Columnist Spencer Patterson: Merger has online music fans scrambling

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 3, 2003 | 8:39 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at spencer@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-2309.

That collective groan you might have heard last month was the sound of music buyers nationwide reacting to the news that CDNow has handed over its online operations to Internet giant Amazon.com.

Not that either company couldn't use a change to improve reliability and upgrade selection. But for many consumers, CDNow and Amazon.com were options No. 1 and 1A for buying new music, and this move leaves them wondering where else to turn.

For the discerning online shopper, however, there are still plenty of quality alternatives. And though they won't threaten Amazon.com's market share anytime soon, in many cases they can provide better service, lower prices and a wider spectrum of music for purchase.

Personally, I'm partial to CDConnection. In more than four years of regular use, the company has never left me in the lurch, and its prices are generally lower than its competitors. Other solid options in this category include JandR.com and CDUniverse.

For jazz, funk and world music needs, check out Chicago-based DustyGroove.com. For indie rock, New York City's OtherMusic.com is generally a good bet to have what you're looking for.

Eclipse-Records.com stocks an array of drone and psychedelic space rock, and its Boulder City, Ariz., location facilitates quick shipping turnaround to Las Vegas. And for more avant-garde tastes, try Sommerville, Mass.-based ForcedExposure.com.

With any stores in this category, calling first to discuss whether the CDs you're considering buying are actually in stock isn't a bad idea. You can usually also pay over the phone if you're squeamish about providing credit card details online.

Auction supersite eBay.com is the obvious starting point, and its retail spinoff site, Half.com, can also be worth checking out, linking together hundreds of small businesses.

If you'd rather not hassle with a bidding process, though, check out Gemm.com or MusickStack.com. Both are essentially music search engines, combing the racks of thousands of online retailers for the item you covet. Be sure to read user feedback about any shops you intend to purchase from, however, as some have been known to list merchandise they really have no more access to than your neighborhood 7-Eleven.

Music notes

Mitchell began producing and hosting the show in 1991, providing an hour of Beatles and Beatles-related music and information each week. In August a contract dispute led him to leave the station temporarily. He began broadcasting his show online at beatlesradioshow.com, and he soon picked up radio affiliates in suburban Detroit, Santa Rosa, Calif., and Lacrosse, Wis. Raleigh, N.C., is also set to pick up the show.

With his contract situation settled, Mitchell says he is glad to be back on KKLZ. And his time away may prove beneficial to his Beatles show in the long run.

"I really put my heart and soul into the Internet version," Mitchell said. "I had more time to do research, so I redoubled my effort to make it a great show."

From the opening chords of "I Can't Explain" through the final notes of the "Tommy" medley encore, The Who proved that age has done nothing to dim their onstage prowess. And regardless of whether you think the band should have called it quits when bassist John Entwistle died earlier in the year, I defy anyone to listen to Townshend and Daltrey's heartfelt dedication to their fallen mate during "The Kids Are Alright" and not get a little teary-eyed.