CD Land
CD World
CD Now
CD Universe
http://www.cduniverse.com/cgi-bin/cdubin.exe/lobby/
Compact Discovery
http://www.compactdiscovery.com/index.html
CD Connection
Like the other of this group (see above), occasionally has something not found elsewhere and for a couple of bucks cheaper.
If I strike out here, I go the specialty stores that are (usually) located in the country of the artist's or group's origins or a distributor who is associated with a particular label or artist(s). Slight bias toward the Brits (they seem too well represented in our type of music J , although UK prices are much higher than Americans ones.
Synth Music Direct – SMD (UK)
http://www.neuharm.demon.co.uk/
Unfortunately, British prices. Also biased reviews. Good source for much of 'our' music. The samplers sent to subscribers are great.
Pastel Blue - Cheap or what CDs? (UK)
Cheap maybe by UK standards. Not by American prices. But, check
them out. I have done well with them.
Groove Ltd., (ex-Cue Netherlands)
My premier choice for the Dutch contingent and for EXCELLENT
samplers. I 'discovered' a lot of artists whom I didn't know
before. I have had nothing but good experiences. Kees, can I buy
stock, if you go public? :-)
CD Cellar - Japanese & German Imports
http://www.dnaco.net/~cdcellar/livecd.html
German Music Express (USA)
Manikin (Germany)
Well-known to most of us. A bit expensive, but here is where you go for Ashra/Manuel Göttsching, Bas Broekhuis, Fanger and Kersten (Mind~Flux), Detlef Keller, Nightcrawlers, Mario Schönwälder, Klaus Schulze, Rainbow Serpent, and Spyra.
Margen (Spain)
http://www.arrakis.es/~margen/
I have not shopped here, yet, but they list items by label. I guess if I wanted Jorge Reyes stuff I would come here. The site is basically a newsletter cum store.
Echodisc (USA)
http://www.echodisc.com/cat.intro.html
These folks have mostly the stuff they play on 'Echoes,' the premier ambient/space music program on Public Radio. A couple of dollars more expensive than elsewhere.
Just Like Heaven (Italy)
http://www.meloni.com/jlh/home.htm
They are into mostly alternative and progrock stuff, but I do get music I couldn't find in USA, like 'Global Communications.' Good prices. Reasonable speed. Catalog is huge and they will send you e-mail attachments of catalog text files. I like them
CD Banzai
They seem to have many items of interest -- but are quite expensive
Backroads Music (USA)
http://www.backroadsmusic.com/
I am told this guy is OK.
GEMM - Global Electronic Music Marketplace (USA)
Grand-daddy of search agents for music. They don't have access to some places, like CD Now. I go here first.
RPM!
Excellent recent experience with some TD-related CDs.
Super Collector (USA))
OSTs and anime. Dano's outfit. If you need soundtracks or anime, this is the place. Also the place for other 'interesting' recordings. But that's between you and Dan.;-)
Eurock
Archie Patterson's venerable progrock and synth/ambient outfit. Reasonable prices, has a lot stuff for us, but sells only what he has in stock. The stock seems to change every 3-4 months or so. Now accepting credit cards. I like the personal touch. If he runs out of an item he issues a credit which you can use for your next purchase. As I am typing this, I am listening to Hoenig/Göttsching's "Early Water' which I just got from Archie. I also just received from him the doubles by Nightcrawlers ("traveling backwards') and Ian Boddy ('rare elements'). The total for the 3 albums, with shipping, came to $74.
ProgTron
http://www.webpage.com/~progtron/progtron.html
Ranjit is working his way through some business difficulties, therefore his 'hobby' has taken a back-seat to his 'real' life. His site has not been updated since September. It takes him forever to get stuff to you, but sometimes he is the only one who can provide a specific item at reasonable prices Accepts only money orders and checks (if he knows you). I got some 'interesting live' recordings from him, over the years. I am willing to put up with the delays.
The Artist Shop
Mostly alternative, progrock, but occasionally sought-after items. I have shopped with them a couple of times (satisfactorily), but the latest catalogs don't seem to be all that interesting to me.
Cranium Music
The folks from 'down-under.' Sorry, Richard, but I have never been able to find anything I wanted. Prices look a bit on the dear side. Progressive rock, psychedelic. Hundreds of artists of whom I NEVER heard. I wish someone educated me. Well, Richard? I am ready! J
CD Europe
I used to be enthralled by these guys. They will list more stuff on an artist than anyone else on Earth. Really. A search on Tangerine Dream, for instance, will get you 243 hits!! But be careful when you shop here: the same item will list for widely different prices, depending on the source from which they acquire it. 'Atem,' for instance, will list anywhere from $15.95 to $42.95. 'Poland' (Holland) lists for $79.95, and 'Tangents' for $204.95. Yeah, right! :-(. Also, since they don't have a stock, you will have to wait for weeks for your order to come in. However, sometimes this is the only choice. I just want to know how they come up with the prices.
Others (with whom I never dealt), but seem promising are as follows:
SoundStone (USA)
http://www.soundstone.com/scripts/index.cfm
The largest CD net store (over 250,000 titles)
Esprit International Limited (UK)
Rare, deleted, collectable, promotional, limited edition compact discs, 12" and 7" singles, vinyl LP's and picture discs produced by most artists during the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's.
HotShot Mailorder (Sweden)
Synth - Pop - Punk - Hardcore - Gothic - New Wave - Vinyl - CD - T-shirts - Posters
Pandora's Music Box (USA)
Australian, New Zealand & European Import CDs
Second Spin (USA)
A division of Famous, Inc. A site for buying and selling used CDs and movies! I am not impressed with their selections for the likes of us. The search returned no hits on Yello and Deep Forest, but did return 2 hits on 'Psychodelicatessen,' a recent one by Moodswing. At a truly bargain price, I might add.
eMusic (?)
Disappointing - I thought it would be hot on electronic music; the 'e,' I guess, stands for electronic medium, i.e. the Net. Too bad.
Total Recall (Deutschland)
http://www.totalrecall.de/music/_welcome.htm
Could be promising, BUT...it's is really awkward to navigate. They group artists and merchandise by genre. I looked for Yello (found it not under Dancefloor/Eurodance, but under Pop/Rock/Disco...oh, well). No idea where TD is, but Yanni was under Adult/Instrumental/New Age & Meditation...thankgoodness.
And a couple of interesting concepts that could/will yield valuable information or save you money:
Bargain Finder Prototype
Another search agent. It's trying to find the cheapest bargains
for you. Barred from accessing some sites, down a lot, but it's
being revamped. Good idea, if it's executed properly. We will see.
FireFly
VERY interesting concept agent. Create yourself a 'passport' then look around. When you become familiar with the rather awkward navigation -- they ARE selling you stuff,-- eventually make your way to myLAUNCH. Then you rate as many artists and albums as you can. The result is that the agent matches other peoples' preferences to yours and makes recommendations (if you ask). The principle is interesting, the results, well….iffy.
Happy hunting, y’all!
Andrew Rózsa
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