LISTENUPMusic
and movie aficionados can unearth a treasure trove of exotic
products on foreign shores. The trick, though, is to be aware
of what you're getting -- and to make sure it's the best deal
possible. So, all you culture mavens who love scouring
entertainment bins worldwide, here's what you need to know.
-- Bryan Reesman
CDs are
universal:You can buy a CD anywhere in the world
and play it at home, and doing your homework can help you avoid
paying more than you should for certain releases. New CDs in Europe
average €15 to €17, which equals approximately $21 to $25. Japanese
CDs are more expensive. Before you leave for your trip, or if
possible at your hotel, check out websites like Amazon, CD
Universe, Deep Discount, and CMdistro.com (for fans of heavy metal)
to see if they have better deals on the titles you want. That said,
if you're looking for country-specific acts like Rosenstolz in
Germany, the B'z in Japan, or Grégory Lemarchal in France, you're
more likely to get a better deal in their homeland (at least in
European countries) rather than buying imports online, which can
cost between $25 and $40. Plus, older catalog titles overseas will
also probably cost less.
DVDs are not
universal:There are six regions for DVDs around
the world, mainly to combat piracy. So, unless you own an
all-region player (which retail for as little as $80) or know
how to hack your DVD player to convert it to all-region, be
careful if a DVD is not listed as Region 0 (all players) or
Region 1 (United States). Your PC, on the other hand, should be
able to play discs from any country, assuming it plays DVDs at
all. It's a general rule of thumb that if a country sells
domestic titles in its original language, you probably won't
easily find them at home. Granted, many Spanishlanguage titles
have recently made their way to the States, as have foreign-film
winners and candidates for the Oscars, but there is a world of
viewing in other countries that's not available here. Once
again, a quick online search can help you determine
availability.
Vinyl lives
on:Yes, LPs are alive and well, and you can find
them everywhere. The chance to track down overseas releases with
different covers, track order, and even different songs makes it
fun to hunt for vinyl. But remember, records are much heavier and
more fragile to pack, so either choose judiciously or, if money is
no object, think about sending some home with an international
shipper (e.g., FedEx, UPS). It won't be cheap, but it will be worth
it when your precious vinyls arrive in one piece.
Primo
condition?A word of warning when purchasing
music and movies overseas -- many of the containers will be
open, whether the product is new or used. Only the packaging is
in the bins, and the discs are stored behind the counter (this
almost always applies to music). Ask to inspect any unwrapped
CDs and DVDs before purchasing them so you can be sure they are
not scratched. If you have a laptop or a portable CD player, it
might also be good to test the discs once you buy them, just to
make sure they aren't defective. Better to know now than to wait
until you're home and can't do anything about it.
Dig the Bins of these
Entertainment Emporiums
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A&B
Sound
(Alberta and British Columbia,
Canada):Small
chain with reasonable prices and a
good catalog, particularly for
Canadian albums you can't get in
the States. www.absound.ca
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Cover
Schallplatten(Berlin,
Germany):If you're looking for CDs, live
DVDs, calendars, T-shirts, and 30,000-plus 45s (old-school
singles), then you must discover Cover. Kurfürstendamm 11,
011-49-30-88-550130
El Corte
Inglés(Spain):This
department store has a surprisingly diverse catalog with
some good sale prices. www.elcorteingles.es
Fopp(England):A
British mini-chain,
Fopp has a
great selection -- from Black Sabbath to Tangerine Dream --
of budget-priced CDs (many at $10) that are cheaper than in
the States. www.fopp.com
Free Record
Shop(Belgium,
Netherlands, and Norway):A pretty good
mix of music and movies at
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standard prices. Lots of homeland
releases as well. (But no, it's not really free.)
www.freerecordshop.com
Media
Markt(Belgium,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland,
Portugal, Russia, Spain, and
Sweden):This massive chain
offers a good selection of mainstream fare.
www.mediamarkt.de
Music
& Video
Exchange(England):
Looking for CDs, vinyl, DVDs, and VHS? Dive into the
eclectic bins at any of this store's locations, with
numerous spots in London,
including six
offshoots in Notting Hill that deal in specific
genres. www.mveshops.co.uk
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Tsutaya(Japan):The store has more than 1,000 locations, so you’re bound to find one. Yeah, it’s a megachain, but they’re superconvenient. www.tsutaya.co.jp/index.zhtml
World of Music(Germany):Kind of like the German version of Tower, they are stocked full of music, movies, and magazines. New CDs can be pricey, but their back catalog is good. www.wom.de