Can you find the music you're looking for in the city you live? What format are you looking for? Do you buy used? Do you order instead? Do you purchase download?

I've been having a terrible time in Montreal with record shopping. Since my preferred store closed over a year ago, in-store shopping - my preferred method of buying - has been nothing but frustration for me. I'm looking for new vinyl mostly, granted, but I should be able to find one copy of Ys in a city of 1.5 million.

I'm curious about your relationships with your buying habits.

Sound-scapes, baby.

My city doesn't have the pizza I want.

As for music, the record store I shop at is usally pretty good at doing special orders if they don't have what I came in for. However, as much as I like supporting local music shops, I'm also not very rich and spending $14.99 a piece on CDs isn't nice to my wallet.

before my budget went to sh|te (and hopefully will be restored in a couple weeks) i bought new stuff (rarely) cheap from best buy (like that recent $6.99 sale), used from a local cd shop twist'n'shout, used online from ebay/half .com, sometimes new for a good price at amp.com, and $20/90 downloads a month at emusic.com.

for in-store stuff like what you're talking about, used stuff at twist-n-shout, i'd peruse the recently-in used racks. if i wanted something new there, it was most likely in stock.

I have one local independent record store. It's a small chain of 6-10 stores, but only frequent the one in town.

I find most things I'm looking for there, new & used, cd & vinyl, even box sets. I'm surprised Annapolis is easier than Montreal. Granted, I have shitty taste, so that may have a lot to do with it.

Anything I can't find in store (or if the mood just hits), I buy online. I will not buy from Best Buy.

Absolutely nothing in the area of North Jersey where I am. There was a decent enough chain called CD World, but the one by me shut down about 2 years ago.

So I'll hunt for used at Academy Records in NYC, or wait until I'm on the road for work & look for someplace new. Or, as I've mentioned before, I'll make use of the library system in NJ. I can look up CDs in 70+ towns and have any of them shipped to my local branch. Some of the buyers (is that what you'd call them?) have excellent taste.

yeah - pretty good record stores here. not great, but good enough for me.

Living in San Francisco for a time has pretty much ruined record shopping for me because nothing compares. There are a couple decent stores in San Diego, but generally I can't be bothered.

yes. i find nearly everything new i'm looking for here - whether it's at either of the top-notch independents in trendy neighborhoods, the numerous shops that've seemingly been around forever, the shop that's primarily known for their mail-order, or even a borders or bestbuy. this city has good record stores. it's not like new york, but it'll do.

i just saw an incredible show with about 15 other drunk people.
tom waits style singer songwriter playing a dobro with a trombone and trumpet backing him up.


it ruled.
i love philly.

my city has my computer which has soulseek which finds all my music for me.

if i have to venture out to purchase music ( ), i can think of at least four good record stores within a three mile radius.

i ♥ chicago

This city has nothing. Some of the most mainstream releases I can find but that's it.

90% of my cd's and books I order through eBay. And, whenever I'm in Toronto, I pick up a bunch of cd's.

I bet only Mike (fka Saved) and maybe Northern Soul live in a more or comparably barren wasteland for "our" type of music than me.

SEND ME SOME FUCKIN' LOU MALNATI'S!

I always get Soundscapes and Rotate mixed up. Rotate's the one on Queen, Soundscapes is way up out of the way, right? By that venue. Lee's?

why, so you can get food poisoning and shit on the floor?

no. i'll send you a gino's pizza and you'll like it.

Houston sucks. Can't wait to leave.

Probably about half of Glasgow's record shops have closed in the last 5 years or so but you can still find most of what you want in one or more of the three main 'indies'.

As long as Fopp, Avalanche and Monorail stay open for business we should be OK.

I can find most of what I want from just the 2 Chicago record stores that are most convenient for me (Reckless on Milwaukee and Laurie's on Lincoln). Factor in the stores that I only hit occasionally and I'm set.

If I can't find it at Best Buy, I'll swing by Criminal Records when I'm in Atlanta or (increasingly) just order it online.

The only problem I have with ordering online is that I tend to order three or four discs at once.

Reading's pretty good for the big stuff. Then there's London... yeah...

Since moving back to Jax last year, I have to buy anything I want online. Not a single outlet to find the odd music I want to buy. I've threatened to open a used vinyl/cd place here, but my backer, Guido, advises me it would sink like a stone in a sea of ipod indifference, and my kneecaps aren't worth anything to him on the open market.

Richmond has one great store 4 blocks from my house that i never go in, but you could get this Ys record on vinyl there. The problem here is that bands rarely if eved some here, prefering Washington or increasingly Charlottesville.

Way up out of the way? It's right near College & Bathurst, that's hardly 'out of the way'. It's about a 15 mins walk at most from Rotate This (which is on Queen somewhere near Bathrust.

Yeah, Toronto has a lot of good record stores.

Well, there are the chains, and most of the time they have the big name independent releases. As far as going off the charts though, there is one small chain of independent stores that is within a 25 min drive. Oddly enough there is one store that I frequent about once a month that specializes in all 60s and 70s psychedelic music. Kinda of like Chocoreve come to life in a brick and morter store. Prices are HIGH though, so like I said only once a month for me.