeatedly) might have been a factor.

Starting with Tower.com in 1999 under Mark Bressler, Russ worked alongside Jon Fiedner and Mike Farrace. Behind the scenes trying to get Retail Ops to embrace the Tower.com brand in the stores was an uphill battle.

In this episode Russ Eisenman takes us behind the scenes of those heady and eventually turbulent days of Tower Records. He describes what he and his team contributed and what he witnessed during that time.