Collecting 2000s UK indie on CD
The last great CD-first guitar era. It's cheap, it's everywhere, and the interesting editions are already getting harder to find.
Why this era is CD territory
Between roughly 2001 and 2008, UK guitar albums sold overwhelmingly on CD. Vinyl runs were small or nonexistent, and the reissue market has only covered the biggest titles. For most of these records the CD is the original artefact, not the cheap alternative.
The editions worth chasing
Two-disc limited editions bundling B-sides, the enhanced CDs with videos, tour-only and HMV/Zavvi exclusive versions, and the CD singles — often two per release, each with different B-sides that never appeared on an album. The singles are where the genuinely scarce material sits.
Artists we stock deeply
We buy heavily in this period, so the shelves usually have Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian, Razorlight, Snow Patrol, Travis and Manic Street Preachers, plus the surrounding one-album bands that are quietly disappearing from circulation.
What to pay
Standard album copies belong in the under-a-fiver bracket and should be bought on condition alone. Save the money for complete limited editions with their slipcases and bonus discs intact — that's the part of the market that's moving.