Annual sales of LPs in the U.S. had dipped below 1 million for the first time in a decade, and record giant Tower had just gone out of business.

FORBES: Record Store Day: A Brief Financial History

First came an indoor ski resort in 2005, then a floating palace hotel in the sea in 2008, and in 2011, a record-breaking stratospheric tower pierced the clouds.

BBC: Going global in Doha

Finding new financing will not be easy: The troubled British record label EMI, now on the auction block, occupies 100% of the tower.

FORBES: Iconic Capitol Records Tower Feels EMI's Pain

Supporters argue the tower is a necessary evil, bringing opportunities for employment in a country where unemployment levels reached a record high of 25% in the second quarter of 2012.

BBC: Seville's threatened architectural heritage

Even the designers and owners of the Sears Tower did not include the antennae in its announced height (at least not until their 23-year-old record was challenged by the Malaysian structure).

ECONOMIST: Letters