Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    Well if you've looked at the Noteworthy Music catalog recently,
    you'll see that $11.99 is still a high price. The standard price
    for current single disks in this catalog seems to be about $11.52
    or so. Many disks in this catalog are selling in the 7 to 8 dollar
    range. Double disk sets are generally under 20 dollars.

    Rockit Records in Saugus, Ma. has the CBS mid-line series fo
    $9.99 most of the time, and sometimes puts them on sale for 
    only $7.99. I got Aerosmith 'Rocks' for that price, and there
    were over 100 other titles, and all types of music.  Check it
    out if you're in the area, or look around for a similiar store.
    
    Alan S.

    The midline series is usually $9.99 or $10.99. I think the base
    note referred to full price CDs.
    

    How do I get a copy of the "Noteworthy" Music catalogue??????
    I'm new to this Notes file and while I've bought alot of CD's, I'm
    always looking for good prices.
    
    John
    

    It is mentioned many times in this conference but I can't remember
    the number.  The way I did it was call 800-555-1212 and get the
    number for Noteworthy Music in Nashua NH.  They will take your address
    over the phone and send you a catalog immediately (if they aren't
    still out of them).
    
    -Eric

    Outside NH, 1-800-553-5370
    
    In NH, 883-0082 or 883-0682
    
    PO BOX 6011
    17 Airport Rd.
    Nashua, NH,  03063

    I wasn't suggesting that Tower Records was the last of the
    price beaters.
    
    What the man suggested was that CBS top of the line CD's were being
    wholesaled (wholesold?) at a lower price, hence they would be retailed
    for a lower price.  Therefore the topline 15.99 CD's were now 11.99.
    
    He also said that he hoped that other Manufacturers followed suit.
    
    Now, if at a discount CD house, which is what I think others have
    mentioned, the top line CBS CD's are selling at $X.XX, then maybe
    you can expect them to go down to $Y.YY.   At the same time, 
    Jrandom records will still be selling at $X.XX.
    
    Brett.

    Here in the UK there is a definite trend downwards. New releases
    (pop, rock etc) still sell for their original 11-99 to 12-99 (pounds)
    but there are numerous reissues at 7 pounds or so. However, the
    best deal I've seen is 26 classical guitar pieces recorded DDD by
    some obscure (but presumably competetent) guitarist selling for
    2-99!!
    
    SO they must be able to make them cheaply enough now. So why are
    we still being ripped off for the more 'popular' discs?
    
    Richard
    UK

    re: .5 and .6
    
    Thanks alot!!...Now I hope they carry what I like!........John
    

    
    Does Noteworthy have an area of specialization? Classical?
    Rock? Jazz? Is there enough of each for everyone or will the
    specialists tap out relatively quickly?
    
       John
    

    Noteworthy doesn't really specialize in anything, but they have
    far more jazz and rock/pop than they do classical. Although they
    don't carry everything, the selection they do have is fairly extensive.
    

I've got a Noteworthy catalog.  It is indeed heavy on jazz and rock.  Their
selection of classical is real meager.  Not many labels.

Is there some other organization like Noteworthy that has the same kind of
pricing structure and is heavier on classical?  

BTW:  I've also joined the Musical Heritage Society and have their catalog.
I'm just wonderting whats available.

thanks,
D

    
    I just got my Noteworthy catalog.  Boy, their prices are great.
     I will try them soon. Thanks for the tip...
    
    
    Jim
    

    And boy are they fast. I called in an 11-disc order Friday afternoon,
    and they arrived this morning (one business day later). I only wish
    they had a storefront so I could browse, but then they probably
    wouldn't be so cheap. They did backorder three of the discs, but
    8 new discs should keep me busy for a while.
    
    

 I keep trying to get through to the number given in this file with no
luck. Its ALWAYS busy, and I mean always.... anyone else having the same
problem... ...w.w.d

    I called them yesterday, at about 4:00.  No problem.
    
