where you buy your records and how you feel about it

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prompted by visiting 'the oldest independant record store in the country' with my friend in cardiff and him telling me it's about to close due to people who like the idea but will buy all their records off play.com anyway.

tom sandbox west (thomp), Monday, 18 December 2006 02:22 (seventeen years ago) link

i mean, do you care? do you feel there's something important about where you go to buy records? do you notice the difference between different chain stores? do you think fopp is at base any different from virgin or hmv?, etc.; also, please don't let this turn into one of those we heart fopp threads

tom sandbox west (thomp), Monday, 18 December 2006 02:23 (seventeen years ago) link

fopp cardiff is fucking pitiful, incidentallly.

tom sandbox west (thomp), Monday, 18 December 2006 02:23 (seventeen years ago) link

I care. There's something important about where you go to spend money on anything. I notice the difference. I have no idea what you are talking about.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 18 December 2006 02:36 (seventeen years ago) link

I buy about two new CDs a week at the neighborhood indie.

Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Monday, 18 December 2006 03:21 (seventeen years ago) link

I go out of my way to shop the indie because even though they're an eighth the size (they'd fit into the corner of the local cheapo), I want EVERY FUCKING RECORD in the store vs. the Cheapos where I want every 80th record.

End of an Ear & Backspin are choice in their buys vs. the chains that buy everything which I subsequently have to wade through when I want something that isn't Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits or some shit.

hoo got it for steen, vol. 2 (hoosteen), Monday, 18 December 2006 04:22 (seventeen years ago) link

I've increasingly bought CDs online or not CDs at all (eMusic/iTunes), and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I have no real record shop in Jersey City, and the closest one, Tunes in Hoboken, doesn't have the greatest selection. OTOH they've probably cut their selection of harder to find stuff as they've been cut into by the internet, and I'm just contributing to that. Also I hate the wastefulness involved in shipping. So it's just a matter of whether I can hold out until I have a chance to make a trip to a store in the city or give in to instant grat.

Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Monday, 18 December 2006 04:53 (seventeen years ago) link

i buy my records at aboveground records

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=34636113


and at the two thrift stores here on the island. i feel great about it.

scott seward (121212), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:33 (seventeen years ago) link

ANTI played the other nite at the record store!! he was on fire! you KNOW he ended his set with Anti Depressant!


http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=49679790

scott seward (121212), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:34 (seventeen years ago) link

best record store in town: my local indian grocery, kick-ass soundtrack albums f.o.b. for $9.99 maximum
second-best: circuit city
third-best: used cd/dvd/videogame shops
fourth-best: indie stores (they're all tied, different things at different places)
fifth-best: target

Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:37 (seventeen years ago) link

do they sell cheap tapes of indian classical music at yer grocery store? i need an outlet for cheap indian tapes. i haven't had one since i left philly. on-line is less than helpful. i just like random handfuls of stuff i've never heard of.

scott seward (121212), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Aside from Academy, I get records at Eat & Marquise Dancehall. Sometimes things turn up other places too, but those are the best IMO.

ian (orion), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:42 (seventeen years ago) link

I feel good about supporting my friends.

ian (orion), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:43 (seventeen years ago) link

scott: they do, I think, tapes and CDs both; I'm usually more interested in soundtracks and cheesy bhangra comps like "PUNJABI CRUNK", which they have in abundance. usually any indian grocery in a community where there are a few families will have stuff like that. also, they will have a copy of LAGAAN to rent -- it is a great entry into Bollywood films, 3 3/4 hours about cricket, colonialism, castes, religion, and luv

Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Monday, 18 December 2006 05:44 (seventeen years ago) link

i'm more into the classical and folk stuff than bhangra and film music(though i like that stuff too). i was always looking for a wholesale place on-line, but never found one.

scott seward (121212), Monday, 18 December 2006 06:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Tom your friend is talking out of his ass: Spillers is doing fine but is (a) about to be sold as a result of the couple who own it getting divorced and (b) unlikely to remain in that location because of a gigantic imminent rent hike. People still buy stuff there. If the Fopp in town had a CD section worth browsing, maybe it'd make a difference, true.

