Lyrik Back Bay | 1001 Boylston Street (Parcel 12) | Back Bay

3.20.24 from my helmet cam:

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The song lyric advertising made me realize it is probably a gesture to Berklee and Boston Conservatory, since they are on the edge of that campus area.
are they doing anything outside of its name to help the music community here? If you have a name as bad as Lyrik, you better have some practice rooms or a basement venue space for students.
 
are they doing anything outside of its name to help the music community here? If you have a name as bad as Lyrik, you better have some practice rooms or a basement venue space for students.
I still can't unsee Peoples' Republik (i.e., old cambridge spot) when I see this name.
Secondly, don't even get me started on practice spaces: the city absolutely needs to do more to encourage that, especially given the swaths of underutilized space these days. It should not be hard to play in a band in a city - especially a city with commercial vacancy. My gut tells me that what limits this is not the availability of square footage (given how no-frills a space can be, so long as there's some soundproofing), rather, about liability. You can't just have a revolving door of random people hanging out in your basement; the space has to be appropriately insured; it needs to be appropriately designated w/ ingress/egress vs. the rest of the building; you need a booking system where people put down their real names. Not rocket science, but something that takes thought vs. "hey let me just leave my basement unlocked." Nonetheless, it is not asking too much, and the city should include this as a form of community benefit offset that developers can participate in. And, yes, this developer should have been asked to do that here!
 
I still can't unsee Peoples' Republik (i.e., old cambridge spot) when I see this name.
Secondly, don't even get me started on practice spaces: the city absolutely needs to do more to encourage that, especially given the swaths of underutilized space these days. It should not be hard to play in a band in a city - especially a city with commercial vacancy. My gut tells me that what limits this is not the availability of square footage (given how no-frills a space can be, so long as there's some soundproofing), rather, about liability. You can't just have a revolving door of random people hanging out in your basement; the space has to be appropriately insured; it needs to be appropriately designated w/ ingress/egress vs. the rest of the building; you need a booking system where people put down their real names. Not rocket science, but something that takes thought vs. "hey let me just leave my basement unlocked." Nonetheless, it is not asking too much, and the city should include this as a form of community benefit offset that developers can participate in. And, yes, this developer should have been asked to do that here!
I believe the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture is always asking for rehearsal space but it's usually permanent. The idea of temporary as spaces aren't being used is a good one.
 
I still can't unsee Peoples' Republik (i.e., old cambridge spot) when I see this name.
Secondly, don't even get me started on practice spaces: the city absolutely needs to do more to encourage that, especially given the swaths of underutilized space these days. It should not be hard to play in a band in a city - especially a city with commercial vacancy. My gut tells me that what limits this is not the availability of square footage (given how no-frills a space can be, so long as there's some soundproofing), rather, about liability. You can't just have a revolving door of random people hanging out in your basement; the space has to be appropriately insured; it needs to be appropriately designated w/ ingress/egress vs. the rest of the building; you need a booking system where people put down their real names. Not rocket science, but something that takes thought vs. "hey let me just leave my basement unlocked." Nonetheless, it is not asking too much, and the city should include this as a form of community benefit offset that developers can participate in. And, yes, this developer should have been asked to do that here!
From your keyboard to Wu's (and whoever else has any meaningful sway) ears!
 
yup.

Wurlitzer Music was also in that building. That -- along with LaSalle, Jack's Drum Shop, Cambidge Music, Daddy's Junky Music, and... Ed Roman's (took a while!) all used to be within two blocks of the main Berklee buildings and, starting in the late-'90s/early-aughts all started falling by the wayside.

If the student body of the world's largest college of contemporary music (not to mention the Conservatory students and all non-student muscians in the area) can't keep brick-and-mortar MI retail stores afloat, that says a lot.

I'd rather have all that back, but if they wanna name this development something that nods to the long-gone culture and the institutions that remain, I'm all for it. Certainly way less silly/annoying than most of the branding that goes on lately.
 
Wasn't that huge Tower Records emporium across the street years ago?

I won a trip to England during "Collegefest" 2003 by crossing the street from the Hynes to submit a ballot on the 2nd floor of that Tower Records.

The company went through a bankruptcy and liquidation in 2006. It looks like the last store was closed by 2016. However, they now have an online presence and a "Tower Labs" creative space in Brooklyn.
 
I won a trip to England during "Collegefest" 2003 by crossing the street from the Hynes to submit a ballot on the 2nd floor of that Tower Records.
Was it still a Tower Records in 2003? Obviously time makes our memories hazy, but I thought it had already become an HMV by that time. Both stores were once my go to Friday evening kick-off if I didn't have other plans. Hit Tower, browse, listen, buy something, then pick-up a nice bottle to drink while listening to the album back at the apartment was always a good way to spend an otherwise unprogrammed evening.
 
Was it still a Tower Records in 2003? Obviously time makes our memories hazy, but I thought it had already become an HMV by that time. Both stores were once my go to Friday evening kick-off if I didn't have other plans. Hit Tower, browse, listen, buy something, then pick-up a nice bottle to drink while listening to the album back at the apartment was always a good way to spend an otherwise unprogrammed evening.

Wikipedia says 2001 but I could swear it was still a Tower Records when I won that trip. I don't know, can't go back in time, but it's the biggest thing I have won in my life and that's my memory of how it happened.
 
Wikipedia says 2001 but I could swear it was still a Tower Records when I won that trip. I don't know, can't go back in time, but it's the biggest thing I have won in my life and that's my memory of how it happened.
I think it was a Virgin Megastore in 2003? Which might have kind of been similar. I think the tower records was still open on the corner of Bolyston St and Ipswitch in the Fens in 2003, though.
 

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