If you’re like me, one of the things you will want to do in Paris is shop for French music. You might hear a song or see a video on TV in Paris, and want to buy the CD. Or, perhaps you’ll arrive in Paris armed with a list of music to buy that you can’t get in the U.S. Whatever the case, here’s where to shop for CD’s in Paris.
The two biggest music stores in Paris are FNAC (which has several branches, including a huge store at Forum Les Halles) and the Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysées (which will be closing soon, unfortunately). FNAC also has a pretty big store on the Champs-Elysées close to the Virgin Megastore, which makes for easy one-stop shopping at both stores.
French Pop will be in the “Variete Française” of the record store, and French Rock will be in the Rock Française section. (The regular Pop and Rock sections are all American music.) At FNAC, French R&B will be in or next to the Rap Française section. Virgin has their French R&B mixed in with the American R&B. At FNAC and Virgin, you can listen to snippets of CDs at listening stations.
If you’re looking for older or out of print CD’s, there’s a wonderful used music chain in Paris called O’CD that has four stores around central Paris (in the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 15th arrondissements). They have promotion racks (3 CDs for 12 euros, a 5-euro rack, etc.) that allow you to stock up for cheap. You can also listen to CDs before you buy.
Gibert Joseph, the music branch of the huge Paris bookstore chain, Gibert Jeune, is also a fantastic source for hard-to-find French CDs and a limited selection of French records on vinyl. They stock new French music, and they have promotion racks of used CDs. I’ve found that they have better prices on used CDs than O’CD. This is the place I’ve found music that I was unable to find anywhere else in Paris. They also have listening stations.
Jazz fans should be sure to stop at Paris Jazz Corner, tucked away on a little side street near Place Monge. They stock all types of jazz on CD and vinyl (but not much French jazz).
These Paris record stores have everything you need to stay current, to expand your music collection, or to find that elusive gem you’ve been looking for. Bonne écoute!
FNAC
74, avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
Phone: 08 25 02 00 20
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt or George V
Virgin Megastore
52 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris, France
Phone : 01 49 53 50 00
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt
OCD (4 locations)
www.ocd.net
Gibert Joseph
Boulevard Saint-Michel, 75006 Paris, France
75006 Paris, France
Phone : 01 46 33 93 54
Metro: Odeon
Paris Jazz Corner
5 rue de Navarre
Phone : 01 43 36 78 92
Metro: Place Monge or Jussieu
