I started collecting vinyl when I was a student, after being introduced to my very first vintage record store by my long term friend Ali Ata. I have always loved music and had hundreds of CDs back in the day, but ten when digital music came in I eventually got rid of all of those CDs, and never replaced them, content with an iPod and Spotify. What I wasn’t prepared for before I walked into that record store however was juts how hooked I was gonna get on records, and this has now been a passion of mine for over 7 years, and it is showing no signs of slowing up!
This is a super addictive passion and here is exactly why.
Replacing and Discovery
The first point to make here is that when you are buying vinyl you are buying two types of music at once. This is because I want all of those albums that I know and love, on vinyl, so that means replacing all of those CDs. Secondly I am looking for new music and exciting new bands and artists to listen to, and that again is why I find myself buying so much.
Digging for Gold
Whilst you can of course buy brand new vinyls or reissues of old albums that have been made, there is absolutely no question that the most exciting thing to do is to dig through old vinyls and see what you can find. I have found some absolute gems doing this and there is no doubt in my mind that it is my favorite part of vinyl collecting. This of course shows exactly why it is so addictive, because there is always that sense that something special is around the corner if you just keep digging through those crates.
The Community
I am pretty involved in the vinyl community on social media and this too provides inspiration and motivation. For example everyone will share what they are listening to and what their listening set-up is like, and that just inspires me to go and throw a record on, or indeed head out to the record store and see what is available. I have always loved the passion which others have for buying and playing records and my friends and followers on social media seriously help to keep me motivated.
Slice of History
When you buy old albums and records which were previously owned by someone else, there is something so special about thinking of the times that they would have enjoyed the music. I love to consider this when I am listening to a certain album, to have a deep think about who owned the record before me, and what they were like. This is another reason why this is such an addictive hobby, because these records tell stories, and that is something that I have always enjoyed.
Do you like collecting anything? Let us know why in the comments below.
Leave a Reply