CD Universe - Buy CDs online with full sample and review services.
Written: Nov 06 '04
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CD Universe has helped turn me on to a lot of new music like Green Day and also took me back in time where there many gems that I had missed along the way like some of the lesser known Emmylou and Patty Loveless collections. It’s a space where I learned about and listened to new bluegrass and found several “new-to-me” groups out that are getting a lot of air play at my house (like Blue Highway).
While you can get music sample several places online like Amazon, I find that CD Universe has the best and most complete listings of music samples. Sometimes, you can only hear a sample of three or four of the songs, but almost always CD Universe lets you hear short clips of every piece on a CD. They have the songs in both Windows Media and Real Audio. Some places offer only one. If you’re not sure if you have these options on your computer, just click the little music note in front of the song you want to sample. Probably, you’ll hear the music. I know I can hear in either WM and RA, and I never bought those programs.
Don’t worry that you’re violating copyrights here. There have been problems with companies like Napster and downloading music. Here, even if you downloaded, you only get a few seconds of each song. It’s kind like getting a little sample of Spam sandwich on Saturday at the grocery. It’s a good idea to have little samples, and it does help sell music (but probably not that much Spam at the grocery). I’m not likely to buy something I’ve never heard before, and I may be really disappointed in a CD even from someone I usually enjoy if the songs just don’t hit me right.
As far as selection, CD Universe can’t be beat. They have a huge collection and samples of most things you’d want to check out. I listen to bluegrass and folk, and those can be hard to find and to sample. There have been a couple of times they didn’t have music up on something I wanted to hear but very few times and always something kind of offbeat or not yet released.
In addition to being able to listen to song samples from the CDs, they have a good collection of reviews from everyday consumers. They are not mostly rah-rah reviews like Amazon. Some of the better online music review folks write at CD Universe, though they do have some pretty lame reviewers there too. I prefer the longer and more detailed music reviews at Epinions, but often Epinions is lacking reviews on some of the old or country music. CD Universe doesn’t cover all of the ones I’m interested in, but I find that they get most of them. They also include very short music reviews or star rates from different professionals like Rolling Stores (ieש.5 stars from RS).
All the research is free and open to anyone. So, you can go to CD Universe and then go elsewhere to buy.
In fact, I do price shop carefully and end up more often buying with better prices other places. My favorite place to buy music is half.com. Some of those are used (but maybe not loved much), so I get them for really good price. If you want Dixie Chicks, those go really cheap at half.com. Deep Discount CD is another good spot for really good prices, they are often lacking the very most current CDs and some of the niche items I buy. Amazon, of course, keeps prices down low and with orders over $25, they give free shipping.
At times, I find CD Universe has things that are priced best or just aren’t available other places I’m looking. This week I got Old Crow Medicine Show ($13.89) and Bluegrass & White Snow ($.8.35) from CD Universe. Shipping is $2.99 for the first CD and $1.00 more for each after that that. So, my total is $26.23 just to give you a general idea on your costs here.
No. The prices aren’t always the best at CD Universe, but they run about what other places run both on and off line. In some cases, I find them the best bet so go with them. I don’t even mind paying a little more to buy from CD Universe, because they give me such great music information year round.
When I do order from CD Universe, they confirm the order by email and send things out quickly. Orders come in a good padded envelope. I’ve never had any problems with orders at all.
Give CD Universe a visit. You’ll find a wealth of information-both audio and written. They also have those “if you liked this” things and some more well-known artists have pages where you can see not only all the work they’ve done in music with suggestions on the best from them but also things like videos where the artist has appeared.
Prices do run a little higher in most cases (so I won’t go 5 stars), but they do have some good deals from time to time (usually on things that are not hot sellers just out). If you don’t want to spend the time looking around at prices, you’ll get what you want and quick here, so I’d call it a safe bet for your music needs. I know I’ve been very happy with CD Universe.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? several music CDs
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Epinions.com ID:
CyndiA
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 in Home and Garden |
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Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1158
Trusted by: 634 members
About Me:
Get some sleep and dream of rock 'n roll - Bread.
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