If you’re looking to buy the new Pink CD or to download Justin Timberlake’s new solo track, CDbaby.com is not the place for you. But if you’re tired of shopping on Amazon.com and think you’ve downloaded just about every song from Kazaa, then CDbaby.com is just the untapped music resource you need.

The site only features the music of new independent artists – meaning the CDs come directly from the artists themselves, not distributors. This makes sense considering the site began when Derek Sivers, an Oregon musician, started selling his own CD and the CDs of fellow musicians as a hobby. By 1998, it morphed into a business that has sold over 200,000 CDs worldwide as the second largest seller of independent CDs on the web. And when they say independent, they are true to their word. If you’re looking for any mainstream artists, you can find them anywhere else except this site.

What you can find at CDbaby is a number of different ways to search for new artists in whom you might be interested. You can search through conventional methods, by typing in the artist’s name, title of the album, or scanning a list of best-sellers. But for the more unconventional music-enthusiast, there are a few different search methods. One allows you to enter names of your favorite artists to find others that you might enjoy. Another asks you to type any word – such as “sultry, twisted, Japan or sexy,” as the site says – and they will offer you listings of any related music.

CDbaby also has countless music categories to search through, featuring everything from blues and country to rock and metal, as well as some unique sub-genres such as “noise,” “white-boy rap” and “surf rock.” And if you’re still looking for another way to search, you can also look for artists in your area, see the day’s newest disc arrivals or take a virtual walk in a record store’s aisles by viewing random album covers.

Perhaps the most appealing thing to college students, however, is how wallet-friendly the site is. To begin with, the discs sell for bargain prices: mainly hovering around the $10 mark. And to make sure you’re satisfied with your purchase, the site offers detailed reviews by a CDbaby staff member who listened to the CD, in addition to allowing you to listen to a few tracks. But in the end, if you just don’t want it, send it back and they’ll return your money.

If you like these bands, then check out these CD Baby artists:

John Mayer – Five Times August, “Self-titled” $10Dispatch – Evan and Joel, “Deece” $11.99Incubus – Tempus, “Lie Like We Do” $10.95Sarah McLachlan – Vered, “City Still” $12Blink 182 – 6th Year Senior, “Elevator Soundtrack” $10OAR – Fenster, “Causing Problems” $10No Doubt – Grooveyard, “Jenn’ll Tell Ya” $13Weezer – Cordalene, “Eponymous Ep” $8