Listen to music first, either at a friend's place or sample the cd on MP3 format. Gone are the days when you had to buy a cd blind! Currently, all my cd's are played... I don't have any of those that just sit at the bottom of the pile. Kthomas, I will try your method out also :)
How do you decide on new music to buy?
What prompts you to buy new music, especially music from artists you're not familiar with? One of my favorite ways is to pick up on a thread or a review of an artist or genre that sounds interesting, and then head over to www.allmusic.com to read about them and similar bands. I often then buy a CD from the ones that sound most interesting and have received high ratings at that site. It isn't bullet-proof by a long shot, but I've found a lot of good music I wouldn't otherwise necessarily have found.
What's your strategy?