    -Dave

    I've found them busy about half the time, but I just keep trying.
    One word of warning--(you might all say "no kidding, what did you
    expect?) stay away from the cheaper POC label discs--unless you
    like the sound of someone taking a shower superimposed on your
    quiet symphony/piano solo, etc.
    
    Some of the recordings are quite old (early 60's) and I think they
    remastered them from copies they got out of a cutout bin at
    K-Mart. 
    
    Actually, on the home system if I bury the top three or four bands
    on the equalizer, they are tolerable, but on a portable, which is
    what I purchased them for, they are quite noisy.
    
    Just my 2� worth.

    Funny (we're digressing, aren't we?), but I've found a good many
    treasures amongst the cheap Polygram (POC in the Noteworthy catalogue)
    disks -- many older recordings that are old friends (and I'm not
    THAT old).  Yes, recordings from the sixties are noisy compared
    to most modern ones, but mostly they're at least good performances.
    If you want the best possible sound, I suppose you shouldn't consider
    these (or most other cheap CDs either), but if it's just music
    you're after and the sound isn't too important, take a listen.
    
    I'm not knocking those of us to whom the sound quality of a
    recording is important -- it's important to me too, but sometimes
    other things are more important.
    
    			George

	I just got the Noteworthy catalog, and the prices are good.  But
	the details specify that payment is by COD only (order shipped
	UPS).  My problem is that there is no one at my home during the
	day, and I don't know how Digital would feel about COD packages
	arriving at work.  How do other people do it?
	
	I wish I could just charge the order over the phone, even if they
	just passed the cost of this service onto me.  -- harrY
	

    Could work like this ....
    
    	day 1	UPS leaves note at door saying they have a COD order
    		for $$$
    
    	day 2	You leave check taped to door.  UPS comes again, takes
    		check and leaves the package in between screen and storm
    		doors

    re .20
    
    This scenario isn't quite accurate, because Noteworthy requires
    cash (no checks). 
    
    What I used to do is wait for the first delivery attempt and the
    corresponding yellow slip. Then call the UPS office and ask them
    to hold the shipment in the office. The next day, pick the package
    up at the UPS office. The feasibility of this method is entirely
    dependent on how near you are to the local UPS warehouse.

    RE: .-1
    
    John, are you sure about the cash/no-checks? I thought I'd read
    another note somewhere in this conf (but a different base note and
    I can't find it) that someone paid for their order by check. Maybe
    I'm mistaken, but if not, perhaps that person could re-state the
    situation here, or point us to the original note.
    
    - roger
    

    
    I just sent for their catalog and I seem to recall reading that
    they send everything COD and those folks want cash on the barrel
    when the goods are delivered.  I don't think they take checks.
    
    P.S. I am somewhat disappointed that Noteworthy has very little
    classical.  The prices are great but if you aren't into rock, you're
    stuck with only a few vinalla standards.
    
    Jim
    

    
    With my catalog was an ordering procedure sheet. I am certain it
    said that on your first order you have to pay either in cash, money
    order, or cashier's check. Subsequent orders can be paid by check.
    
                                               HOOT
    

    RE: .-1
    
    Nope, it it is cash or money orders ONLY...not even cashiers checks...
    
    This is on all orders....
    
    I had a conversation with Noteworthy about this last week.  They
    feel that this way no one loses anything.  If they were to allow
    checks (even cashiers) they would want payment in advance and you
    would have to wait until the check cleared before they ship any
    CD's.  They would also have to pay service charges if they were
    to use credit cards and this would only lead to increasing the
    prices of their CD's.
    
    						-=> Jim <=-
    
    

	Has anybody inquired about "pick-up" orders?

	Since Noteworthy is local to  many of us in the Masscahusetts /
	New Hampshire area, it would be  very  easy to drop by and pick
	the  order  up.  Its especially easy  from  Merrimack  or  Spit
	Brook.

	Anybody know how they feel about this?
								JCE

>	Since Noteworthy is local to  many of us in the Masscahusetts /
>	New Hampshire area, it would be  very  easy to drop by and pick
>	the  order  up.  Its especially easy  from  Merrimack  or  Spit
>	Brook.
    
