Webstore Links
Amazon has come a long way in carrying underground and independent Hip Hop
Music. They now have an MP3 download section where the average cost of the album
is $8.99. You do have to downloadspecialsoftware.
CD Baby is a cool site that offers the subscriber either CDs or downloads in
most cases. I would say average cost of a download is about $12.00, though it
really varies. This site has a lot of artists that you won't find at some of the
other links. It also says most of the proceeds actually go to the artist which
is always nice
Emusic is a personal favorite of mine. There are a bunch of different
download plans to choose from. And lots of independent hip hop to be
purchased. I am personally on a plan that costs $14.99/mo and I get 65
downloads. Very nice deal I think. Emusic also offers album advances and
Emusic only releases. Check their selection and be amazed.
You used to be able to buy CDs here but those days are officially over. The
management over @ hiphopsite.com has decided to go digital. There catalog is
not huge but they do offer the newest releases and I believe are in the
process of negotiating with a variety of labels. They are a little pricey
but they do offer bonus cuts to albums that you will only find there along
with freebies and instrumentals. Sometimes it is well worth it.
If you don't know Itunes you probably don't have a computer, which makes me
wonder how you are reading this. Itunes offers many releases from a ton of
artists. It seems very comprehensive though it does not have some of the
lesser known artists around. Albums usually are about $9.99 a pop. What I
don't like about Itunes is that it does not use MP3 and makes me buy
additional software to convert the file. Consequently I use Itunes only when
in dire straights.
In 1997 this used to be my bread and butter site. They only sell CDs and
have weaned the consume off of vinyl. They used to have a bunch of stuff you
could not get outside of NY. Now I think that is not so much the case. When
I did order stuff you had only one choice of shipping and generally it would
take about 2 weeks. If something was on back order, you might be grimacing
for a month. I was not a huge fan of the slow customer service either. But
all in all they have good selection, at good prices.
Artists and labels have created their own online stores and you can find
some of them here. I've found a lot of old 12"s that have been digitized and
some albums as well. Cost is very simliar to Itunes. (0
In my opinion, if you want a hard to find CD, get it from here. Quest runs a
tight ship. I would rather spend a few dollars more and be able to track my
package then to be a cheap ass and have to wait an eon to listen to my
music. They also have a ton of freebies that you can get a hold of after you
spend a certain amount and if you are a music junkie like me...it's well
worth it.