Fat Beats closes

MUSIC RETAIL GETS EVEN SMALLER: Fat Beats, the iconic hip-hop retailer, will close its last two remaining brick-and-mortar locations in N.Y. and L.A., Pop & Hiss reports, the apparent casualty of a dwindling interest in vinyl among hip-hop consumers. The chain had previously shuttered its locations in Amsterdam, Atlanta and Tokyo. The N.Y. location will close its doors on Sept. 4, with L.A.'s Melrose Blvd. outpost shutting down on Sept. 18. A spate of goodbye celebrations and sales are planned in the interim. Fat Beats' online store, distribution business and Brooklyn-based record label survive the contraction. “The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away,” said DJ Premier in a prepared statement. “They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music, and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye.” (8/19a)