Why I Like Shopping for Music Online
Music and Internet
Do a basic search for the word music online and you will get 4 Billion+ returns. That's not a typo! Music results are over 4 billion with a B. So it's pretty safe to assume there is HUGE interest in music due to both the availability and number of searches via the Internet. For the 40 and over crowd, you will remember that it was not that long ago that you had to go to a physical store to purchase music of any form. The digital download was simply non-existent. And if you are a musician and needed sheet music, you had to either travel to a major metropolitan city that had a decent music store with a broad inventory of your type of music or order it through a catalog. Your sheet music was then mailed to you usually in 4 to 6 weeks. Often if you went to a store, they had to order what you wanted.
Clearly, the internet changed things on all levels when it comes to music. The large music store that sold instruments of all sorts where I bought my favorite sheet music closed. Quite simply, it could no longer survive the online competition and what I learned were hugely jacked up prices.
When it comes to music, you probably have stories of your own. An acquaintance of mine decided they wanted to learn to play the guitar. Rather than find an instructor for personal music lessons, they bought a video with instruction book using the Internet to search for what interested them. They actually bought their guitar online, too!
What Kind of Music
Music is a huge category. For the purposes of this post and website, the music that I'm referring to here is sheet music, song books, music instruction books, as well as related CD's, and video. So this post is more for those who play and sing music....or want to learn or improve their skills.
Music Shopping Online
I've made no secret that I like shopping online for music. If I want some hard to find sheet music to a classic song, it can usually be found online. And I typically find more than just one seller offering a particular item, even hard to find items. I use traditional stores that have an online presence as sort of a base starting point. Then I do a few searches beyond that to see what I can come up with. I think of it sort of like a bidding thing where I get at least three bids for comparison. Sometimes prices are really close. But sometimes the spread is BIG.
Another thing I like about shopping online is that many times I can immediately download what I want. And if what I want is not available electronically, I'm usually given a number of different shipping options. If I need something fast, I can pay to get it delivered fast! I like being in control that way.
Don't forget to check out auction sites like eBay where you can bid. Some of the best prices are found there. I have not always had the winning bid and it was a little confusing for me at first, but they do have music items. It's usually worth a quick search on their site to see if somebody is selling what I'm looking for there. As I've gotten used to how their system works, it's become quick and easy to maneuver around.
Download Free Sheet Music For Any Instrument From any Source
To learn more on this topic and access additional resources, Wikipedia has an excellent article. Click on sheet music to go there.