CFW Fights the Recession!

Earlier in this blog, I had posted about the economy. The truth is that we'd only just begun back then and many probably wish we could go back to that period.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had been over 11000 and currently sits at 6500.

The three major auto companies in this country are faltering and heading towards bankruptcy.

Circuit City has gone out of business and Virgin Megastore is next in line.

Times are indeed depressing, but if there's one thing I know, it's that music can uplift and inspire you.

In this entry, I will help you with tips on how to get music that you want cheap.

Before you say "album leaks", let me finish.

First, let's start with digital.

1. Amie Street-This is a great website especially for unsigned and smaller artists. It's a great concept where word of mouth can get an artist very far. Songs start very cheap or for free and as songs are recommended and downloaded, the price increases. The highest a song goes for though is a mere 98 cents and that's provided that the song is popular enough. You can easily grab a great song for a mere 20 cents and in some cases, you can get a good quality album for $3 or even less.

2. The Amazon MP3 Daily Deal-You have to check out Amazon's Daily Deal because they're like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get...but you know what you're going to get is good. Very good. Amazon puts quality albums up for sale (some new, some classic) for as little as $1.99. You need to be quick on the draw though as those downloads only last for the day. For example, a few days ago, you would have been able to buy Beastie Boys' classic album Licensed to Ill for $1.99. There are also times where you can get popular songs for less than what labels would normally want them as well. You can get songs for 79 cents rather than 99 cents. Every little bit helps.

3. I-Tunes' Free Song of the Week-You probably are familiar with this if you have I-Tunes. What you may not know is that there are actually two more than they normally show. They generally have songs from three different genres. The songs that they pick may not generally be your cup of tea, but every now and then some songs that they have featured have become huge radio hits like Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" or Daniel Powter's "Bad Day".

4. Free Downloads-They are practically everywhere now. Most artists have given into the idea that some music can be downloaded for free. Like everything else in this list, you just have to keep checking.

Now for physical...

Even though the format may be starting to falter, some people (like me) still prefer physical CD's over digital albums.

1. Liquidation sales-You may have missed out on Circuit City's sale, but you'll still likely have some record stores going away. The key to these is to not wait for the very last minute. The key is to check the sale every now and again. Stores reset prices to the original prices and then take the liquidation percentages off. When CD's or DVD's are about 50%-60% off of the original price, you should have an idea of what you want and then horde every section. You can still get great quality CD's at those prices and instead of grabbing 2 or 3, you'll have no problem grabbing 10 or more...well, in my case. The only drawback is that there are no returns so please, choose wisely.

2. Cheap/Used CD Places-If you're lucky enough to have one, you can find a lot of great CDs for cheap. There are some CD's that you may find special deals for as these stores are always trying to get rid of them. These CD exchanges always work out for the consumer because it's a mom and pop operation. They determine the price and you can normally find newer CD's cheaper as well. This is probably my favorite option because they will at least compensate you if you want to bring back a CD you've purchased either there or elsewhere. May not be much, but as I said before, every cent counts.

And there's one more miscellaneous tip:

Stick To Your Scene-That does not mean stick to one genre, it simply means to buy local. If you can't afford going to a major show or festival that's two hours away, it's probably best for you to stay close. There's sure to be a band in your town or your general area that's really good that could be worth following. Most local shows are not more than $10 in small bars and small venues. Occasionally, there will be a free show.

The thing that holds all of these points together is to always stay on top. Try to keep up as best you can or you may miss out on the deals that you want.