Best Places to Buy CDs

rollhead · February-9th-2006, 05:47 PM

I read on one thread here that someone purchased 400 CDs last year. My budget for the year amounts to about 50, and most of that is stuff that has been around for a while because I am generally unwilling to buy a pig in a poke.

I usually don't buy unless 1) it's by an artist that I have heard already, 2) it is a CD that has been recommended by more than one source and 3) I am pretty sure that it will be something that I want to listen to repeatedly, 4) I can buy it for less than premium price.

I'll go into Barnes and Noble to listen to some CDs, and then I will shop around for it on the internet. There are some places that have connections with Amazon, and I can buy the CDs through them used or otherwise less than retail.

I bought a Gregory Tardy CD for $1.11, plus shipping last week. I also bought a Julian Priester/Sam Rivers CD for about $5. The problem is that shipping can start adding up.

Any ideas for a SINGLE source where you can buy inexpensive CDs?

Is emusic the way to go?

Any huge consumers sell them by the pound? (How much do CDs go by the pound, anyway?)

(Yes, I am sure there have been other threads like this, but things do change.)

JamesH · February-9th-2006, 05:58 PM

I'm poking around Berkeley's Amoeba records used bins at least twice a month. They've got a great selection of cd's of all genre's with a room dedicated to jazz and blues. There's a very live and diverse atmosphere there.

Rasputin records is right down the street and their jazz section is even better. Unfortunately the place is located in a basement and has bad juju. Folks who work there seem a little rude and disinterested and you'll find a lot less shoppers in the jazz section in spite of the excellent inventory.

steve(thelil) · February-9th-2006, 06:09 PM

Half.com and amazon are good places to get used CDs at good prices. Ebay to.

In fact, if you go to ebay and go to "advanced search" and do a search for items being sold by steve(thelil) you can find some great stuff.

Rob C · February-9th-2006, 06:27 PM

I don't think there is a single source--you can probably get most CDs through Amazon, but their prices kind of suck (good prices on books, not so good on CDs). Good price seems to be a trade-off for limited selection.

I buy most of my CDs at local used stores.

For cheap discs on line, you can't beat yourmusic.com (within their relatively limited selection).

Emusic isn't CDs, it's MP3 downloads, but the price is right: my plan is $15/month for 65 tracks, which usually comes out to be somewhere between 6-10 albums. But again, they only carry certain labels (but that includes a lot of great jazz).

Jon Abbey · February-9th-2006, 06:38 PM

CD Universe carries a lot, and has good prices.

this place has great prices, and I believe are affiliated with the DVD site of the same name, who I've had very good experiences with:

http://www.deepdiscountcd.com/

but of course it depends what you're looking for, there really isn't one-stop shopping anywhere.

Scott Dolan · February-9th-2006, 06:46 PM

I prefer Barnes & Noble.

I have their membership discount card ($25 a year) and find their prices to be comparable with everyone else. Plus, any shipment of $25 or more is free of shipping charges.

That said, Rob C is 100% on the money. If price and selection are your main concerns, there is no one good source. Shop around.

Sergio Zamora · February-9th-2006, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesH

I'm poking around Berkeley's Amoeba records used bins at least twice a month. They've got a great selection of cd's of all genre's with a room dedicated to jazz and blues. There's a very live and diverse atmosphere there.

Rasputin records is right down the street and their jazz section is even better. Unfortunately the place is located in a basement and has bad juju. Folks who work there seem a little rude and disinterested and you'll find a lot less shoppers in the jazz section in spite of the excellent inventory.

The Rasputins generally are nowhere near as good as the Amoebas, but they have a really good used section in every genre and there are more stores.

Unfortunately for them, by the time one leaves Amoeba Berkeley one's CD budget has been drained.

Jason Bivins · February-9th-2006, 08:06 PM

Vince K hipped me to AllDirect a couple years back. Pretty good prices and decent selection.

Amoeba? Hell yeah, what a store. I'm probably giving a talk in Oakland this fall, and I'm psyched to take a sojourn and hit the bins at that fine establishment.

MRS · February-9th-2006, 08:10 PM

Amoeba is overwhelming. When I was there last, it wasn't a week after Mal had passed and the lp divider had "We will miss you" written in black marker on it. Alldirect is great, their Nonesuch Explorer prices simply have to be taken advantage of.

rollhead · February-10th-2006, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

but of course it depends what you're looking for, there really isn't one-stop shopping anywhere.

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the other suggestions, Jon. And everyone else.

That said, I do like to buy, as often as possible, directly from the artist or producer, etc. That's the one time I don't mind paying retail (or when I am not totally assured that I am going to love it)-- when I am supporting the cause.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob C

For cheap discs on line, you can't beat yourmusic.com (within their relatively limited selection).

