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Why You Should Buy Used CDs
On Saturday I had to put around $200 worth of work and parts into my car. I headed over to the local book and music store afterwords but I was not looking to spend a lot of money that day due to my unexpected auto costs. I have an personal boycott of the RIAA. I will not buy music from them and perpetuate their corrupt systems of Corporate Rock and Corporate Rap any more than I have to.
At the music store I stayed in the used CD section. I purchased two used CDs and only spent $17 for two albums. This is less than one new CD typically.
Buying and selling used CDs is totally legal. If you ask me it is also totally ethical as well. Now you might argue that the profit from a used CDs sale do not support the artist and the RIAA but they have already made their money on the original sale of the CD. For example, Ford and Honda do not get royalties for ever used car sold that they made because they have already made their profit from when the car was first sold. I love used shopping for used books, games and sometime use clothing boutiques.
I am not really preventing an sale of a new CD because of my ethical restrictions keeping me from giving more money to the RIAA.
For the past two decades there has been an illegal price fixing monopoly jacking up the cost of CDs. After you factor in the cost of inflation music has never been more expensive. The industry groups such as the RIAA have allowed the music companies to work together to increase the costs while lowering the royalties payments to the artist as low as possible. I wish there was a real way that I could buy music from the artist I like without one dime going to the RIAA fascists monopolist that I so despise.
Don't even get me started about the RIAA's attempts to re-write international copyright law to destroy fair use. It is tantamount to corroding the rights of the citizen consumer.
Back before the MP3 emerged as a high quality sound compression technology that enabled a golden age of digital media delivery, the RIAA had their sights on used CD sales a the scourge of their world and a threat to their profits. Now that MP3 trading is the RIAA enemy number one no one cares about used CD sales and I guess that is a good thing. They are not as popular now as they were back around 92. Yet another reason why I am nostalgic for the 90s.
In the early 90's obscenely rich country music whore Garth Brooks testified before Congress on the behalf of the RIAA trying to shutdown used CD stores. Congress did a rare bright move and the chair of the hearings turned the question around and started asking the RIAA why CD prices have remained high and actually rose faster than inflation. The RIAA quickly withdrew their complaints and there has not been any challenges to the legality of used CD sales ever since.
Sticking it to THE MAN is not the only reason why used CDs rock. They are are fun to buy and you can usually find artists that you have not heard before and you can try them out before you buy them and see of it is worth your cash and time. There is a higher chance to find rare CDs, out of print, hard to find music and no stack of used CDs contain the same music. It can be a bit of a hunt. I have found that the best selection is at stores by college campuses. Freshman will sell the stuff that they had in high school for beer money so these stores are well stocked.
Most used CDs are in good condition with no skipping but you can look at the disc and check for major scratches before you buy it. The good stores will have return policies so if you do happen to get a used CD that has a bad scratch you can get your money back. I would say that only 5% of used CDs have been badly scratched. If a CD is kept well there is no degradation over time. Used tapes and records do not stand up to the test of time like optical media can.
A typical used CDs are around the same price as an album from Apple's Online Music Store and unlike the Apple music store a used CD is totally cross platform. You can do whatever you want with your music. There are two online used CD retailers that I need try out. Spun.com and the Amazon Used Music Store stock music that you will not find locally and is just as easy as buying new music online.
To sum things up, Used CDs Rule! They are a great legal way to get new music ( to you at least ) at a much lower price than new CDs at Wal-Mart.
Jake at July 1, 2003 
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Comments
i always did love buying used CDs (back when i actually bought CDs) and have since sold off the majority of my CD collection to various used CD stores ;) we have a pretty good chain down here called CD Exchange that not only has used CDs, but used DVDs as well...we get most of our DVD's there and they usually run about $10-12...:D (we also sell them off there when we need the cash ;) heh)
ooh, i also like looking for new artists over at http://www.cdbaby.com the CDs usually come straight from the artist themselves...don't know if the RIAA is involved in those sales or not...:-\
anyway, i agree used CDs are faboo!! :D
Posted by: Lilly at July 1, 2003 7:44 AM
In Milwaukee, they still have Disc-Go-Round which we used to have here in Bremerton on the East side, in the Fred Meyers shopping center. But in order to sell your used cds, you have to have the original case and the little booklet. Another place that buys them is Wherehouse. And they sell them for pretty cheap too. When I was living in Milwaukee, we took a lot of my cds, burned copies, and then sold the original ones to the store for money for food. We were broke and I had lots of cds.
Posted by: Anna at July 1, 2003 12:19 PM
I only buy from independant record stores if at all possible occasionally target will ahve a new band cheap and I'll buy it there, but used cd's has saved me aton of money.
Yeah used stuff!
Posted by: rah at July 1, 2003 3:10 PM
Other sites where you can buy used CDs:
http://www.half.com
http://www.secondspin.com
http://www.djangos.com
http://www.towerrecords.com
http://shop.hitmenow.com
And, of course, eBay.
Posted by: Manda at July 3, 2003 3:45 AM
Posted by: Bill at July 29, 2004 8:15 AM
I'd like to open a used CD store here in Montreal Quebec, Canada.
I know purchase from people through newspaper adds is one option. Are there any other ones?
Please contact me at carolsherrie@hotmail.com
or please e-mail me your phone number.
Thank You
Carol Laufer
Posted by: Carol Laufer at November 1, 2005 8:46 AM
