The Records You Should Be Collecting But Aren’t
As purchasing vinyl records has become increasingly popular, I have noticed a few friends of mine picking up the hobby. Similar to eating an Oreo cookie, however, everyone has a different approach.
In this article, I'll outline four approaches championed by my vinyl-loving friends, as well as my opinion on the records you should be collecting but aren't.
Disclaimer: I'm a bona fide curmudgeon and self-proclaimed hipster.
Collect Them All
The first usual suspect is a classically-trained pianist and dad-rock enthusiast. Let's call him... Bartholomew.
Bart enjoys the physicality of the medium and takes pride in the ownership of media. For this reason, he makes an effort to own all albums by a band, regardless of whether their second singer wasn't as good as the first or whether their sixth album was a total dud.
Bart also has an affinity for "tried and true" music over music from unfamiliar artists. Getting him to listen to non-mainstream music isn't impossible, but it does make for a challenge if he's not in an adventurous mood.
That said, his penchant for finding original pressings requires patience and attention to detail, which I admire about Bart.
The Favorite Child
I met this fellow while standing in line for an Iglooghost concert at Brooklyn's own Elsewhere. Let's call him... Voldemort.
Music surrounds Voldy's life. When he's not working as a wedding DJ or roadie, he plays bass in his own psychedelic rock band. As can be expected for a wizard on the go, his primary medium for music consumption is Spotify. But what about that really special record? The one he'd be okay with turning into a horcrux?
For those, he'll shell out the galleons. His collection amounts to about 80 records in total. However, with a focus on quality over quantity, it makes for an impressive collection nonetheless. This approach is quite commonplace considering that most vinyl owners also stream their music. But that begs the question: What is the value in owning it? Is this a purely apocalyptic notion? Or perhaps an archival one? Is it about making an extra effort to support the artist?
Although I don't find fault with these reasons, I can't help but think that this leads to paying twice for the same record. It's like streaming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and owning the DVD. (Although, when I say it like that, it doesn't sound so bad.)
Regardless, the notion of "double buying" has deterred me from this method of vinyl collection. Speaking of "double buying," I should probably introduce the next person.
