The secret to buying CDs
The brakes have been pressed on downloading music a wee bit, because perhaps we have been made more conscious of the loss of income to the artists and therefore feel a bit guilty about doing it.
However, for the student and others with less disposable income, the cost of CD’s has become so pricey – at minimum wage, it could take an entire 4-hour shift to buy one new CD – that I’d like to offer an option.
There is a way to buy CD’s at more reasonable prices than the well-known music retail stores, and that is to shop the second-hand stores for them. We are lucky that we have a “CD street” in town where there are a bunch of stores clustered near each other, so that shopping for them is made easier. If one place doesn’t have what you want, then ease on down the road to the next one.
Mont Royal Avenue, starting just a bit East of St. Denis Street and then continuing East, is the haven where you will find these neat treasure shops. These stores also sell DVD’s, some used books, perhaps vinyl records and even some pre-owned computer games.
You can be less concerned in terms of quality and sound with CD’s – unlike cassettes and vinyl before them, they hold up much better in their second-hand versions.
L’Echange, 713 Mont Royal Ave. East at Pontiac St. Phone: 514-523-6389. Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. After thirty-one years in the business, this shop is one of the biggest around. You can traverse the three aisles and get deals on the used CD’s and DVD’s (good for jazz, pop, blues, folk, rock and French, classical). There is also a small selection of games for Xbox, Game Cube and Playstation and some French books at half price or less.
Marche du Disque, 793 Mont Royal Ave. East at St. Hubert St. Phone: 514-526-3575. Hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rummage through this store with its 10,000 used CD’s, 700 DVD’s and 4,000 new imports to find what you want. Collectors across the country head to the basement here where they can find the biggest selection (perhaps 20,000) of used vinyl, oldies and collectors’ items. You can find some of these also on the main floor.
Le Fox Troc, 819 Mont Royal Ave. East at St. Hubert St. Phone: 514-521-9856. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Neatly displayed alphabetically on two walls, 90% of the store is for CD’s and DVD’s (10% vinyl). Expect some French music, lots of pop and world beats as well.
Le Free Son, 1477 Mont Royal Ave East at Fabre St. Phone: 514-521-5159. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. www.freesonrock.com One long and narrow aisle takes you all along the wall of used CD’s and DVD’s, and the other one takes you back to the front with new CD’s. You’ll find used progressive rock, metal, classic rock and francophone music here. Two CD players are available on which you can check out your selections.