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Shopping online is now commonplace for most of us and it seems there's music retailers on every virtual street corner. These stores are some of my faves, all with large catalogues of the kind of music reviewed at AmbientMusicGuide.com. SHOP LIST A-Z Amazon.com - The big brother in online retailing of books, CD's, videos and nowadays just about everything else. The North American and UK websites have a surprisingly large music selection of lesser-known genres and titles and they ship internationally. You can also find new and used CD's through private sellers via the Amazon Marketplace which is a godsend if you're looking for albums from seminal ambient labels that no longer exist like 90's icons Silent Records and Instinct Ambient. Amazon now sells MP3's too, but if you live outside the USA or UK chances are you're blocked from access due to ridiculous, antiquated music distribution laws. Ambient.Us - An online retail store devoted exclusively to full album downloads. A very impressive range of downtempo music can be purchased here at decent prices. A broadband connection is essential. Ear-Rational Music - Reliable and well-regarded North American mail order site that ships worldwide. Especially good for German electronica like Fax Records and Klaus Schulze. iTunes - The trailblazer in legal music downloads is an obvious choice, and beyond all the mainstream appeal you'll find a good deal of underground downtempo and ambient music too. At the insistence of the big record companies iTunes originally only sold files with ridiculous DRM copy protection (Digital Rights Management) meaning that only the iTunes Media Player and Apple hardware could play them. However the DRM is now gone and, unsurprisingly, the sky has not fallen. Unfortunately, as with Amazon, outdated regional music distribution laws prevent many countries outside the USA from buying from its iTunes store. If you're outside the U.S. then a popular workaround is to buy a U.S. iTunes gift voucher and, using a few tips from the experts, registering as a U.S. customer. Psyshop - Reliable online store based in Germany stocking a huge range of psychedelic and progressive trance and the various downtempo offshoots of those styles. Synth Music Direct - UK-based retailer, name says all. Helpful reviews too.
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