Buying CDs online

July 26, 2009 7:37 AM

What online music retailers would you recommend? I'm interested in CDs, new and used, preferably from an independent outfit.

Does your favorite bricks & mortar store have an online site? Is there an AbeBooks type of clearinghouse for smaller sellers? I don't have a lot of options in town; Best Buy isn't doing it for me, and I want an alternative to Amazon.

posted by woodway to media & arts (17 comments total)

Forced Exposure has a very good selection of many small labels across a huge range of genres. Due to the nature of the labels they represent they are frequently out of things still listed on their website. I also like Tonevendor.
posted by OmieWise at 7:43 AM on July 26

Many independant musicians/bands use CDBaby nowadays.

I also found that Amazon.com's marketplace has a large selection of different vendors offering new and used CDs, usually for very good prices.
posted by alhadro at 7:58 AM on July 26

aquarius records and weirdo records are both fantastic independent music retailers, particularly if you are interested in hard to find and unusual music.
posted by extrabox at 7:58 AM on July 26

Insound usually has great selection (though it does weigh more heavily on the indie-rock end of the spectrum), and a fantastic collection of vinyl if you're at all interested in that as well.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 8:22 AM on July 26

What kind of music do you like?

The closest thing to AbeBooks is probably GEMM. Other people can be stronger in particular areas, though.

For the kinds of music I like, I've had repeated great experiences with Dusty Groove (jazz, soul, breaks, etc.) Downtown Music Gallery (out jazz, art music), Cadence (jazz) and Ernie B's (Jamaican music).
posted by box at 8:48 AM on July 26

I've had good luck with CD Universe.
posted by torquemaniac at 8:54 AM on July 26

I like CD Universe and CD Baby.
posted by mathlete at 9:16 AM on July 26

Here's where you want to go:
http://www.vertigomusiconline.com/
The store is fiercely independent, and locally-owned. The owner, Herm, will order anything for you.
posted by BostonTerrier at 9:27 AM on July 26

Really helpful suggestions. My tastes are pretty mainstream, e.g. Bon Iver, Elbow, Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit, Idlewild, New Pornographers, Silversun Pickups, Spoon, etc., it's just that I want to buy from independent retailers. I can't support them in my town because they aren't here, so I want to support them online.
posted by woodway at 9:51 AM on July 26

For more rare, especially electronic stuff, there's always discogs.com. Paypal.
posted by VikingSword at 9:54 AM on July 26

I know you want an alternative to Amazon, but want to point out that I buy most of my CDs through the Amazon marketplace directly from independents around the country. Often you can tell where the CD is shipping from so you can consider carbon as well.
posted by Pants! at 10:28 AM on July 26

And Amazon gets a kickback from every CD you buy (and most sellers make most of their profit on the difference between expressed and actual shipping costs). I like Marketplace a lot myself, but if you want to avoid Amazon, it's not a viable choice.

I'm not sure what your goal is, OP, but if you're hoping to put money in the hands of artists, you might be best just buying directly from their [indie] labels (well, or buying the albums at the shows, but that's not always feasible).
posted by box at 10:33 AM on July 26

Agreed re: kickbacks, box. I had that in mind when requesting Amazon alternatives, but Pants! makes a good point about shipping. Kickbacks to smaller retailers are fine by me, especially if they're feeling the pinch the way I suspect is the case with smaller art galleries. There's curiosity value for me in seeing what turns up on lists of 'new releases' and what 'people also buy', in addition to visiting band- / label-specific sites. Yes, I'm lazy, too. Ideally I'd like to build a relationship with someone who'd be willing to make thoughtful suggestions, the way a good vintner or librarian might do.
posted by woodway at 11:11 AM on July 26

For more mainstream stuff, I've always liked CD Connection. Their website isn't the fanciest (I don't think it's changed significantly in 10 years) but their prices are good and the couple times I've had a query for them they've always been helpful. They were my favorite alternative to CDNow back when CDNow was still dominating online music sales.

For more obscure/indie stuff, GEMM or direct from the label (or from a related label that distributes other labels in the genre, e.g. in my case, Ant-Zen if I want weird electronic/industrial stuff).
posted by neckro23 at 11:21 AM on July 26

Most genuinely independent, small music stores aren't going to have the resources to run significant operations online. And if you're looking to buy mainstream music, keep in mind that a very large percentage of that money goes to the record labels themselves rather than to the artist. If you want to support the artists, go to their shows and buy their merchandise. I understand wanting to support an independent music shop, but if you don't have one nearby then that's probably just not a terribly available option.
posted by jgunsch at 11:44 AM on July 26

Point taken, igunsch. Great live music is a 2hr drive away from me, which is definitely worth it on occasion, but I'm glad to learn about the online alternatives for buying music by artists on various labels while maybe helping smaller merchants, just a little. Thanks, everybody.
posted by woodway at 3:56 PM on July 26

I highly recommend Ideal Copy if you like indie-ish, alternative-ish stuff (especially from the 1980s-1990s). I have made several large purchases from them in the last couple of years, and I've never had any trouble. Granted, Amazon is often a few dollars cheaper (with free shipping), but, when I can definitely afford it, I throw my business to Ideal Copy instead.
posted by Mael Oui at 7:43 PM on July 26