Combining replies for concision:

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael" <mkropp@comcast.net>

>I must have missed the beginning of this topic - would someone mind 
>re-stating what www.lala.com is all about?

It's a site that facilitates the trading of used CDs, for a nominal 
per-disc charge.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Holmes Online" <bholmes_fm@msn.com>
> After reading the thread, I'll take a plunk. Curious how this works 
> since
> the info isn't really on the site...they mention that cds are sent 
> in
> prepaid envelopes provided by lala...so what does it cost to send or 
> receive
> a cd? And how do you pay/receive credit?

Basically, it works like this (this is pretty simplified): you sign up 
for the service, and you're shipped a package of five pre-stamped 
envelopes that look almost exactly like the envelopes that Netflix 
sends DVDs in, plus five thin clamshell CD protectors.

Meanwhile, you start making a list at the site of the CDs you have 
that you're willing to trade.  (The one frustrating aspect about this 
is that if they don't have a CD in their database, you can't add it to 
your list, but this is less of a problem than you might think: for 
example, they have the R. Stevie Moore CD that I put out several years 
ago, which is well obscure.  I think this is something they're working 
on fixing.)  At the same time, you start making a different list of 
CDs that you'd like to receive.

Then, other users request your CDs, which you see on your list as a 
button by the disc title that says "Ship it."  You're not required to 
ship any discs, even if it's on your list.  If you decide to get rid 
of a disc, you press that button and get the name and address of the 
person you're shipping the disc to.  You put the CD in the clamshell 
and put it, the booklet and the tray card in the envelope.  If the 
booklet consists of more than one piece of paper folded over, you put 
a 24-cent second-ounce stamp (available at any post office) on the 
envelope next to the stamp that's already there.  Then you put the 
envelope in the mail.  Other than the possibility of putting on an 
extra stamp, it's free to ship the disc.

(As for shipping CD in Digipaks: if you put the whole thing in the 
envelope minus the clamshell, it *just* fits, but you'll have to tape 
the envelope closed, and it will likely take at least a couple of 
extra stamps.  Because I bake a lot, I have a digital scale down in 
the kitchen, so I just use that and the USPS website to figure out 
what to add in extra postage, or you can do that at the post office 
until you get an idea of how much extra postage a Digipak takes.)

Meanwhile, if other people have CDs from your want list available to 
trade, they're in the same position with you: they press a button, get 
your address and mail you the disc.  In other words, these aren't 
closed-dyad trades: you don't get a disc back from the person you 
shipped a disc to.  (Although as it happens, I just got Kate Bush's 
THE SENSUAL WORLD from someone who I shipped The Chameleons' STRANGE 
TIMES to last week.)  You're billed $1.49 for this disc.  Billing 
works like this: you have a credit card number on file, as you do with 
Netflix or Amazon or whatever, and at the end of the month, based on 
whatever day of the month you joined, you're billed once, in 
aggregate, for however many discs you received that month.  As I said, 
I've gotten 18 CDs this month, so at the end of this month, I'll be 
billed $26.82.  Total bargain.

Now, as has been discussed, you're not required to send the cover art, 
and that does mean that it's entirely likely that the first several 
discs you receive will not have the cover art.  There are also 
apparently people who ditch their tray cards and keep their CDs in 
sleeves, which puzzles me no end, but whatever.  So yes, there is 
always some chance that you're going to get discs missing the tray 
cards and/or the booklets, but as I said yesterday, the system takes 
note of those who ship with cover art, and it attempts to match these 
people together.  This is probably the main thing they're going to be 
changing as it shifts out of beta testing.

Me, I really don't care if I get the cover art or not, because 
frankly, these days I do about 80% at least of my music listening 
either out of my iPod or out of iTunes on my desktop computer.  If the 
lack of cover art just completely galls you, I don't recommend La La, 
at least until the beta test is over and we see what they do about 
that.  Otherwise, it's a can't miss.

The reason why this is better than, as Gary suggested, setting up an 
intra-Audities wiki trade list is that Audities is a closed system of 
what, about 500 people?  There's a limit to what could be traded here. 
With La La, there are potentially thousands of people interested in 
your CDs, and with CDs of their own, which leads to much greater 
variety.

S