Review: LaLa

The good: Lala.com provides an easy, inexpensive, and entertaining way to trade used CDs; the site also hosts a decent assortment of Internet radio stations. Lala also offers low-cost new CDs.

The bad: Some CDs take months to ship from the Have List. For the best experience, you need to create a relatively large Have List containing 50 or more CDs.

The bottom line: If you have CDs that you don’t want anymore, you can trade them on Lala.com, a very cool online swap meet that lets you build your collection in a relatively short time.

A giant online swap meet for used CDs might not sound too exciting on the surface, but Lala.com is one of the most engaging Internet music services I’ve ever used. The concept is elegantly simple: You create an account, log on, then list the CDs you have and those that you want. The service automatically sends you an e-mail whenever a CD on your “Have List” is matched up with a disc on another member’s “Want List.” By trading CDs on your Have List to other members, you earn “karma.” The more karma you have, the more CDs you receive from other members. You don’t have to scour other members’ profiles to find matches; Lala handles that automatically. Best of all, you pay only $1.75 including shipping for each CD you receive. And there’s no charge for sending discs to other members.

When a CD in your Have List has been paired up with another member’s CD request, a “Ship It” button appears next to the item on your personalized Have List page. Clicking the Ship It button opens a page where you can print a shipping label, then you’re off to the races. You’re never obligated to trade any CD when it’s requested by another member.

In terms of its online interface, Lala is well organized and pleasing to use. Throughout the site, CDs are listed along with cover art images to keep things interesting. After you’ve created an account, Lala sends you a starter kit, which contains Netflix-like prepaid shipping envelopes and plastic clamshell-type disc cases. When one of your CDs has been requested, you log on to Lala.com where you’ll find a completed shipping label ready to print. Affix the label to a Lala envelope, insert the disc, include the cover art if you have it, and simply drop the package into the mail. It really is that easy.

When you join Lala, the site automatically builds a home page for you. Links to your buddies’ home pages are displayed along the top of yours. You can add your own CD reviews and blog entries.

The site also boasts numerous community features that help you feel connected to music culture. Each member has a home page that displays the member’s Have List and Want List, as well as any blog entries and CD reviews created by the member. A buddy list lets you develop a network of friends on Lala, and you can also post comments on other members’ pages.

So what are you waiting for? If you have crates of discs collecting dust, definitely sign up for this fun and simple service.