Free From Money

First, I know many people will point out sites like The Pirate Bay as a source of “cheap” music, but this post is for those of us that don’t mind paying for music. I have been downloading music for the past few years (legally of course!), but nothing beats the quality of a CD.

One of the worst places to buy music is through the iTunes music store. At 99 cents a piece, music can get really expensive quickly. One example, about a year ago I purchased the John Mellencamp iTunes essentials for about $25, which was 25 of his top hits. One year later I decided to purchase the ‘Words and Music” greatest hits collection on sale from the BMG music service, for only $8, which included shipping fees. This album has 35 tracks, which included almost all of the iTunes essentials and then some. On top of that, I now have a CD quality copy of the music, as well as the liner notes and the physical backup CD. My CD is also free of the DRM restrictions of the iTunes version.

Obviously BMG is a place I like to buy CD’s from. The initial deal is pretty good, allowing you to get 12 CD’s for about $50, working out to under $5 a CD. BMG has a great selection of music if you like older stuff. Most of the new music are considered “premium titles” and don’t qualify for sales. The DVD Talk forums have a thread that posts the newest sales codes, so if you are a BMG member that is the place to go for deals. About once a month you can find either a buy 1 get 4 free sale code or a buy 5 and get 55% off and free shipping code. Either of those are a great way to get CD’s on the cheap.

A recent sale at BMG had box sets for under $10 for most sets. I picked up the John Coltrane Quartet’s complete recordings, and 8 CD set, for only $12. That also included free shipping. Another code, courtesy of DVD talk, added four free CD’s with free shipping. So if you are smart about your purchases and timing, you can get some great deals.

Another place I like to look for albums is the local music store, which sells used CD’s. Almost all CD’s are under $10, which is what you’d pay at the iTunes music store. Again, the difference is that now you have a CD quality copy versus the iTunes version, which typically comes with low bit-rate and DRM protection. A few months ago I found the Godzilla soundtrack, which has one of my favorite Rage Against The Machine songs (No Shelter), for only $1.99. It also has songs from bands like Ben Folds Five and The Wallflowers. The biggest downside to buying used is trying to find what you’re looking for. You have to be willing to look around if what you want is not very popular, and be willing to wait if it’s not available. Newer CD’s can be difficult to find, but not impossible. Many people buy new albums and decide they don’t like them, so they sell it back before the resale value goes down.

Those are the two main ways I get new music. I have been considering buying used albums off Amazon, but unlike the local record store I can’t physically inspect the disc for scratches before I buy. Supposedly the Amazon mp3 download service is good too, and is free of DRM restrictions. But I have yet to try it since I can usually find higher quality CD’s for the same price or less. The big upside of download services such as iTunes and Amazon is their huge library, as well as being able to download a single song versus having to buy the entire album. There are many more places to get music that I haven’t tried, but if I ever find more good ones I’ll be sure to add them here. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment!