I usually feed my music needs at manifest.

I buy music in three primary locations in Nash
Grimey's- Great for getting the new stuff on Vinyl. The used stuff they have on display don't deliver quite as much though. HOWEVER this is compensated by the tubs of used music that aren't on display. It's funner, and cheaper, to dig through those.
There is one gripe I have about this place though; this is a local hipster hotspot, so I tend not to talk to people while I'm there.

Great Escape- Great for getting oldies on Vinyl for a VERY good price. CD collection is solid as well. But the main reason I love Great Escape are the plethora of posters you can purchase.

FYE- If that's all that's left...

The record stores near me (and I have quite a few, fortunately) are good and have a pretty good selection, but I'm usually shopping for used stuff and come out disappointed...despite their vast selection. I tend to look for obscure stuff, I guess. But I do enjoy going to browse once in a while, regardless.

Indy CD & Vinyl and Luna Music are the only decent record stores around here. So when I'm not in the mood to fight through a crowd of hipsters to get some albums I just go to Best Buy.

When I buy music I usually get it from a local music store near my house called Slikdisc, or I buy it directly off the band from their website. Never been a fan of any of those other online music stores. When I purchase music I like to have the actual cd. I've occasionally brought from Best Buy before.

I've been buying a lot of music off amiestreet.com. There's not much in the way of music stores here, Hot Topic has some decent stuff at reasonable prices, but I really dislike going into that store let alone giving them my money. Occasionally I'll buy something at Best Buy, but lately they've been pretty crappy.

We used to have a Zavvi store in my town but the whole store chain went bust and closed just after xmas. I was like a kid in a candy-store when it was open. Now i either browse though the second-hand CD racks in another of my local record stores, where i've come across quite a few gems at really low prices, or get the train to Dublin to visit Tower Records (one of the last remaining ones in the whole world!) and the various indie-stores dotted around the city centre. It's really easy to pick up great cds at really cheap prices nowdays.

I like:

Record & Tape Exchange - used vinyl and c.d. store tucked into the back corner of a strip mall near me. They have a huge collection of 60's and 70's type rock stuff, and usually a few good indie, alternative and post punk records. It's really just all about luck at this place.

Smash! Records - When I get to D.C., I always stop here if I can manage time. They have a bunch of used punk and alternative records, and get the new stuff right away. There are some other good spots in D.C. too.

Besides that, I go to used book stores to find c.d.s, F.Y.E. when I want some new or specific stuff on c.d., and there's a few hidden spots around like thrift stores and random places that sometimes have records behind the counter that are worth looking through. Other than that, ebay can be good for cheap vinyl if you're lucky, amazon, and label websites to order new stuff that I can't find at stores. There's just something magical about going into a record store, browsing through all the vinyl, talking to the staff about music, and listening to stuff you've never heard with the people working there.

There's a record exchange 25 minutes or so away from me, so I try to get out there 1 or 2 times a month. Best Buy for new releases though.

I buy mostly online:
cdwow
bangcd
amazon
bol.com (Dutch online web shop)
Record stores are disappearing fast over here and are over priced anyway so I go online. I'm not into really obscure stuff so I manage to find most things.