Special Note: before I get started on this month's topic, I want to thank everyone who e-mailed me their opinions about last month's theme. Indeed, there are women on this planet who collect movie scores... but my search for the ultimate answer to the soundtrack gender question continues. And yes, it is true: I really did get an e-mail from a odd fellow who claimed that he and his partner were experiencing difficulties with physical pleasure while listening to Danny Elfman music. Maybe it was Bill Clinton...

Now on to the February business. And business it is! I sometimes get e-mails from folks who ask for tips about how to find current score CDs for the lowest prices. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as the "soundtrack savvy" collector. And he who is knowledgable about the best deals on CDs can usually save over a hundred dollars each year by shopping wisely. This month, I'll throw on the table everything I have learned over the years about the art of saving money while collecting soundtracks. For some of you, this might not be new information... others might find it useful. Either way, you'll hear from a guy with some strange views on life, so go ahead and enjoy it!

The Soundtrack Buyer's Guide FAQ:

Does Geography Make a Difference?

Oh, yes.... Let's take a national chain like Tower Records. Say, for instance, that I wanted to locate a copy of Titanic. At a San Francisco Bay Area Tower (in suburban Mountain View or San Jose), a copy of Titanic will likely start at $16.99. At the urban Seattle Tower (beneath the Needle), you could find the CD for $17.99. At a store in Missoula, Montana, the maximum price would be $14.99. Keep in mind that California, Washington, and numerous other states have 8% sales tax, too. The rural stores that have connections with national chains usually have the best in-store prices on new CDs. Local, mama/papa owned stores in rural places can be very high though. I've discovered that the inverse is true in larger cities --the smaller stores have the better prices.

It all depends on the standard of living in your area. If you live in an area where the vast majority of people drive foreign cars and build parts for your computer, then you'll probably pay $16.99 for a CD. If you live in an area where selling firewood is a booming business and cows make the front page of the newspaper daily, then you'll likely pay $14.99 for a new CD. The more urban you get, the higher prices are.

The knowledge of a difference between "soundtracks" and "original scores" is also often dependant on geography. If you're ever travelling in North Dakota and stop at a CD store, don't even try to explain the difference to the average clerk in the store. I was in eastern Montana on some business and stopped into a store to buy Doyle's Great Expectations. It took me a good five minutes to explain to the very courteous clerk that there indeed was something OTHER than the "album" release. This never happened in California.

Do you save money by purchasing CDs online?

Sometimes, yes, but often you end up spending the same amount of money that you would in a store. The prices at places like Music Boulevard, CD Universe, CDnow are enticing, however they don't include shipping. After shipping is accounted for, new CDs average $15.50. There are two ways to benefit by ordering online (and I'm not just trying to plug the links on this site). First, if you live far from the nearest CD store or have no good CD stores near you, it is worth ordering through the mail. Also, it is indeed cheaper if you purchase two or three CDs at once through the mail (you save on shipping that way). The average purchase through the links from Filmtracks reviews to the online stores is $21.

It also comes down to the idea of waiting for a CD in the mail. Are you one of those types who likes to go out and seek the CD and carry it home in your hands? Or are you willing to wait for two days for it to arrive in the mail? Personally, I like going out and getting it myself... it's just a very satisfying thing to do. My worst fear is that I'll order the CD through the mail assuming that it won't get to the local stores for another week... and then seeing it in the stores before the CD arrives in the mail.

What about the specialty mail-order outlets?

Places like Intrada, Screen Archives Entertainment, and Footlight offer perhaps the very best selection of scores in the world. Unfortunately, their prices for regular new CDs are usually based at the more expensive range ($15.99 - $17.99). Their greatest strength, though, is that they offer what the regular stores do not. If you're looking for promos or releases by labels that don't market well to American stores (like Prometheus, for instance), then these specialty stores --regardless of price-- are your ONLY option. Unless you throw in a few regular releases with the purchase of a rare CD at these stores (many of us long time collectors do this), it's generally cheaper to go buy Titanic or Amistad in you neighborhood CD shop. Remember, you have shipping to pay, too. Give Screen Archives Entertainment credit for rounding their prices (usually) to a whole number. Instead of charging $15.99 for a CD, they just charge you $16.... keeps things simple.

