I want my obscure 80's

March 17, 2008 10:42 AM

Sometimes I can’t find what I want at the local House o’ Used CD’s or on iTunes. What are your favorite sources for (legally) obtaining music?

I’m a big fan of 70’s and 80’s music* Most of the music on my iPod is either ripped from my own CD collection or downloaded from iTunes but I want more. More disco, more new wave, more obscure soundtracks… Alas, I am far from expert about the ways of music downloading.

- I don’t mind paying – although cheaper is better, of course.
- IANAL but I’m presuming that even if a CD is out-of-print that doesn’t mean one can just download it willy-nilly.

I’m sure they’re other things to consider as well as finding sources so I bow to the superior knowledge of my fellow meFites.

* yes I like cheesy music- trying to be brave by not posting anon!

posted by pointystick to computers & internet (18 answers total)

Amazon is also a meta-merchant for numerous used CD dealers. You could also try Discogs Marketplace or GEMM.
posted by mkb at 10:48 AM on March 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

emusic.com
posted by special-k at 10:53 AM on March 17, 2008

Have you been on half.com? It's pretty good for used CDs and the like, though I'm not sure how much obscure stuff they have.
posted by pete0r at 11:08 AM on March 17, 2008

My local public library.
posted by thomas144 at 11:10 AM on March 17, 2008

Bleep.
posted by everichon at 11:13 AM on March 17, 2008

Oh, just now saw the 70s and 80s clause. Disregard the Bleep.
posted by everichon at 11:13 AM on March 17, 2008

Addall/ A Music Area searches several webstores for used cds.
Discogs, Gemm and Musicstack are decent also, but gemm and musicstack tend to have inflated prices at times, especially on 12" singles.
Half.com and ebay as well. Happy hunting.
posted by stachemaster at 11:24 AM on March 17, 2008

I find Amazon's MP3 Download store much better than iTunes, with the added advantage of being able to skip the conversion step - the files are already unprotected MP3s.
posted by rfs at 11:55 AM on March 17, 2008

LaLa.
posted by grateful at 12:09 PM on March 17, 2008

Lala has proven very productive for '50s and '60s music, so I'd imagine they'd be just as worthwhile for other decades.
posted by grabbingsand at 12:13 PM on March 17, 2008

I also recommend eMusic. Try browsing their collection and see if they have what you are looking for.
posted by upplepop at 12:27 PM on March 17, 2008

emusic is pretty awesome. But I freaking love Amazon's MP3 downloads! I even found an album there by my friend's long-defunct, never-signed band! So, definitely give it a shot.

- IANAL but I’m presuming that even if a CD is out-of-print that doesn’t mean one can just download it willy-nilly.

Sadly, that's true.
posted by General Malaise at 12:32 PM on March 17, 2008

Yeah, Amazon's MP3 store is the first place I look nowadays: the files don't have any DRM, they're high quality encodes, and you get a discount if you buy the entire album at once. One caveat: once you pay for it, you have a limited window of time to download the music. If you put it off, the window closes. So get it all at once and back it up somewhere locally. I waited several days once (home emergency, then forgetfulness) and lost most of my new album.
posted by svolix at 1:15 PM on March 17, 2008

Amazon.com is awesome. Emusic was awesome, is getting less awesome. Itunes is totally worthless.
posted by sully75 at 1:23 PM on March 17, 2008

Thanks to everyone so far - I'm learning a lot. I did not know about the Amazon limited window thing so that's good to know, too.

I knew there had to be life beyond iTunes.
posted by pointystick at 1:34 PM on March 17, 2008

Second the library. You'd be amazed ('specially as you're seeking 70s and 80s, i.e. oldies).
posted by Rash at 3:29 PM on March 17, 2008

'70s and '80s MP3 blogs.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:29 PM on March 17, 2008

Other Music is great, although I'm not sure how much 70s and 80s music they have, but I know they carry a lot in their store. Also, Anthology Recordings might have some interesting stuff for you, although I've got no personal experience with them. Both are definitely worth a look if you want something good quality that is off the beaten path.
posted by dubitable at 6:05 PM on March 17, 2008