where you buy your records and how you feel about it

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

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.

You know it, scott. They are the bomb.

"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.

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.

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

Europe's biggeest 2nd hand record store closing

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.

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.