Ahhhh…the joy of coming home and finding new music on my doorstep or a yellow slip in my mailbox letting me know new music is waiting for me at the post office. Yes, I am a audiophile, which is the polite way of saying “music junkie.” Buying music is my guilty pleasure and while I enjoy combing through racks and racks of new and used CD’s in the stores, I have also been checking out some of the online music stores. I have definitely found some gems and learned a few good lessons. Below are the website that I for my online music treasure hunting and a couple of wisdoms about each one. A.J., this is for you!!!
Tower Records
I think the mighty Tower was the first place I ever bought music online. Tower has good customer service and they turnaround the orders quickly. They are great for CD singles but their new CD’s are a little pricey but decent prices on the oldies. A good place to search for new releases. I often find it on Tower and get it for a better price elsewhere.
Amazon
I better be nice since I am an Amazon associate. Great prices on used CD’s but the new ones are a little pricey. Usually a good turnaround on the orders. Also a great reference for music.
Update: Somewhere along the way CD Now and Amazon.com have merged. Good or bad? You be the judge!!
eBay
Now this is a music buyer’s paradise and since my mom is not reading my blog, I can admit that I spent $50.00 for the new Incognito release last year. It was my first auction and I got a little overzealous. I bid cautiously and carefully and know when to throw in the towel. You can find some rare gems here but it all depends on how much you are willing to spend. Shirley Horn’s first release sold for $137.51 recently. I have won auctions for under $10 and spend as much as well, you know that already. If you bid, be sure to check up on your item during the last few hours before the bidding closes. Someone could easily sneak in and outbid you. My best gem was Patti Austin’s 1984 self-entitled release which was really hard to find.
half.eBay.com
So you say you don’t like playing the auction game? There is some really good stuff here and you could easily spend your whole paycheck. Just as with eBay, you just never know what people are willing to unload from their music collections. This place is like the K-Mart for online music shoppers with great deals on good music. The orders are turned around quickly. I was quite happy because I was able to find music by Mica Paris, Carmen McRae, and Roberta Flack that I had been searching for in the stores for years.
Second Spin
I have not personally bought anything here but I hear there is some good stuff at good prices to be found.
Dusty Groove America
Dusty Groove’s speciality is funk, soul, classic R&B, acid jazz, jazz, and other rare tunes. Their store is in Chicago and I will have to check them out the next time I go home.
CD Japan
A good source for the hard to find imports but be prepared for about a $10 shipping charge for your tunes.
Perfect Beat
Dance, Dance, Dance and more dance music. Hey, I can’t live on jazz alone.
All Music Guide
This is a wonderful music resource for researching all kinds of music.
Gemm
I think the name says it all. Lots o gems in world’s largest music catalog.
As always, buyer beware and shop carefully. I recently got burned on a CD that I never received from an artist’s website. Did I miss any other good places? If so, please let me know.
i can vouch for half.com!
*both hands in the air*
those cats over there revolutionized my music budget.
Great list, James. I’m going to check out some of these. I still prefer to shop for my music in person. I think my online purchases will grow this year out of pure laziness.
BTW, Dusty Groove is da bomb. Be careful when you visit. Talk about spending your paycheck.!