For all you DIY fixers out there; Keep those little DVD,CD,DVD RW, Cassette , VCR Drive belts when you toss out your old gear. End of life of course. I’ve kept quite a few around and they have saved me a lot of searching and $$$. As part are getting harder to find, it will keep your gear working, and your sounds humming! Cheers;
Russell Industries is a great source. Most of their belts are PRB which are superior in construction.
In some cases - in some locales - it might be best to not toss out old gear in unusable form (i.e., stripped of drive belts). Donate still-working unwanted components to Goodwill or Salvation Army or Value Village. Donate non-working components to one of the many refurbishers who can repurpose the devices for donated re-use or low-price resale supporting the many non-profits out there. Many cities have drop-offs and depots for all of that; smaller communities admittedly not so much. I think that the point is there are still reliable sources for high-quality drive belts of all kinds. I personally have no interest in repairs done with used old belts.
I agree with your sentiments, I'm one of the ones who has refurbished many old semi-working audio/musical gear. I have used perfectly good old belts that have lasted longer than some new ones? some belts are $10 a pop it adds up. Cheers.