Gentlemen, Check out your public libraries for music --Here in Tulsa the county library has 1500 audio CD's and you can check them out on line and request delivery to the library nearest you---sucha deal!Mench!! --I have ACCIDENTLY burned a CD on my laptop--to make sure this MISTAKE didn't happen again I recreated the insident 47 more times on 47 different recordings to be sure I know how not to let this in the future. In all honesty I was testing the cooking temps and found that one temp works for all CD's.....and so it goes.....slowwwwwwwwwwwly........JD
There are many more than 1500 selections if you use intelibrary loan. I have access to some university libraries that way and order through the local public library branch. I found a rare Maynard Ferguson that way plus a Stan Getz suite called Focus.
Wisconsin uses a system called Wiscan where all media is available from the whole state. Ordering must be done through the local library desk though. OTOH I can reserve movies and other local items from the house. Between old tv shows like Stargate SG1 and new movies I haven't gone into a vid store in a long time.
I've been doing this for years before I moved to Amarillo and after we arrived. They don't have a great selection here except for the classical/opera section. So I've started becoming a big fan of classical over the last year, especially violin concertos and string quartets. I couldn't tell you who's who yet, but I definitely listen to more classical than metal these days.
Yes; we have a multi-county system similar in execution to what you describe. Unfortunetaly I have requests that no one seems able to fill. Just picked up Luciana Souza's concept album "Neruda", it's a song cycle built around the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Sounds like a bad idea but in essence it is strangly haunting and engrossing. What a nice voice on her.