Where can I listen to new releases before I buy them?

Surprisingly, many places. First, the web has numerous audio sources of scores for you to listen to. The online stores detailed above often have audio samples in multiple formats. And although Filmtracks can't afford the throughput strain of many clips, Peter Kelly's MovieTunes site features five or six clips from each new release it features. Many of the individual composer tribute fan pages have recent clips, too.

Don't forget those listening stations in stores, either! Soundtracks have been creeping into those sections more readily in recent months, and there's nothing wrong with standing at a station and skimming through an entire score or two. In fact, I sometimes write my reviews based on these station experiences alone. The scores for Ransom and Con Air were so miserable that I decided not to purchase them for Filmtracks. Most of the major, national chains have these stations... sometimes encompassing over 100 CDs to listen to. You're lucky if three or four of those are scores, though.

I use listening stations especially to sample CDs that have mostly songs, but one or two tracks of score as well. I recently went into the stores to listen to Good Will Hunting and My Best Friend's Wedding (which, by the way, are both delightful choral scores) by Elfman and Howard, respectively. This can give you an idea of whether or not you want to spend the money for the expensive score-only promo releases.

Where can I buy Body Heat... Red Sonja... SpaceCamp... etc?

This is a very common question. The search for collectible score CDs has turned to the Internet. Auction is usually your best bet. I advise placing a want add in the film music news groups, but these often don't yield any results. In these same groups exist auction announcements for online bidding (the newsgroups also have the tendancy to resort to mindless squabbling between certain MEN in the industry --ignore these in your quest for your

"...they believe that the CDs are infected with germs, fungus, spores, and other nasty little critters..."

CDs). These online auctions are fast and efficient... even more so than the older generation of auctions that are announced in publications such as Film Score Monthly. Beware of bootlegged and CD-R copies of these CDs --make sure that you're buying the release that you really seek.

Should I be looking for used CDs?

Used CDs are perhaps God's best gift to advanced human society. There are many people who don't buy used-CDs because they believe that the CDs are infected with germs, fungus, spores, and other nasty little critters that originated from the previous owner. But let's face it --used CDs, as long as they aren't scratched, are just the same as the new ones. It's very unlikely that the previous owner of a CD used it in any unsanitary way. When was the last time you knew of anyone using the liner notes to clean their pet, use as a bathroom wipe, or wear as a garden glove?

I love these releases because you can find them in the price range of $5.99 to $8.99. I bought Bernstein's Hoodlum and Elfman's Men in Black used for only $6.99 a piece. And I found Zimmer's Toys for only $3.99 (thank goodness I didn't spend any more money on that horrid CD). Sometimes the CD's packaging has been cut out, hole punched, or stamped in some way to designate it's "used" status. Other times --if you can find the right place-- some stores sell used-CDs without mutilating the packaging.

What about autographed CDs?

Oh, come on, people. Are these really necessary? I am baffled by the fact that some people will actually pay $150 for an L.A. Confidential CD autographed by Jerry Goldsmith. My philosophy on the subject: leave the composers alone! Imagine this: James Horner, standing at a check-out line in the supermarket, is recognized by a check-out boy because ofhis name on a credit card. Within minutes, 40 customers whip out their copies of Titanic (do people really carry these around with them?) and ask for autographs. One person even tries to get him to autograph a box of Froot Loops. Folks, this is ridiculous.

It makes you ponder this question: if you ended up behind James Horner in a supermarket check-out line and he agreed to give you an autograph, what item in your cart would you have him sign? There's some food for thought.

Note About Next Month's Theme:

March is the month of awards every year, and I'll have an expanded, super-duper theme with dozens of special award catagories. Along with an analysis of the Academy nominated scores, I'll provide the final results of the fan voting. Throw in some humorous specialty awards and it'll be lots of fun... I guarantee it.

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Page created 1/30/98, updated 3/5/00. Version 2.0 (Filmtracks Publishing). Copyright © 1998-2000, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. "Real Audio" logo and .ra are Copyright © 1997, Real Audio (www.realaudio.com). "Academy Awards" and the Oscar statue are ® AMPAS, 1996.