    Well, I'm waiting for my catalogue and was going to ask that very
    question when the time came to order.  Since I live in Nashua, it
    seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to want to do.
    
    Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the catalogue.  How long did
    it take for you guys?
    
    -Dave

    Catalog delivery was a few days only. When I called to request one,
    the woman said that they were in the process of reprinting it, and
    they'd send one as soon as they came back from the printer. I expected
    to wait a couple of weeks at least, but it arrived in less than
    a week. It's not a fancy catalog, basically a copy of a computer
    generated list. One title per line, about 55 lines per page and
    about 94 pages. If they have them in stock, I'd expect a 2 day
    delivery. If you've been waiting longer than a week, I'd suspect
    that they've "mislaid" your request.
    
    - roger

    
       I wonder if we could get a computer readable copy of their
    listing for online? 
    
    	John
    

    
    Coupla' things. You must have cash for ALL orders, you have to be
    where delivery takes place to give them the cash. Kind of limiting,
    but I told them to deliver it to my building (MR03),  included
    my DTN in the shipping address, hoped I wouldn't be in a meeting
    when they appeared. For eastern Mass at least, it's next day service,
    so just order on the day before a day when you know you'll be in
    your office most of the day. And anyhow, UPS makes three attempts.
    
    What happened is I got a call from shipping and receiving telling
    me the order had arrived, so I went down there and gave the cash
    to the drive and that was that. I was in the right place at the
    right time.
    
    What I might try next time, is to send them a check or m.o., wait
    the 10 days, and have them drop it at my house. then I don't have
    to worry about being around when they arrive. 
    
    
    BTW--I asked if I could pick up my order and they said no. It's
    their way or no way, I guess.

    I got my catalogue finally.  Can anybody explain what the asterisks
    mean, and what the presence (or lack of) a date means?
    
    Great prices!
    
    Oh yeah, what's the normal charge for a COD order?
    
    -Dave

    re .31
    
    The asterisks mean the disk is a "best seller". Not sure about the
    date, maybe it's anticipated release date?
    
    We have made several group orders here in Colorado, usually 25-40
    disks. The most our shipping charge has been is $5.20, which is
    ridiculously low compared to other mail ordering I have done in
    the past.

    re .31	The asterisk means that if you hit KP 7 it will appear
    in your collection.
    
    	R
    

    Re .33	Cute.
    
    I placed an order on Wednesday.  UPS delivered it at 6:00pm yesterday.
    
    Only one CD was back-ordered, which I kind-of expected would be.
    
    The best price was on Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night II" for a
    sale price of $11.89!!!!!!!
    
    Now to go and find a bunch of CD's I want, and place a big order.
    
    -Dave

    Re: .-1
    
    Do you have to pay extra shipping charges because the backordered
    disc's will be another shipment?

    They don't automatically send back-ordered items.  You have to
    order them again at a later date.  Basically they consider it
    like you never ordered it.
    
    This means of course, that I have to order the minimum of 5 CD's
    to get the one that was back-ordered.
    
    -Dave

    
    RE: .-1
    
    	Ah, but does this mean that if you ordered five, and one (or
    more) was back ordered, that you are not considered to have ordered
    the minimum of five.
    
    								-rjk

    What a fast reply!
    
    They didn't know when I placed the order that they were out of stock
    on that item.  (The disc was ELO: Time, which I didn't really expect
    them to have - Although he did know that the Harry Chapin: Gold Medal
    Collection had not come in yet)
    
    They shipped my order with just the four discs.  No hassles.
    
    -Dave

    On the original subject of this note:
    
    I just talked with a Video/Audio store owner, and he said that CBS,
    MCA, and Warner Bros. are all going through some price restructuring.
    
    It appears that CBS is dropping prices on everything, but the others
    will only lower prices on items that have been catalogued for a while.
    New releases would remain at the higher price.
    
