Collecting records is so much fun.
Over the last six months, I have really enjoyed collecting albums on vinyl. It's been so cool being able to pull out an album, put it on the record player and just sit back and listen. Last week, my wife and I participated in an event called Record Store Day, in which many record companies release special vinyl releases that you can only find released for this event. I not only picked up some great brand new releases, but was also able to pick up a number of classics that I've really enjoyed listening to.
I'm sure that my Mom laughs at me sometimes when I talk to her about my record collection, especially since she saw the medium come and go in her generation. Even so, I really feel that there are a number of reasons not only why collecting records can be fun, but also why it can be beneficial for some people.
The first is the idea of being intentional in purchasing records. Music today is incredibly disposable, moving rapidly away from people purchasing an album in a store or on iTunes to these free music services that pay artists 1/10 of a cent (or some other minuscule amount) per listen to the song. When I collect records, I am intentional about a great many things, one of which is I am intentionally supporting the artist. I appreciate being able to hear musicians I enjoy and want to continue to do so. Purchasing albums (including cds or albums on iTunes or Amazon MP3, among other stores) enables them to continue to do so. I've always been one who likes to have the album in my hand and so in purchasing vinyl, I've found it to be something that I enjoy, especially going out of my way to purchase albums from my favorite artists.
Another reason is permanence of the records themselves. You can't just rip a record onto your computer like you do with a cd or plug in a drive into your computer and take the songs off. When you collect records, you have to listen to them on the record player. That's what it is. It's on there and when you listen to the record, you can't mess with it. It is what it is. You can't listen to them in the car or when you're running down the road. You are forced to enjoy them on their terms and only on the record player itself.
Collecting is also a huge part of my interest in vinyl. I've collected various things throughout my life, as have the vast majority of people in this fine country, the United States of America. Collecting records has given me an opportunity to find different albums from my top favorite artists. Is it realistic to purchase every album on vinyl? No way; but I have narrowed down my searches to about 6-7 artists (MxPx, Close Your Eyes, August Burns Red, etc.) and take my time in collecting. Not every artist that I listen to has released albums on vinyl and so that also narrows it down for me.
As much as I would like to, I can't just run out and purchase every album that I want to (no matter what form it's released on). It's just not practical. Even so, this has proven to be an interest of mine and I'm excited to see as time progresses just as far I get when it comes to collecting albums from artists with different styles and genres. Just taking my time and exercising patience...
These are just a few reasons that I wanted to share when it comes down to this new passion of mine. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject of collecting in general or specifically in vinyl, as well as any records that you have now or maybe one that you enjoyed a few years back! Feel free to comment here on the blog or drop me a line on Facebook/Twitter: @solidschultz! God bless you and have a great week!
Comments
Post a Comment