but searching through discogs I've remembered how hard it is to find a name 'cause they're all taken, sometimes 3, 4, 5 times!

So what rule thumb would/did you use in using a name that's already taken (ie: how long its been since they made a track, level of their success, tracks they've released, closeness in genres, etc.)?
And another question that's probably already been done a thousand times: how did you get yours!
cheers