    -Dave

    	The original base note for mail order CDs is 123. See 123.18
    
        for Noteworthy coop in Littleton area.
    
    		Thanks
    		Charlie
    

I got a Noteworthy catalog about 6 weeks ago, and finally got around to 
ordering some discs.  I've noticed a few things, good and bad:

1.  The discs come FAST!  I ordered discs last Friday afternoon.  They
arrived by UPS today, Tuesday.  The prices were pretty good.  I got a 
couple of the discs for 8.40, and 8.90, respectively.  The most expensive
was 11.70.  Average for all the discs, including shipping, was 10.40.

2.  You have to order at least 5 discs.  They don't automatically ship
backordered items, so if you order 15 discs and 4 are backordered, you
have to reorder to get them.  And, you have to find another disc you 
want to fulfill the minimum 5 disc order.

3.  They have very little classical.  Mostly Telarc, or at least the
Telarc discs are easily identifiable.  They also have no detailed 
information about their classical discs.  The catalog might list 
a classical disc as "BACH	FLUTE CONCERTOS".  It won't provide 
specific label information, either.  For example, I ordered Mozart
Violin concertos #3 & 5.  It turned out to be a Deutsche Grammaphon 
disc of Perlman with James Levine.  

4.  Their catalog is organized only by artist or composer.  This means
that Bach might be right next to Blondie, Strauss next to Springsteen, etc.
I talked to Noteworthy today, and suggested that they put an additional
index on the listing by musical type.


Overall, they're easy to do business with, as long as you have CASH.  Delivery
is fast, prices are good, and except for classical, the selection is pretty
wide.


D

> Overall, they're easy to do business with, as long as you have CASH.  

I just got their latest catalog yesterday.  In the front of it they state
that they now accept Credit Card orders, and if you pre-pay, you do not
have to be home when the CD's are delivered.

John Piekos

    Just to let you know that Noteworthy now accepts VISA/MASTERCARD/AND
    AMERICAN EXPRESS.  
    
    Give em a call!
    

    How often does Noteworthy send an update to their catalog?  Do they
    accept orders for something that's not listed in their catalog?
    
    thanks,
            Don

    They have monthly udpdates for new releases.  The catalogue is
    re-issued quarterly.
    
    I got the impression that what's in the catalogue in what they
    try to carry for stock.  You *might* be able to order something
    else if you know the number.  Only thing to do would be to ask
    them.
    
    -Dave

    re .45
    
    Thanks for the info.  Another person here just got an update to
    the catalog.  I haven't gotten one as of yet, though.
    
    Some day I'll request a disc that they don't have listed in their
    catalog and see what the consequences are.
    
    Don

    Go ahead and request whatever you want (minimum info is artist and
    title I guess).  If the person on the other end of the phone knows they
    don't have it he or she will tell you.  Otherwise they'll just write it
    down.  If it is in stock you'll get it otherwise it won't even show up
    on the invoice as a back order.  (All three of these situations have
    happened to me) 
    
    						- Keith F.

    Lets minimize the per CD shipping and handling costs for Spitbrook
    orders to Noteworthy.
    A will coordinate a Noteworthy order for Spitbrook. If you would
    like, i can bring in my Noteworthy catalogue from home.
    Please respond by VMS mail
    
    
    			herb (CSSE32::NICHOLS)

    If you collect Broadway Cast, Movie Soundtracks, or Jazz CD's on
    the DRG label, you can purchase them directly from the company at
    sale prices.  Single compact discs (list $14.98) are on sale for
    just $9.98.  Two CD sets are $13.98.  The UPS shipping charge for
    the entire order is $3.  If you're ordering from outside the U.S.,
    they want you to add $3 for each item. I have purchased many items
    from them and they provide excellent service.  Broadway Cast CD's
    include Very Good Eddie, Nunsense, Tintypes, March of the Falsettos,
    and A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine.  They've just re-
    leased Seesaw, but the sound quality is poor.  Among their Movie
    Soundtracks are Say Amen, Somebody; Atlantic City, Diva, and A Room
    With A View. Recent Jazz releases include Zoot Sims in Paris, Lionel
    Hampton in Paris, and Cy Coleman's Comin' Home.  As I only purchase
    Broadway Cast albums I can't comment on the sound quality of the
    soundtracks or jazz releases. Their address is DRG RECORDS INC.,
    130 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019. They accept Master
    Card and Visa also.  Their telephone number is 212-582-3040.
       Bruce
    

