Finding Albums

I constantly get questions about where to find albums by artists who are not in the mainstream. To this end, I've assembled this miniFAQ with the best info that I have. If the info isn't in this document, I probably can't help you. I make no guarantees for any of these resources, your mileage may vary.

For finding an artist's complete discography, the best source I know of is the All Music Guide. (This is the same database used in those CDROM kiosks at Tower Records and is probably the most complete general database around.) If you are searching for old traditional music albums another great discography page covering years and years of American traditional music at http://milton.mse.jhu.edu:8001/research/folkindex/, though many of these records are long out of print and virtually impossible to purchase.

Many folk and acoustic artists have WWW pages indexed at www.folkmusic.org. Often their record ordering information is linked directly to their web page. Many of the artists talked about on the folk_music listserv sell their CDs thru web sites at Folkweb, songs.com, or 1-800-PRIME-CD.

For the serious CD collector, the best publication I have ever found is the ICE CD newsletter. They don't seem to have a web site, but you can email them at emailice@aol.com

There is also a listserv on the net that distributes record release info:
NEW RELEASES
majordomo@cs.uwp.edu or new-releases-request@cs.uwp.edu
Message Body: subscribe new-releases
This is a low volume list, having one 40-60k file every weekend which details the dates of all the upcoming and new album releases.
Mngr: Dave Datta

There used to be some good directories of online music stores on the web, but it seems like most all of the search engines are now wed to specific retail partners. A few you might want to check out include:

Excite still maintains a list of online music retailers, as does Yahoo.

There is also an online resource for people who want to buy, sell, or trade recordings. The Global Electronic Music Marketplace. I've never used it, but I just checked it out and it looks pretty cool.

Many people also are buying and selling via auction on Ebay.

If these sources can't help you, you might want to make a few phone calls. You'll need to explore the the electronic yellow pages.

Another good place to locate obscure singer songwiter albums might be Rainy Day Records in Key West, FL.

You should also check out folk_music listmember Tom Ianniello. who can email you a catalog of independent music that he sells.

Looking for records that are just plain weird? Try Record Collectors Heaven. Vinyl Junkies may want to check out The Record Collectors Guild, a group of vinyl collectors who have banded together to raise awareness of vinyl, or the Record Collectors Web Ring.

You may want to check with some mailorder companies that have online connections:

If you are looking for "mainstream" collectibles, you can check online with Vinyl Tap in Leeds, England or call Rockaway Records in Los Angeles at 213-664-3232 for stuff like Beatles, Elvis, etc. Be aware that some of these items can get pretty pricey. A Japanese copy of the Beatles "Yesterday and Today" on Red Vinyl can run you $400 or more.

I'm told that a good place to buy British imports is Andy's Front Hall. Their email is fennig@aol.com

Many older LPs and CDs are simply out of print. You are liable to find them in cutout or used bins anywhere, but most often even the stores don't have an inventory of items in these bins and you have to cull thru the yourselves. I use Big Yellow, Big Book, CDROMs, or hard copy yellow pages (on file at your friendly public library) to find record stores to visit whenever I travel. Then I spend hours weeding thru the bins. A few of my favorite stores include

Also, you'll want to check Piero Scarulli's excellent guide to used record stores and Studio Nibbles Guide to Los Angeles Record Stores.

Good luck in your quest.
These links were last updated on 12/28/1999