buying LPs in the U.S.

Posted by: Joe Petrik on 06 October 2000

Where can you buy LPs in the U.S? I haven't found a local store that stocks any records -- new or used -- so I'm looking to on-line shopping.

Ideally, I'd like to deal with a U.S.-based distributor to avoid currency exchange and customs hassles. My musical tastes are pretty varied, so a range of dealers would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

Posted on: 06 October 2000 by woodface
I was in New York last year and was pleasantly surprised to find vinyl in HMV and Virgin. It was specialst stuff, Jazz etc but a lot cheaper than the UK!
Posted on: 06 October 2000 by Joe Petrik
Wf,

I'm in Lexington, a mid-sized university town of 250,000 in central Kentucky. I'm surrounded by bluegrass (both the plant and music) and thoroughbred horse farms -- one owned by William "Captain Kirk" Shatner -- so lots of horse memorabilia, chintz and schlock but, alas, no LPs, with or without pictures of horses.

Lex is less than a two-hour drive to Cincinnati, OH and Louisville, KY (two cities pushing 1 million each) but I'd rather not drive half a day and get lost in a metropolis to buy records. If it came to that, I'd buy CDs, of which Lex has plenty.

The problem is that I'm a lazier than a three-toed sloth. If I can't get what I want by going to a local shop or by clicking on the Internet, I'll stick with CDs.

Joe

[edited because I spelled my name wrong -- Duh!

Posted on: 06 October 2000 by Keith Mattox
Most of my vinyl stills come by retail rather than mail order, but the SF Bay Area still has some good outlets. Very few retail stores in the US seem to carry vinyl these days; your best bets are the various distributors. I couldn't recommend any as I don't what what your musical choices are.

ex-audiophile

Posted on: 06 October 2000 by woodface
I believe you may find the answer to your question reagrding the availability of vinyl in another thread. In the hi-fi section there is a rambling post upon the subject of 'all naim' systems. This has developed into a CD v Vinyl debate and someone has very kindly inserted some hyperlinks which direct you to the relevant e-retailers. Look at pages 2 & 3.
Posted on: 06 October 2000 by Joe Petrik
All: Thanks, I've scribbled down the URLs mentioned in the other thread.

Vuk: I had no need to buy new records in Winnipeg once I had discovered that used record shop run by the Winnipeg Chamber Orchestra -- tons of pristine classical for $2 to $3 a pop.

Joe

Posted on: 06 October 2000 by Paul B
Joe:

If you are looking for used classical LPs by mail, try this one. It is one of the best and quite close - in Toronto!! Very good selection published monthly. You can order from their web page.

http://www.mikrokosmos.com/

You could also try the following, though I haven't ordered records from them myself. They are in the USA.

http://nviclassical.com/

Paul

Posted on: 07 October 2000 by Rico
quote:
My musical tastes are pretty varied, so a range of dealers would be appreciated.

You'll have to go back up north to procure further Bruce Cockburn, matey!

quote:
...but I'd rather not drive half a day and get lost in a metropolis to buy records. If it came to that, I'd buy CDs, of which Lex has plenty.

That's it. No more FEP's to lose, Mr Petrik. Any real die-hard flat-earther would happily get lost in a Metropolis in order to find more vinyl... driving or not! What next, a tube amp? MP3? You'll have to buy a VPI or Nitty Gritty for your pennance!

Oh, and speaking of MP3's, Ken Kessler has written his first column of any true value in years, at the back of the October issue of HiFi News comic (yeah, I only bought it coz it was a squid at the Hammersmith Show)... well worth a read.

Rico - musichead

Posted on: 07 October 2000 by Arthur Bye
Joe:

Try "http://www2.vinylvendors.com/VinylVendors/"

I've bought a lot of LP's from them over the year and have been happy with the quality represented in all cases. They have a large inventory too. The pricing can be high on some stuff though. They also have used CD's. Shipment is fast too.

Saturday morning yard sales, tag sales, or garage sales are a great way to get LP's on the cheap in the US. If you're in a suburban area of Kentucky you should be able to find a lot of them. I've frequently gotten boxes of albums for 5-10$. LP's at most yard sales are considered useless junk needing to be discarded.

Arthur Bye

Posted on: 10 October 2000 by Phil Barry
also, www.amusicdirect.com is an outlet for new vinyl. They also produce some LPs.

And there's so much on Ebay that I can't follow it. Maybe you can.