I've long wanted to replace the huge LP collection I sold in the late '80s or early '90s for $200. (Yes, I was stupid.)
No, I don't want vinyl. One of the reasons I sold my vinyl collection is that my needle died and I was told by the stereo-store guy that there would be no more of that make, so I'd have to buy a new turntable, and hope the same thing didn't happen to the next generation of needles. With the advent of the vinyl resurgence that's not so much an issue for most, but it is for me -- too much time has passed and I am committed to CD.
That's also a dying platform in the modern era. But it's dependable, or it will likely be as long as I'm likely to be on this planet. (At last -- I'll never have to buy The While Album again!)
So my question is: Where can I buy CDs for cheap? I'm fine with used. But Mr. Google has been singularly unhelpful. Deep Discount CDs and the like want $16 a pop. Seriously? I'm old, but I know how to play an album on YouTube. For free. (I'm doing it right now.)
People selling their CD collections in bulk is a great idea, but when I look at what they've got, I can't find a single CD I want. Not a one, out of hundreds! Seriously, LeAnn Rimes is not my thing.
What my thing is, is manifold. Right now I'm focusing on McCartney, Lennon and Harrison solo albums.
Any help, Legionnaires?
Replies
Nothing helpful, I'm afraid. I started to make the transition from vinyl to CD in 1987, so I'm pretty well set. I have a great used record store nearby which has as much vinyl as it does CDs and that's where I buy most of my new music. About ten years ago I bought a turntable that transfers Vinyl to CD. (I used it like crazy for a while.) After the initial cost (about $450 at the time) of the unit (which includes radio and cassette as well), the cash outlay was minimal, and I was able to listen to many albums not available on CD in my car. Maybe this solution would work for you as well...?
Even though I have a turntable and still have a small vinyl collection, my preference is for CD mainly for ease of use and I have a CD player in my car. Most of my CD purchases in recent years have been from E Bay. There are sellers who offer used and/or new albums. I typically pay around $5 per disc and I only buy from dealers with a very high seller rating.
I have largely stopped adding to my CD collection. When I do buy one, it's usually directly from the artist (so they get paid). I'm a huge user of the website Bandcamp--buy something several times a week--and again, the artist gets paid. I am mainly using it for new music, but artists that own the rights have increasingly been putting older stuff on there: a recent example is drummer Michael Shrieve, best known for being Santana's original drummer. I'm usually buying downloads (the main way I listen to music now), but CDs are also frequently offered.
I can't point you to an easy source for CDs. I've amassed most of mine through incessant scrounging at thrift stores and yard sales, usually at $1-$3 each. I sometimes went to pawn shops, but they stopped carrying CDs. Got to beware of condition, and that the (right) CD is actually inside the case.
Captain Comics said:
YouTube has been a godsend for me, and for lots of other people (from The Washington Post: "How Did YouTube Become the Most Popular Music Streaming Site? By Sounding Like the World Itself.") Strangely, there's a better selection of music on YouTube than on YT Music, which is ostensibly just YouTube without the stuff that isn't music. But I've found there are things I want to hear that YouTube has that YT Music doesn't have. Go figure.
Thanks to the former youngster in the house, I have a Spotify account that he generously pays for, but YouTube's selection is better.
Jeff of Earth-J said:
I got one of those, at a going-out-of-business sale at a music store. They are readily available and work well (and can be had for far, FAR less than $450, these days) but I find it takes a certain amount of donkey work if you want to separate out the individual tracks on your finished recording. But a turntable converter is about the only legit way to get on CD those albums that will NEVER be released in another format.
Cap, when I have bought CDs in the past 10+ years its been from Half Price Books. I don't recall exactly where you live, but if there is one close to you, you could check them out. They also have an online store. Or if you have a local used bookstore of decent size, you could them out. Sometimes you can have some good luck in thrift stores if you want to do some scrounging on your own.
Otherwise, I would suggest eBay or Amazon. If you find a dealer on eBay that you dig, you can usually save on shipping when buying multiple items.