To be honest I only really buy 12"s and electronica CDs from there; most of my other purchases are either second hand or from bedroom distros. I have to count the pennies. I don't think I'm very typical of anything, though.

Feargal Hixxy (DJ Mencap), Monday, 18 December 2006 10:33 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes, Spillers owner is trying to fund his divorce settlement.

Spillers is great, but trying to find stuff is insanely frustrating at times.

Dr.C (Dr.C), Monday, 18 December 2006 12:30 (seventeen years ago) link

i'd be upset if bleep.com closed down arf

i went in a great record shop on Chapel Market in Islington a few weeks back - mainly great because the guys were v friendly and foisting new Planet E stuff on me because one of them noticed i was eyeing up an old 69 12". for a moment it made me almost wish i was still actually buying vinyl on a regular basis. i miss all that a bit but evidently not enough.

sede vacante (blueski), Monday, 18 December 2006 12:36 (seventeen years ago) link

I usually buy CDs from HMV in Gateshead Metrocentre b/c by the time I've finished work, everywhere else is shut. I feel OK about it, I suppose.

Norman Phay (Pashmina), Monday, 18 December 2006 12:44 (seventeen years ago) link

I miss going to HMV in NYC, or the big Tower in the Village. It was fun to just kind of wander around there. But I bought just as many CDs from Kim's and other places I guess.

Matt Cibula (Formerly, the Haikunym), Monday, 18 December 2006 12:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Chains? There aren't any left, are there?

I still like shopping for records at my local indie (Plan 9 in Richmond) -- I can walk there, so it's great. I only buy used though, for a number of reasons, and mostly only vinyl.

Buying new CDs isn't fun anymore. Part of it is all that plastic -- I hate unwrapping them, getting that sticky shit on my fingers. So ugly from a tactile perspective. And then the fun of buying used is that I never know what's going to be there, the thrill of the chase and all that. I don't like knowing what I'm going to walk out with before I go in. And I like finding bargains. I feel ill paying even, say, $14 for a new CD.

Mark (Mark R), Monday, 18 December 2006 13:10 (seventeen years ago) link

Newbury Comics is pretty good if you're in New England. They've recently started pricing a selection of stuff at $8.99 - $9.99 and have rotated some cool stuff through that price range; Fall and Eno reissues, Misfits, King Crimson. Great for filling out holes in the collection. I guess I should start buying more stuff there if I don't want them to go the way of Tower...

I hate downloading music. Why should I pay good money for substandard sound? And Mark OTM re: CDs. My interest in buying music declined in direct proportion to the rise of the jewel case.

Nu-Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 18 December 2006 14:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Just moved from Brooklyn back to Seattle. Won't spend a single fucking penny anywhere that isn't independent and locally-owned/operated. So, I'm shopping at my old haunts hereabouts:

Singles Going Steady for punk/mod/hc stuff
Enterruption & the Electric Heavyland for, well, the heavy shit
Wall of Sound for oddball & art stuff
Zion's Gate for hip-hop
Sonic Boom for the indie rock (Easy Street, too, though it bugs me)
Various places for used vinyl, tho' I pretty much boycott Jive Time

adam beales (pye poudre), Monday, 18 December 2006 17:59 (seventeen years ago) link

fyi
http://www.freewebs.com/johndoerecords12534/

daniel seward (bunnybrain), Monday, 18 December 2006 18:06 (seventeen years ago) link

I buy most of my CDs now (and probably at least 50% of all the CDs I've ever bought) at The Sound Garden, which is Baltimore's biggest indie store, and they've always seemed pretty popular and financially stable, although these days who knows. There's things about the selection that annoy me (a 'Hollertronix' file in the hip hop section, WTF you corny indie fuxx), but they're dependable enough for most of my record-buying needs. And I frequent a couple locally based independent chains (CDepot and Record & Tape Traders) and some other indie stores now and then. But I might buy a CD or two at Best Buy if I'm already in there for something else.

