You get more Will Young for your wonga and more Dido for your dosh at Woollies - if you buy two CDs at a time.

But if you want a single album (as opposed to a single single) then Tesco and Asda are your best bet.

Confused? You probably will be if you go shopping for CDs in the pre-Christmas consumer frenzy.

Prices range from as low as £8.99 (Dido at HMV) for a new release up to £16.99 (Red Hot Chilli Peppers at HMV). Top albums differ dramatically in price from store to store.

Special offers, such as Woolies' buy one get one half price, leave you reaching for the calculator to work out where the real bargains are.

In general, supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda have smaller ranges of CDs on offer at lower prices, high street big names like Virgin and HMV have a much wider range at higher prices, and the likes of WH Smith and Woolworths fall somewhere between the two.

The supermarkets' pricing policy has come in for praise from the UK's leading independent CD retailer, Music Zone.

"Supermarkets are adopting a pricing strategy on the latest releases that we have been extolling for decades across all new and back catalogue titles," said managing director Russ Grainger.

"Between the supermarkets and ourselves I believe we will create a far more competitive marketplace, which can only be good news for customers."

But is it good news for the music industry as a whole? Gennaro Castaldo, of HMV, thinks supermarkets are doing more damage than good.

"It's frustrating because they are not putting anything back into the music industry," he said.

"We support new bands; we help to establish new acts. The supermarkets sell CDs - usually just the top 20 or 30 - at cost and don't put anything back. They are doing the music industry a lot of damage. They often buy from abroad, which means the money is ending up in EMI Germany or wherever instead of EMI UK. That money is not being invested back into our music industry, so fewer bands are being invested in.

"And the very low prices mean smaller independent retailers are going to the wall. In the end that can only mean less choice for consumers."

Low supermarket prices - generally less than £10 across the board - also lead consumers to believe they have been ripped off by high street chains for years.

If Tesco can sell CDs for £9.77, they ask, why can't HMV?

"It's simple: we wouldn't stay in business," said Mr Castaldo. "Supermarkets are not in the business of selling CDs. They are trying, quite nakedly, to better each other, even if it is just by a penny.

"They want extra foot fall in their stores and cheap CDs bring in customers.

"They don't make any money from music, they make their money elsewhere."

Stores like HMV, Virgin and smaller independent retailers pride themselves on offering a wider range of music, a back catalogue fit for a CD connoisseur, knowledgeable staff and added extras like DVDs, videos, specialist magazines and vinyl.

"The public has got more choice than ever before," said Mr Castaldo.

"But there is more to choice than just price. Record stores have always been part of the high street.

"That is not going to change. Customers with a passion for music know when they are getting real value for money."

Updated: 13:16 Thursday, December 11, 2003