Just wanted to let the world know about the fantastic Discogs website! If you are on the hunt for an obscure title in any musical genre, Discogs is your friend. We are a musically-obsessed family, and my kids had CDs on their holiday wish lists that just didn't exist anywhere on the interwebz. One was a UK release with extra songs that the U.S. release didn't have, and it was also not on any streaming service. The other was a sold-out recording from a fantastic roots music duo; it was an early recording and unavailable everywhere we searched.
Enter Discogs. I was able to grab both of those, brand new and in mint condition, with the plastic still intact. Someone must have been hoarding them but never got around to listening. What a shame! But their loss, our gain. I had some super happy kids on Christmas morning.
I'll never understand the music industry, incidentally. Why make it so hard for your fans all over the world to get their hands on your music? I've had a separate Apple ID for ITunes Japan for years now, because I can't listen to current Japanese tunes that aren't in the U.S. iTunes store using my U.S. ID. Yeah, I know, intellectual property, rights, yadda yadda. Please. I'm not stupid. And as a novelist I'm totally not interested in ripping off musicians. But come on, it's 2018? Can we get with the program and do something about making music more accessible across borders?
