It's very rural here where I live in N. Ark. Ozarks, so the only source for new CDs & DVDs is the nearby Wal Mart, and because of the popularity of computer downloads, they now carry about a quarter of what they had a couple years ago. Needless to say, their selection is very limited, mostly current pop and country. I do occasionally buy a new CD in those genres at Wal Mart.

However, Bill D. has the secret - custom CDs. The main problem I have with album CDs is that I have to buy 4 CDs by an artist/group to get the dozen pieces that I really want. Sure, I could download the individual tracks that I want and burn them onto a custom CD, but as another one of those techno-Luddites, I have never downloaded music.

Like Q and Zhenya, I don't find the music I want around, what with the very limited selection available to me . . . you ain't gonna find Adelina Patti, Django Reinhardt, Feyodor Chaliapin, Billy Murry, Woody Guthrie, Vernon Dalhart, or the Skillet Likkers in Wal Mart. So, I too, hit the charity shop, local auction house, yard sales, flea markets, etc. and find all kinds of used CDs, tapes, LPs, 78s, and occasionally even cylinders, for near nothing and custom make my own CDs like Bill D.

Generally speaking though, the selection in these parts, new & used, from all sources tends toward only a few genres - C&W, Bluegrass, Gospel, Rock/pop, and "easy listening/mood music" - as most folks hereabouts suffer from "hardening of the categories" with respect to their musical interests.

So, what was I to do? Well, if I can't find what I want at those places noted above, then I shop with on-line sellers and/or order from catalogues like Kultur, Bel Canto, Nauck's Vintage Records, Esoteric Records, etc.

Then I put together the equipment to play the music from all that myriad of media, process/clarify it, re-equalize the pre-RIAA stuff, then burn my own custom CDs.

Sure, it's all work, but it's also a labor of love!!

Eu