New cassettes and CDs are not particularly cheap in Paris, but there are plenty of secondhand bargains, and you may come across selections that are novel enough to tempt you. Like the live music scene, there are albums of Brazilian, Caribbean, Antillais, African and Arab sounds that would be specialist rarities in London or the States, and there's every kind of jazz. 

Afric' Music 3 rue des Plantes, 14e. Mº Mouton-Duvernet. Mon-Sat 10am-7pm. 
A small shop with an original selection of African, Caribbean and reggae discs. 

BPM Records 1 rue Keller, 11e. Mº Bastille. Mon-Sat noon-8pm. 
Specialists in house, including acid, hip-hop, rap, techno and dub. A good place to pick up club flyers. 

Camara 45 rue Marcadet, 18e. Mº Marcadet-Poissonnière. Mon-Sat noon-8pm. 
The best selection of West African music on cassette and video in town. 

Crocodisc 40-42 rue des Écoles, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Tues-Sat 11am-7pm. 
Folk, Oriental, Afro-Antillais, funk, reggae, salsa, rap, soul, country, new and secondhand. Some of the best prices in town. 

Crocojazz 64 rue de la Montagne-Ste-Geneviève, 5e; 40 & 42 rue des Ecoles, 5e (all Mº Maubert-Mutualité). 
Tues-Sat 11am-1pm & 2-7pm. Mainly new imports: jazz, blues, gospel and country. 

Dream Store 4 place St-Michel, 6e. Mº St-Michel. Mon 1.30pm-7.15pm, Tues-Sat 9.30am-7.15pm. 
Good discounts on jazz and classical in particular but also rock and folk. 

FNAC Musique 4 place de la Bastille, 12e, next to opera house. Mº Bastille. Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Wed till 10pm. 
Extremely stylish shop in black, grey and chrome, with computerized catalogues, books, every variety of music, and a concert booking agency. The other many branches of FNAC also sell music and hi-fi; the branch at 24 bd des Italiens, 9e, has a greater emphasis on rock and popular music, and stays open till midnight. 

Paul Beuscher 15-29 bd Beaumarchais, 4e. Mº Bastille. Mon-Fri 9.45am-12.30pm & 2-7pm, Sat 9.45am-7pm. 
A music department store that's been going strong for over a hundred years. Instruments, scores, books, recording equipment, etc. 

Virgin Megastore 56-60 av des Champs-Élysées, 8e (Mº Franklin-D-Roosevelt); and Carrousel du Louvre, 1er (Mº Louvre-Rivoli). Mon-Sat 10am-midnight, Sun noon-midnight. 
The biggest and trendiest of all Paris's music shops. Concert booking agency and expensive internet connection.