This is bound to sound self-righteous, and I'm sorry for that. I don't think I'm better than anyone else just because I have a few rare CDs that people want to get a copy of. There was a time I didn't think copying music was a big deal, but after thinking about it and talking to many artists over the years I've developed some scruples.
If you want good music you need to support good artists. You do that by buying their music from them. If you contact me about trading or buying CD-R copies this is the response you will get:
- I collect original CDs, not CD-R copies.
- I NEVER sell copies of anything I have.
- I may trade or sell an original CD for a fair market value if I don't plan to listen to it again. Items I have for sale are listed here and here.
I will RARELY trade copies under the following circumstances:
- After extensive research and watching online resources, neither of us have been able to locate the CD we wish to trade for an affordable price.
- We will both continue trying to obtain an original of the CDs we trade.
- The trade is for equally rare or valuable items.
- Traded material is a direct copy or in a lossless format such as FLAC. Source material was never an MP3 or other lossy format.
- You have a current list of your CD collection I can browse that is not littered with MP3s.
Many great CDs are difficult to locate. I try to mention resources in my reviews to make it easier for my readers and listeners to find the stuff I'm recommending. Here are some other general suggestions for locating obscure music:
- Check the artist's and label's web sites for a direct purchase option.
- Contact the artist directly for a purchase. I've had some great success obtaining old stock, used copies, and CD-R copies of out-of-print CDs this way.
- Be sure your eBay searches have the 'worldwide' location enabled. Don't forget to check Half.com.
- Check the other regional Amazon.com sites such as Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, and Amazon.ca.
- On the side bar I link to all my favorite resources for hard to find stuff, as well as links to stuff I'm currently selling.
It's miraculous that any good music ever reaches our ears through the glut of crap that big companies shovel into all popular media outlets. You'll notice that most of the artists I discuss here don't have a giant corporation with giant marketing budgets and giant distribution networks. They don't fly home on their private jet every few days during their stadium tour. Many have families and day jobs. Many are under extreme pressure to compromise their creative vision to appeal to a broad market of music imbeciles. Many run their own labels, web sites, and participate directly in their discussion forums and mail lists. Many drop out of the industry for more lucrative work or sell their creative souls for increased sales.
Music is a passion I hope to share with as many people as I can, but pissing out copies to anyone who asks is no way to make the world a better place musically.