I just subscribed to yourmusic.com, and you are right. I only use it to buy big sellers that I don't already have. For $6, including shipping, I don't know how you can beat it. I just got Greg Osby's Channel Three from yourmusic.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve(thelil)

In fact, if you go to ebay and go to "advanced search" and do a search for items being sold by steve(thelil) you can find some great stuff.

Is the service any good?

rollhead · February-10th-2006, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

I prefer Barnes & Noble.

I used to shop at Barnes & Noble when my friend, sax teacher and sometime JCS poster Brian P. worked there. I would go in about once a month and buy whatever he was raving about at the time. Since he left B&N, I don't have any real good local (Albany area) source for advice on jazz (or other music). The jazz bins at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Coconuts, and all the other chain stores around here have gone fallow.

There is one good used store in the area -- Last Vestige. It is a great place to find odds and ends. It's an especially good place if you love vinyl.
http://www.lastvestige.com/

stonemonkts · February-10th-2006, 09:30 AM

For many I go to Alldirect.com, and am not above buying used from Amazon at the right price. They are also good for finding used and hard-to-find cds (although some sellers try and gouge you).

I always start a search using Froogle, which gives one a decent idea of who has the best price.

I also go direct to the artist whenever possible, no matter what cheaper alternatives exist.

Yourmusic has been great for very standard, basic fare at can't-be-beat prices.

For stuff I want at any price, Cadence, Mosaic, and Jazz Loft.

Surfer · February-10th-2006, 11:54 AM

If it's something I have a hard time finding, I find www.gemm.com (global electronic music marketplace) to be a decent resource. Though be forwarned, they are, like eBay, just a marketplace, and individual sellers may be more or less reliable.

As far as brick and mortar, I've never been in anyplace like Amoeba.

PS As a sidenote, I was down in West Hollywood the past few days on business, and I passed by the Amoeba on Hollywood on Sunset, but didnt have time to go in. I've almost completed the pilgrimage to the holy trinity: Amoeba SF, Berkeley, and soon Hollywood, now that I know where it is.

Scott Dolan · February-10th-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rollhead

I used to shop at Barnes & Noble when my friend, sax teacher and sometime JCS poster Brian P. worked there. I would go in about once a month and buy whatever he was raving about at the time. Since he left B&N, I don't have any real good local (Albany area) source for advice on jazz (or other music). The jazz bins at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Coconuts, and all the other chain stores around here have gone fallow.

There is one good used store in the area -- Last Vestige. It is a great place to find odds and ends. It's an especially good place if you love vinyl.
http://www.lastvestige.com/

I use them online only when it comes to music.

They're selection is still one of the best out there.

amfortas · February-10th-2006, 02:43 PM

Sound323 is the best shop i've ever dealt with-excellent service,with knowledgeable and helpful staff, and they stock some of the most difficult to find music.
http://www.secureonlineshopping.biz/sound323/

Vince Kargatis · February-10th-2006, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

this place has great prices, and I believe are affiliated with the DVD site of the same name, who I've had very good experiences with:

http://www.deepdiscountcd.com/

Others have noted alldirect, but I will note that alldirect will win against ddcd for almost any reasonable bulk sample of cds. ddcd is good for singleton purchases though, because shipping is included. alldirect starts paying off big with >$99 orders when you get free shipping. I've bought many 20+ size orders there of pretty wide variety, and the avg shipped price was <$11 each. That's hard to beat for a large catalog. Back-catalog stuff can be $8, and "full-price" is ~$13 (say, an ECM or newish big pop release).

claude · February-12th-2006, 10:09 AM

Verge has a great selection of jazz and has fairly regular sales. Everything is priced in Canadian dollars so if the US dollar ever bounces back you guys might get an even bigger bargain.

gnhrtg · February-12th-2006, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claude

Verge has a great selection of jazz and has fairly regular sales. Everything is priced in Canadian dollars so if the US dollar ever bounces back you guys might get an even bigger bargain.

Agreed. I've buying from them regularly, though it was much more often

, and I have yet to have a problem. Good prices to begin with (in this month's update, for instance, I saw a couple of Clean Feed's going for CAD 13$) and you get a further 5% off, off the whole order, if you place back-orders. And as claude says, there are sales every now and then where you can save another 15% off their already low prices.

frankenmeister7 · February-12th-2006, 06:39 PM

who is SAM rivers??

not trying to be ignorant at the moment, but.........
i looked him up while i was bored with life and found that he resembled max roach in his hay day.

clue me in.....or peter cherches, let me have it.

Mike Schwartz · February-12th-2006, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankenmeister7

who is SAM rivers??

not trying to be ignorant at the moment, but.........
i looked him up while i was bored with life and found that he resembled max roach in his hay day.

clue me in.....or peter cherches, let me have it.

