Tower Records launches online music store

The brick-and-mortar king of music, Tower Records, has opened . The interface is loud and in your face, much like the real thing. It's also really easy to use and peruse. Like Wal-Mart Music Store and other Web-based music stores, Tower Records is convenient and doesn't require specific software, though it recommends WMP, of course. About 1.2 million tracks are available in an attractive 192Kbps WMA bitrate and format (compared to iTunes' 128Kbps AAC), and songs cost the typical 99 cents each. The back end, including the built-in media player for previews, is provided by Puretracks, which has its own branded music store.