As I type this, I have 9 CD's that are being mailed to me. What did I do to receive them? I didn't buy them on eBay. I didn't join some lame CD club. None of that. I just mailed off a bunch of CD's that I don't listen to anymore. So, for little more than the cost of shipping, I'm making my CD selection a lot cooler!
It sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it? You mail off CD's you don't want, and CD's you do want magically appear. Swap a CD is in the business of making your musical dreams come true. You sign up and make a list of CD's you want to get rid of. You create a wish list, not unlike a Netflix queue. When somebody wants one of your CD's you'll get a credit, and somebody else will mail you a CD off of your list. It's highly addicting and it's fun!
Come join me there today! And tell them I sent you! I think I might get a credit or something. My user ID is [email protected]...
Swapster lets you trade CDs, DVDs, Video Games and Books. You trade your items for points, then buy items with the points you earned. It's really easy.
Posted by: Swapster | July 15, 2009 at 08:45 AM
It is the coolest idea, isn't it? The guys who came up with SwapaCD also run paperbackswap.com, which rocks if you're a big reader as well as a big rocker(!) It helps that one of the guys is from my alma mater (Berry College, in Rome, GA!)
Posted by: Misslisslee | July 29, 2008 at 08:41 AM
In the same vein... Bookins.com offers a way to swap out books and DVDs. Very cool...especially when you're looking around for summer books (and Movies)!
Posted by: Julie M. | July 17, 2008 at 10:48 AM
Sure beats the heck out of getting a bigger CD holder. I have a 200 now and I only have like 2 or 3 spots left. If I buy anything else I won't have room for "Revelation". Now THAT would be a problem!
Posted by: Dawnirer Gomer | July 15, 2008 at 08:15 PM
If it were illegal, it would have been stopped. Some of you folks are thinking too much here. I have never heard of this til now, but Mark is not selling or copying the CD's.
He is swapping "albums" he doesn't like any more with other people. He just doesn't happen to know them.
Not unlike a friend coming to my house and asking me if I would swap one of my CD's for a Third Day "Come Together" CD. (Hypothetically speaking because I already have it.) He has a different CD and so do I. It was a swap.
The money has been paid for each CD, the CD has been bought, the royalties have been earned. Nobody's getting ripped off here.
Lighten up, people.
I DO have a problem letting people borrow my CD's to burn their own copy. THAT is where the money hasn't been paid, the CD hasn't been purchased, the royalties haven't been earned. Somebody's getting ripped off here.
Posted by: Dave | July 15, 2008 at 07:03 PM
I'm no lawyer, but I think Mark's right about legality, although sometimes I've even seen the "personal" use thing questioned. But that's my general policy. I imagine if you swap a cd you should delete all copies legally.
I don't have a lot I want to get rid of, although I should check. A family friend sent me this. I think you can do this with books also.
Posted by: Melanie | July 15, 2008 at 03:57 PM
This is definitely a "gray area". You are legally allowed to burn a copy of a CD you own for your personal use. But if you sell or trade your CD you don't "own" it anymore, so ethically shouldn't you also delete the copy?
Of course this is just my interpretation, and as a musician I'm going to be more conservative here :)
Posted by: Mark Lee | July 15, 2008 at 01:17 PM
Question: What are the legal ramifications of this? I mean, if I copy a CD onto my computer/iPod, then decide to swap it, isn't that illegal? Just wondering.
Dan and I were just thinking that we need to get rid of a bunch of our CDs we don't listen to anymore. Good idea!
Posted by: Corrine aka Mama Gomer | July 15, 2008 at 10:18 AM