I will say the market has changed a lot since I started collecting like 10 years ago and its gotten much more expensive. I rarely go out and buy a new album.
If you focus on buying used / bargain records you will expose yourself to a lot of music that will never be served up to you by an algorithm. Your relationship with music will definitely change and I could make the argument that having instant access to everything drains the value from music as a cultural product.
4d ago
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you really gotta rethink your relationship with music. I started buying records when I was a teenager and built up a pretty decent, curated collection over the years, but itās really only worth it if you buy the albums you truly love and want to revisit over and over again. If you treat it like an extension of Spotify, where everything is available instantly, you will be broke and disappointed.
The other thing that people donāt tell you about buying vinyl is that it takes a lot of time. Buying used records is the cheapest way to build your collection, but that means rummaging through a lot of junk. This is fun! But it is also time consuming.
5d ago
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Speaking as the owner of ~400 records (used to be over 1000!), I would say that it depends on what you like about collecting records!
When I was a teenager and in my early 20s, and records were cheaper and I went to shows every week, I think I was more likely to buy stuff. Nowadays I like having more space in my house (fewer shelves) and less stuff. So I only buy a new record if I really want it and talk myself out of everything else. And yeah records are currently very inflated. But if you just like the thrill of digging through a bargain bin or at thrift stores, and you have the space, and you love the music, go for it!
Anyway, chances are the $40 record will get resold for half the price on Discogs or in a record store in a year.
3d ago
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streaming services are very cool and all, and they have definitely allowed me to discover artists that i probably wouldnāt have otherwise, but having a physical copy of music - an album, single, or a mix - is extremely important to me. i find comfort in knowing that no one can really ātakeā the music away from me in the event that spotify crashed or something. also, with vinyl, especially, having a physical copy of the music forces you to take care of it and pay attention to it. you canāt just mindlessly listen to a record because you have to get up and flip it over, and then carefully place it back into its sleeve. if you make a mixtape, you have to sit and think about what songs you want and what order you want them in. if you walk into a music shop, you canāt (or at least most of us canāt) just go in there and buy any album(s) on a whim - you have to be selective, because youāre spending money on it.
also, i just enjoy the experience of going to a record store. the smell of the old albums, sifting through all the bins and shelves, chatting with the owner - itās an experience that will always be so lovely to me, and one i would never have if i solely depended upon my phone for music.
i just believe that streaming services have allowed us to become mindless consumers of media. we take it all for granted and arenāt as intentional about any of it as we used to be. i suppose itās another form of overconsumption. once again, i am extremely glad of what the platforms have allowed me to find, and i donāt think theyāre evil, i just think many folks have lost sight of how music is supposed to be treated.
Oct 1, 2024
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to me this is one of lifeās most simple joys - especially during the winter.
The combination of not driving + the heat from the pie keeping your legs warm + direct pizza fumes provides a precious and rare sensory experience
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Feat. Weird ceramic Superman and protein granola and yes I had a psychedelic experience watching Star Wars the other night when I was stoned
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