Where to buy CDs/DVDs

Fingerpicker

I had a frustrating day at Look and Listen yesterday, just shopping..or trying to.
"Do you have anything by Doyle Dykes?" Tick tick tick (Computer) "No, who is he?" " One of the best acoustic guitar players in the world." "Oh."
"Do you have anything by Martin Taylor?" tick tick tick "No."
"Dan Patlansky?" tick tick tick "No."
"Gordon Lightfoot?" tick tick "No"
"John Denver?"
"How about X Rated Bob?" tick tick "No" "I didn't think so."
"Dozy?" no tick tick but an enthusiastic "Yes, sir!!" "I thought so, but no thanks."

The CD Warehouse at Fourways used to be an excellent source of CDs/DVDs. Where is the best shop in JHB/Cape Town these days?
Please help.....

Ray

Ag you know what? I usually just order online via Kalahari, Loot, Take2. I still want to give this bunch a go:

http://www.guitarcds.net/store/dynamicIndex.asp

NorioDS

I love Music Moods @ the Centurion Mall. They have a lot of the harder-to-find guitar stuff and I'm sure will get something for you if you ask.

Having said that, I far prefer shopping online ? Much wider variety and less exercise involved ?

Bob-Dubery

There was (was) a marvellous little store in Melville: Canned Applause. They specialised in stuff that most other shops didn't stock. The proprietor, Riaan, used to work for L&L and often had people coming in who had been listening to Richard Haslop's show on SAFM (that show is sadly no more) or reading his column in Business Day and wanting the stuff he'd been recommending. L&L, despite the requests, were not interested in servicing this market so Riaan decided to go it alone. He would order in stuff that his customers requested. He got a few CDs for me that are hard to find in the UK. His prices were good too.

The shop is gone now. Some of the local wholesalers (under pressure from two big local retail chains) made life very difficult for him, so he had to set up complete and completely separate channels with distribuotors overseas. That hurt his cash flow. There was some other loss whose details I am not privy to.

I heard he is going to start up an on-line store.

I do use Amazon from time to time for stuff that I can't source locally, but I would rather deal with a local company. That way some of the money stays in SA. Raymond Ackerman once said that if you care about your community then you should spend your money close to home.

Ray

X-rated Bob wrote: Raymond Ackerman once said that if you care about your community then you should spend your money close to home.

And when possible I do. But what burns my ass is going into a huge record bar (or CD bar or what do you call them) and you scout around for something. Cant find. Then you ask a really sick looking oke about it and he says "No man, I'm only into metal hey". Ja, I'm a bit into that as well, but right now I wanna try help to pay your salary beesblaas! Who can help me here? "Hey like I think everyone just listens to metal here." And I was asking about a SRV boxset - not too way out ne? So I go and get it online somewhere else.

So ja, I dont want to kill to many miles to find a CD but it is good to hear of stores that stock maybe what isnt playing all over the local airwaves at the time. Never know when you are in that area.

I remember a time when you could wander into the old Hilbrow record bar and ask for advice and info from anything from the Undertones to Rostoropvich and there would be someone ready and able to help and bloody excited to do it as well.

Jack-Flash-Jr

I used to work at look 'n Listen in their early days... do they still test you before you get a job? Doubt it!!
Only buy online now days.

Squonk

I have finally come to the conclusion that Look 'n Listen is a Top Twenty and greatest hits store, nothing else.

My wife bought me the new R y G, and deciding to exchange it at L 'n L , I spent a good hour trying to find something to replace it with.
I was shocked to find Monte Montgomery Live at Workplay, filed in the minute Jazz section at the back of the store (Clearwater Mall).

I could not find anything and was thinking of maybe buying a series of "Only Fools and Horses" (BBC), for a laugh.

Really enjoying Monte though.

@ Ray - Hillbrow Records was an incredible shop, remember the huge sale section? We used to be quite naughty, I used to get them to order Steve Hackett and Steve Howe solo Albums and then wait 6 months and get it for half price in the sale section :-[

Online seems to be the way to go...

andrewjbryson

www.rhythmonline.co.za - run by Brian Currin, SA music guru

for local music, tracks are downloadable at only 7 bucks per track

my album will be on there pretty soon too

G

CD Warehouse at at the V & A waterfront is now a musica megastore, they still get in some stuff the regular musica and look and listen stores don't get. they the only store that had the new Tom Waits live album, Glitter and Doom Live.

BMU

Online, usually Take2. Not only the bigger selection but they're way cheaper than L&L on most import CDs.

And way faster.
L&L: "tic tic tic, errr no sir. But we can order it for you. 6 - 8 weeks delivery"
Take2: "product usually ships in 15 days." Day 16: product is (usually) in hand. No brainer.

Fingerpicker

Many thanks everyone.
I tried to get mp3 stuff from Amazon and iTunes a while back but they said that there was a music rights issue with South Africa that had not yet been resolved. ie the US/UK are getting paid and the music is ending up in RSA with the local guys not making anything. This was happening with a RSA credit card.