Hard Rock Park closing early...

I have about 1300 CD's and about 500 LP's, plus all the stuff I've downloaded over the years. I've put every song that I could ever have a hankering to hear on my iPod, and it's 26% full. I would have paid double for that kind of convenience.

I don't care if it's trendy or not. Hell, I don't care if it kills baby seals, the rain forest and the polar ice cap.

I've only had mine for 8 months and I already can't remember a world where I couldn't have my entire music collection (a little over 12,000 songs) with me at all times on a device about the same size as my cell phone.

The only thing worse than buying something that you don't need because it's trendy is not buying something that would be useful for the same reason. :)

There are MP3 players that are far superior to iPods, yet sell far less. Being "trendy" has a lot to do with it. Can you say "Walkman"?

Dj, FINALLY! somebody who agrees with me. The other part of me not getting an iPod is that i'm flat broke & unemployed.

I seem to always be broke, but I somehow managed to get me an I-Pod, and it is awesome! If you took one back in time to say...1980, you'd be labeled a witch...lol.

Now I need a PowerMac!

Yes, because being part of the Apple backlash is not trendy at all.

I bought my first iPod pretty early on and I've never been less than satisfied with every iteration I've bought. Based on the quality of those I bought an iMac and I now wondered why it took me so long to dump my PC-buying habit.

I just bought a 3G iPhone and I can't tell you how many ways it's made me more efficient at work, more productive at school, and oh yeah, it's fun and convenient and makes travel like my recent trip back home to Kentucky and Holiday World a lot more fun, too.

If that means I've drank the kool-aid, then so be it. I am not an Apple fanboy by any means but they sell me products that work really well, especially together.

matt loves Apple! matt loves Apple! nee-ner nee-ner nee-ner! ;)

Personally, I like the Rhapsody/listen.com subscription service. Rather than buy music, I effectively rent complete access to their entire catalog for $15/month.

Because I have a portable player that speaks their DRM, I can cache a copy of almost anything on the site for my personal, portable listening pleasure.

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djDaemon said:
There are MP3 players that are far superior to iPods, yet sell far less.

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And which ones are those?

During a recent car stereo upgrade I got hooked up with a cable that allows me to control the iPod through the stereo and it keeps it charged. The iPod now lives in the car.

Being that I live in Myrtle Beach and also am related to SEVERAL executives that work at Hard Rock Park I feel sure that the news I share with all of you is not false.

Hard Rock park is closing. They needed to do 30,000 guests a day to survive. Their largest count for one day was 3200 guests. They are now on a loan for payroll and are laying off people daily. Once the payroll loan runs out...... no more hard rock park.

How in the owrld do you open a park in myrtle beach with only 5 rides? How do you justify an entrance fee of $50 and a parking fee of $10 for a park with next to nothing in it? They have no shows scheduled after August 30th.

From what we know and have heard, there are SEVERAL executives interested in Hard ROck Park including Native Americans for a possible casino. Seeing how Hard Rock park is located outside of city limits this casino idea is not too far fetched.

All the locals are hopefull for improvment, but not with the same CEO of CFO. The idea, although unique and good, was bad in timing and not well thought. If you are going to put a theme park in Myrtle Beach then you have to accomodate to the publics wants and needs. A theme park with 5 rides.... not going to be a hit and it only took 1 season to prove it.

We are hoping big wigs like Bush Gardens or Six flags will raise an eye brow to a good opportunity for improvement and investment.

Bitter, party of one...your table is ready.

We'll, Mr. President will be out of a job soon. How about George Bush Gardens' Hard Rock Park?

If there's a good opportunity for improvement and investment, why would they close?

If the place is doomed, why would another buyer be interested?

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Myrtlebeachguy said:
How in the owrld do you open a park in myrtle beach with only 5 rides? How do you justify an entrance fee of $50 and a parking fee of $10 for a park with next to nothing in it?

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I dunno. How has IOA gotten away with it for almost a decade?

I visited IOA within the first 6 months it opened and I visited HRP in the same time frame. Both felt very similar. Low on rides, high on vibe.

If you want a hard ride count, IOA still only has 18 after 10 years and opened with a few less. HRP opened this year with 14.

No doubt the park has underperformed, but I still don't get the local animosity towards the place. Maybe some support would make things better? Seems like everyone rooted for this to fail from the start.

C'mon, Gonch. How long have you been doing the enthusiast thing? It's not "what used to be", and that's why it's no good.

HRP opened this year with 14.

Disney's California Adventure opened with 10 rides, one of which closed a few months later (Superstar Limo).

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kpjb said:
If the place is doomed, why would another buyer be interested?

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Just speculation here but isn't basing your operating model on 30,000 people coming through the gates a day, like...a lot? I'd imagine someone could make a purchase, somehow pare down operating costs and begin to turn a profit within a few years.

First post!!!11!!

This wasn't some ego hack like Wild West World. The investment in the park likely included years of operating expense.

Bitter indeed.

Gonch, I agree with everything in you post except for...

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Lord Gonchar said:

If you want a hard ride count, IOA still only has 18 after 10 years and opened with a few less. HRP opened this year with 14.

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Isn't it a little unfair to compare HRP's rides to IOA's? Each and every ride that opened with IOA is top-of-the-line, high end, best-of-it's-kind, anchor attraction.

Most of the rides that opened HRP are cloned or almost cloned rides that can be experienced at a lot of other parks, with the exception of the dark ride.