Sunday, 5 June 2011

Vinyl Record Collecting Alive And Well

By Aikednea Johansen


According to a recent report from eBay, the on-line auction giant, they sell more than three million vinyl records each year. It is also noted that eBay users purchase and market six vinyl records every minute (or an average of 1 each and every 10 seconds). It seems the vinyl record, just a few years ago an afterthought as an audio format, is alive and well. So what's all the fuss about?

First and foremost, in the event you inquire any record collector, it's the sound quality they love the most about vinyl. The music is not compressed into ones and zeros or "binary sound." Then obviously, there's the element of "collectibility," individuals may buy vinyl as an investment, in hope that, with time, the records will appreciate in worth.

Moreover, individuals collect vinyl simply because they might want a bit of their past, so nostalgia can also be an essential element for the record collector. People will also be drawn to actually owning a physical product and might enjoy the ritual that's associated with listening to the records. And a new generation has discovered the unique allure that vinyl records have, the restricted editions, colored vinyl, picture discs, "audiophile" data (a 180-220 gram), the album cover artwork and also the sound have all lured youngsters in the hobby of collecting vinyl data.

But, there are more reasons people gather vinyl. Apart from the aforementioned elements, it's also big business. The old vinyl records on the auction websites, as well as the countless other vinyl related web sites, are not selling their collectible vinyl for rummage sale costs. In fact, at any given moment, there might be more than 6 thousand collectible Beatles' albums for sale on eBay. Some have sold for thousands of bucks and it's noted that the album that is bought and offered the most in vinyl format is the Beatles' "White Album." But it is not only the Beatles that market well and are highly collectible. Artists such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Madonna, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley as well as newer artists like Nirvana, Radiohead and many more are all highly sought after. There's also a keen curiosity in "Northern Soul," Motown records, old blues recordings as well as jazz, punk and indie vinyl records.

Moreover, recording artists on their own are reported to own huge and eclectic record collections. Just as creating audio is their passion, finding rare and collectible vinyl is occasionally just as important. It's noted that John Lennon was an avid collector of all of the Beatles' bootlegs he could find. Peter Buck, of the rock band R.E.M. is definitely an avid collector as well and there's a long checklist of musicians who get the same thrill as all collectors get when they find a particular vinyl record at an estate sale that may have eluded them for years.

However, it is not just the garage sales, rummage sales, estate sales, record conventions that carry collectible vinyl. The online community has responded as well, and besides the auction sites, there are literally countless web sites that sell vinyl solely, in any musical genre that a person may have an interest in.

People also collect vinyl for the album cover artwork or the 45-rpm record sleeve and some might be more valuable compared to vinyl record that they hold. There are many businesses that frame these marvelous items of art and audio history for display and preservation.

So just as there has been a resurgence within the sale and visibility of vinyl records, along with this is an increase in the pastime of vinyl record collecting and album cover artwork. This pastime is as old as the format itself, and a wonderful hobby that will continue to thrill its participants for many years to come.






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