    I would sure like to be included when anyone from COlorado Springs
    coordinates a bulk order.  If anyone id already doing this, please
    send mail to  WARLOK::MBAKER  and I will be forever grateful.  marge
    

         It seems that most of this replies deal with Noteworthy.  I've
    never ordered from them, but would like to.  I just wanted to tell
    the other CD-ers that if you are ever in the Rochester NY area,
    that you should stop into "the House of Guitars".  They have a very
    large selection of all types of music on CD.  I've had no trouble finding
    the CD's I wanted, and my tastes are pretty varied.  The base price
    is $11.95, some are $12.95, and many are $7-9.

         The store is on Titus Ave in Irondequoit (Suburb).  It's always
    worth a stop by, because they also have the *best* selection of guitars
    I have ever seen.  Large selection of Drums, synths, etc... also.
    Very interesting place.  I haven't lived in Rochester for 10 years
    but always stop by when I'm in town.
        
    Steve - who_wishes_he_was_getting_some_advertising_money_but_isn't

    Hi,
    	I'm about to place my first Noteworthy order (at long last)
    and had a question about delivery.  If I pre-pay (using credit card),
    will UPS just leave the discs at my door?  If they won't, will US
    mail?  Or can I let UPS leave me a note, and then try to arrange
    a time to be home to receive the delivery?
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    -Amy-

    P.S. Did anyone ever discover what that 'skid' meant in the catalog?

    Re: .52
    
    If you use a credit card and you're not home UPS tries to leave
    them with a neighbor.  I don't know what skid means.
    
    Martin H.

    I've paid with a credit card, and UPS leaves the discs outside my
    door (I live in an apartment building).
    
    Don

    Re: .52, .53
    
    UPS will indeed try to leave your box with a neighbor. However if
    there's no available neighbor they will leave your box somewhere
    on your property and leave a yellow slip on the door telling you
    where it is. (At least that's the way they do it in Colorado Springs).
    

    I just called Noteworthy, and even though they're almost physically
    in my back yard, they [apparently] do business by mail only.  Also,
    they are now charging $2.50 for their catalog, which they require
    before they'll send you one.  (Refundable with first purchase).
    
    Anyone have a recent Noteworthy catalog that I could borrow for
    a few days?  I believe their prices are good, but I want to make
    sure that they have adequate access to the kinds of music we like
    to listen to.  When I questioned them, they said "almost all major
    recording companies", so I guess it depends on how you define "major"?
    
    Thanks
    Jon
    MKO1-2/A12

    re .57: I just make a list and call them up... if they don't have it
    they can tell you over the phone (or they just don't ship it). 
    I know that they don't carry Rounder, but they do carry all of the
    "major" domestic labels. 

    Most of the time you shouldn't have any problem finding the discs
    that you want.  They have a selection of over 5000 titles and it
    is constantly growing.  I have been ordering from them for quite
    some time now.  I place an order every three to four weeks for about
    fifty discs each time.  The only problem I have encountered is with
    UPS.  Occasionally the delivery man will 'say' he attempted to 
    deliver but in fact never did so.  I live here in Colorado Springs
    and the turnaround time for the order is great.  I place the order
    on a Friday and get it by next Thursday.
    
    I haven't been to a store since.
    
                                        -=> Jim <=-
    
    

        Another label they don't carry is Bar None.
    
    ASP

>>Note 1125.59
>>GSPMO::WEST
>>
>>  ... I place an order every three to four weeks for about fifty discs
>>  each time...

    Is that a typo (five instead of fifty)?  50 every 3 to 4 weeks!?

    Don