Spintricity - Buying Used Music - Locally Continued(2)

music, tend to have lower prices, and will often look for specific music that you request and let you know when they get it in.

New Music Stores That Carry Used
Since I live in the Denver area, I'll use some local stores as examples. Barnes & Noble, Borders, Virgin, Target, Circuit City, and Best Buy don't carry any used product. They specialize in new product and sometimes at great prices. It is the independent music store that often supports both new and used product where some treasures may be buried in the bins for you to find.

If we look at the local independent music stores we find they have a reasonably deep mix of music and musical styles to chose from. If a store carries approximately 50% new then I refer to them as a new store. Examples include Twist & Shout and Independent Records. My perception is that they carry more new than used although both have a pretty excellent selection of used product. These stores can have a fun and exciting vibe due to the eclectic mix of music, new/used product, diverse staff, and musical paraphernalia. Ironically, these two stores are only a mile apart and provide the most bang for the buck from a shopping experience.

With the recent re-master of Dead Can Dance albums on SACD, I decided to make a run around town to see if I had any luck. I had found the 8 SACD set on line but prefer to support my local dealers if possible. I have to admit that I wasn't confident I could find these SACDs locally or at a price that was reasonable. How wrong I was! Independent Records on Colfax had all 8 of the SACDs and at a very competitive price. I was thrilled that I could buy locally and still get a good price. I also took the opportunity to dig through many of their used bins and found a couple of world CDs and a few soundtracks my son had been looking for. I ended up spending about $250 dollars that day but the high from the experience left me to really enjoy the remastered music.

Used Music Stores That Specialize in Used
We seem to have a broader mix of used stores that really specialize in used CDs/DVDs. Three of my favorites are Second Spin (not just Denver), Angelo's, and Cheapo Discs. All have a very large selection of used product at generally good prices. None specialize in a particular music genre but really cover the gambit. I have shopped at these stores for years and found some special gems.

We also have some used stores that focus their mix of products to more specific genres. They may carry a handful of classical or blues but the vast majority of their product mix is centered around rock, heavy metal, or dance/electronic as an example. These stores include Wax Trax, Black & Read, Jerry's Record Exchange, and Album on the Hill in Boulder.

A good example of this specialized approach would be The Anime Store. They carry mostly DVDs but have about a thousand anime CDs/soundtracks. This is a very specialized music genre of mostly Japanese origin. Some of this music is very lovely and ethereal with unique theme development that doesn't follow the Western approach to composing music. Maybe it is this unfamiliar approach to the musical structure and the unusual vocals which entice some people. This store draws in a unique crowd of passionate music and movie lovers. The vibe in this store is one of excitement and love of this genre. You might want to check it out for something really different and new. Who knows, you might gain an interest and discover some new and exciting people to learn from.

Each of these used stores offer good, if sometimes eclectic mix of product and is well worth checking out. Used stores are a different buying experience from new. They cause you to dig deeper into a genre and explore the middle or bottom of it. This approach can turn up some astounding finds of new artists and sub-genre styles. The people give each store a certain ethos that can be fun and entertaining to explore. The buying experience is a mix of many variables that ultimately culminates in a piece of music in your hand to explore. I have found over the years the used store buying experience is more fun, energetic, and positive than buying new product. Just my experience, your mileage may vary.

Good Exploring & Listening!
Brian

Spintricity

4/2009

music, tend to have lower

prices, and will often look

for specific music that you

request and let you know

when they get it in.

New Music Stores That Carry

Used

Since I live in the Denver

area, I'll use some local

stores as examples. Barnes

& Noble, Borders, Virgin,

Target, Circuit City, and

Best Buy don't carry any

used product. They

specialize in new product

and sometimes at great

prices. It is the independent

music store that often

supports both new and used

product where some

treasures may be buried in

the bins for you to find.

If we look at the local

independent music stores

we find they have a

reasonably deep mix of

music and musical styles to

chose from. If a store carries

approximately 50% new

then I refer to them as a

new store. Examples include

Twist & Shout and

Independent Records. My

perception is that they carry

more new than used

although both have a pretty

excellent selection of used

product. These stores can

have a fun and exciting vibe

due to the eclectic mix of

music, new/used product,

diverse staff, and musical

paraphernalia. Ironically,

these two stores are only a

mile apart and provide the

most bang for the buck from

a shopping experience.

With the recent re-master of

Dead Can Dance albums on

SACD, I decided to make a

run around town to see if I

had any luck. I had found

the 8 SACD set on line but

prefer to support my local

dealers if possible. I have to

admit that I wasn't

confident I could find these

SACDs locally or at a price

that was reasonable. How

wrong I was! Independent

Records on Colfax had all 8

of the SACDs and at a very

competitive price. I was

thrilled that I could buy

locally and still get a good

price. I also took the

opportunity to dig through

many of their used bins and

found a couple of world CDs

and a few soundtracks my

son had been looking for. I

ended up spending about

$250 dollars that day but

the high from the

experience left me to really

enjoy the remastered music.

Used Music Stores That

Specialize in Used

We seem to have a broader

mix of used stores that

really specialize in used

CDs/DVDs. Three of my

favorites are Second Spin

(not just Denver), Angelo's,

and Cheapo Discs. All have

a very large selection of

used product at generally

good prices. None specialize

in a particular music genre

but really cover the gambit.

I have shopped at these

stores for years and found

some special gems.

We also have some used

stores that focus their mix

of products to more specific

genres. They may carry a

handful of classical or blues

but the vast majority of

their product mix is

centered around rock, heavy

metal, or dance/electronic

as an example. These stores

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