Rivers is in his 80's still incredibly vital as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, pianist, composer/arranger bandleader from small groups to big bands. He resides in the Tampa, FL area and to see him in action with his trio is always a night to remember.

The three of them all play several different instruments and will move around on some dates and display considerable skills.

There's a fair share of catching up to do with wonderful recordings from Mr. Rivers.

Scott Dolan · February-12th-2006, 07:06 PM

Sammy was living outside of Orlando the last I knew, Mike. Did he recently move to the coast?

bluenoter · February-12th-2006, 07:08 PM

Edit: I just saw Mike's reply above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankenmeister7

who is SAM rivers??

not trying to be ignorant at the moment, but.........
i looked him up while i was bored with life and found that he resembled max roach in his hay day.

clue me in.....or peter cherches, let me have it.

Franki, learn your way around the All Music Guide (AMG) website so you can look up such things on your own, okay?

Here's the homepage:

http://www.allmusic.com/

And here's one of AMG's pages on Sam Rivers:

Sam Rivers page at AMG

(Click the tabs at the top to see the other Sam Rivers pages. Also, most of the names and titles that you encounter will be links.)

Sam Rivers is a wonderful sax (and flute) player (as well as composer, arranger, and group leader). He's been active since the '60s and played in one of Miles Davis's bands for a little while. His music fits in the general category of "free jazz." Really, there's too much about him to go into here, at least for me.

P.S.--Remember the picture that looks just like your blue parrot? If you're not going to use it as an avatar, I want to!

rollhead · February-20th-2006, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankenmeister7

who is SAM rivers??

not trying to be ignorant at the moment, but.........
i looked him up while i was bored with life and found that he resembled max roach in his hay day.

clue me in.....or peter cherches, let me have it.

If you don't have it yet, get Fuschia Swing Song by Sam Rivers.

Vince Kargatis · June-27th-2006, 08:06 AM

Gah! alldirect has gone out of business. :-( I am bummed.

Gary Sisco · June-27th-2006, 09:24 AM

The brick-and-mortars where I live are an hour's drive away in two directions, so I only very rarely get to one anymore. There's absolutely nothing locally.

Burlington has a B&N and a Border but frankly the selection at each I find to be mundane to boring, and grossly expensive on top, per CD.

There's an independent there but it's focussed on rock and pop. Has a jazz section but it's utterly mundane and predictable for anyone who's been a serious jazz guy for any length of time. So it's not worth bothering with even when I'm in town, normally, never mind driving in an hour just to go there. There's another an hour's drive in the opposite direction that I was in yesterday for the first time in years but came out empty handed for the same reason. There just wasn't a title at any price that interested me.

Which leaves me necessarily with online buying, most of the good sources already having been named in this thread.

I have a monthly budget that I pretty much stick to, self-imposed. Some people would consider it a lot of new music a month, others not. It's likely more than I can really digest from one month to the next, but on the other hand, I only have two personal-pleasure expenses, music and pot. I hardly ever buy clothes. I don't even personally own an automobile anymore. Don't go to the movies. Only a few times a year even rent one. Don't have or pay for cable. Don't have a tv, far's that goes. I buy books now and then but there are many between us that I haven't read yet or want to read again, so I don't buy all that many.

I use emusic's most basic rate to download stuff I'd very likely never buy any other way, primarily back-catalogue bop from the days (I have so much already that I can't normally justify paying for more in factory form) and the idiotically termed "world music" recording I'm curious to hear but not enough so that I'd pay up for it factory form.

larrycohen · June-27th-2006, 09:48 AM

I don't know how much you use credit cards, but here's what I do: I use Discover for a lot of my purchases, and get bonus dollars. 20 bonus dollars from Discover will buy a $25 gift card from Borders. The prices at Borders stores are not very good, but you can also use the card online, where Borders is part of Amazon, so the card is good for any book or CD you find on Amazon, and if you order $25 worth, there's no shipping. This may not be a huge amount, but it feels like I'm getting free CDs and books every now and then.

Gary Sisco · June-27th-2006, 10:37 AM

Free if you spend with your credit card, you mean.

I'm continuously trying to explain to my partner that getting the occasional bonus check from her credit card company that is always a lesser amount than the finance charges, is not in fact a "bonus."

One of the reasons we each have our own cards. I always pay mine up before any charges are due. I use it as a plastic or electronic check. Never as credit.

Vince Kargatis · January-4th-2009, 10:56 PM

Just wanted to note (stemming from the Touchstone sale at Tower) that tower.com is frequently the cheapest source for (mainstream) books and cds I happen to look for. When things are on sale, they are dirt cheap - e.g. the new Brian Blade is $9, the new Byrne/Eno is $7, etc. It almost feels like alldirect is back in business.