Al (Alex In Baltimore), Monday, 18 December 2006 18:47 (seventeen years ago) link

I frequent my local indie stores, but at the insistence of my friend I've started to go to some pawn shops.
If you can get past the utter grossness of some the places, it has been amazing to see what turns up (Belgian New Beat comps, lot of 90s R 'n B, Lil' Louis, various Techno etc.)

Granted, the CDs are often scratched to hell, and the cases are in shambles.

Servetus (Servetus), Monday, 18 December 2006 19:58 (seventeen years ago) link

I hate downloading music. Why should I pay good money for substandard sound?

Nu-Edward OTM. Give me FLAC or I'll keep my money! It does seem like some of the dance/electronic crowd are getting this kind of deal, e.g. bleep.com.

I go to one local store here in Eugene every week, I usually get at least one vinyl item. There are three more local independent stores that I also hit up whenever I can. Mostly that's used stuff, but I won't hesitate to order new stuff even if it's a dollar or two more. For harder to find used stuff and rarities, I use the internet. Buying online is especially handy if you're up on label economics, you can get out of print stuff after it vanishes from the stores (e.g. World Serpent).

I have known the local record folks here for 15 years. I intend to support them as much as I can. Just today I got to discuss Stephen Still's lead work in "Bluebird", the UK/US differences in Beatles movie soundtrack LPs, Joanna Newsom, and the unavailability of used Bauhaus LPs - while I bought a nice VG+ copy of Pink Floyd's Obscured By Clouds and the Jack The Tab 2CD that some insane people sold to the store. That's something the internet can't give you.

sleeve (sleeve), Tuesday, 19 December 2006 07:00 (seventeen years ago) link

eugene oregon? i love the used record store there. house of records. i always spend lots of money.

scott seward (121212), Tuesday, 19 December 2006 12:50 (seventeen years ago) link

su,mtymes th interactio nbs arwe alil tiring ,and i dont know that much about real music that informed people li8ke and like to talk about buiyt,i do enjoy that people wna to buy records and get excited to come here even if i am tired or apathetric about sumtymes,tney brighten my day,bobb irwin who runs sundazed is givin me sum lps to start a kiosk of his labeklls goods,thtas fun and tons more funny stories and sum involve vets w legs all blown up sellin pee soaked 8 traxx,,i lvve reocydssxx

daniel seward (bunnybrain), Tuesday, 19 December 2006 16:15 (seventeen years ago) link

my first choice is always to shop at Amoeba in SF for records/CDs. If I can't find something there after a couple tries I might order it online from Gemm or Dustygroove, but I def. prefer to shop locally and yes I think it matters.

Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 19 December 2006 17:20 (seventeen years ago) link

my favorite indie music shop in the city (and only one of two) that i've been shopping at for years recently decided to close their bathroom to the public. even though i've poured hundreds of dollars into them, they wouldn't let my friend pee there last night and we had to leave early and walk to subway! sorry, i am shopping with your competitor from now on!

hm (modestmickey), Tuesday, 19 December 2006 17:43 (seventeen years ago) link

eugene oregon? i love the used record store there. house of records. i always spend lots of money.

You know it, scott. They are the bomb.

sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 00:14 (seventeen years ago) link

I buy most of my CDs via the Amazon marketplace. The local shop around here closed shop back around 2001. When I get up to Lexington, I do go to a local shop called CD Central, which seems to be doing pretty well for itself as they have expanded. They have an advantage of location and the fact that they are the only shop of its kind in the area.

"Newbury Comics is pretty good if you're in New England."

Some of their prices are pretty good online, especially it seems on multidisc sets. I've bought a few new items through them via Amazon Marketplace. I think a whole lot of indie shops are doing this kind of mail order.

I do miss sometimes going to a shop where you knew the people that worked there, as sometimes that was a good way to find new music. There were a couple of places in Bloomington and Indianapolis that were good for that kind of thing.

On the other hand, with mail order I can get pretty much anything I want when I want to get it. For better or for worse, I don't really feel the need to search out every record/CD shop when I go travel someplace else. I can also scour the internet for information on certain styles of music that are current interest.

I still listen to as much music as ever, but my aquisition of new cd's has slowed maybe a little bit. I've just gotten to the point where I have a pretty big collection (yet not nearly in the ballpark as some of you folk). I have actually started boxing up some of my stuff and sorting by music style, actually lowering down what I have out on my shelves.


earlnash (earlnash), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 01:19 (seventeen years ago) link

earl nash, we have GOT to know each other. I remember when Bill Zink used to work at Karma Records in Bloomington, with Ozarka right down the street...

sleeve (sleeve), Wednesday, 20 December 2006 05:30 (seventeen years ago) link

When I buy records (like actual vinyl) I try to buy from Hogwild Records as that place has the keenest eye for overall quality. I know when I get something there that that record will still sound good when I take it home and play it on my record player. (Yes, I still play records.) When I buy CDs I TRY to buy from a place called CD Exchange but haven't found what I wanted there for awhile, so I end up resorting to Barnes & Noble and their high prices. I dislike purchasing CDs online. I want the whole experience to be tangible. I want to feel the product, to pay for it and take it home with me right after. I am not unopposed to simply grabbing mp3s if I either can't afford something or don't want to spend all that much for it, but much of the time after getting an album's worth of stuff I end up buying the album anyway. I will do special orders, BTW. In fact, that's how I've gotten 95% of the CDs I've purchased over the past five years. But at least when I come back to the store to pick up the CD, I get to see it and hold it in my hands right after forking over the money for it.

Phoenix (is still) Dancing (krushsister), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:03 (seventeen years ago) link

in person: reckless in chicago when i can get there. i used to go to parasol in urbana when i needed something. i cant really think of any great record stores in the suburbs.

online: any number of independent psych distributors for records and some cds (usually time-lag, eclipse or fusetron), musicstack.com, or ebay. if i am buying a large amount of cds, i go through cduniverse.com because they have good prices.

i dont really think that much about where i buy... it has gotten to the point where only small, independent places will carry most of the stuff that i want.

t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:15 (seventeen years ago) link

when in LA, i shop primarily at amoeba. how i feel about it:

a) clearance section is gigantic and mostly crap but always good for a laugh or some good old fashioned armchair pop-sociology

b) store is easy to get to on the red line or the #2 bus

c) can only find about four out of every ten CDs i'm actively looking for, which i guess isn't so bad considering that i'm not the most conventional music consumer out there and that i don't tend to go around with a list of stuff i'm "actively looking for"

d) wish they had bigger/more eclectic folk and country sections

e) their used selection is often respectable and the prices are generally fair

f) i once had to leave because the volume at their afternoon in-store was really too freaking loud and the band was horrible

reading murder books, tryin' to stay hip (get bent), Thursday, 21 December 2006 05:41 (seventeen years ago) link

This thread I just started relates to some of this discussion:

Europe's biggeest 2nd hand record store closing

sleeve (sleeve), Saturday, 23 December 2006 22:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Amazon.com or Best Buy if the record just came out, they're always marked down the first week so sales will be bigger.

My local store, Compact Disc World closed about five years ago. Now in NJ there's just gigantic chains like Best Buy, or heading down the Parkway to Exit 130 to Vintage Vinyl, the best independent record store in NJ.

kornrulez6969 (kornrulez6969), Sunday, 24 December 2006 01:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Chicago Brick & Mortar (that would be a great name actually) -- Reckless, Hyde Park Records, Evil Clown, Laurie's Planet of Sound, Hard Boiled, Dusty Groove, Virgin)

Online -- Deep Discount, CD Universe, Amazon, Insound, Aquarius, Wayside, CD Wow! -- see my Guide to Online Shopping.

How do I feel about it? I try no to think about how what I spent in the 90s alone would have paid off my student loan and put a downpayment for a house. Well, that or a pack of cigarettes, cup of coffee and/or a 40 ouncer a day.

Fastnbulbous (Fastnbulbous), Sunday, 24 December 2006 18:41 (seventeen years ago) link


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