Record Collections Are Personal and Communal

Everyone loves the records they love for their own reasons. Maybe someone heard Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors on their first date or found a Brandi Carlile record in the middle of a breakup. Maybe a parent gave them a stash of old blues records when they moved to another city as a going-away gift. Maybe they fell in love with The Lumineers at a festival where they met some close friends. The music we love becomes part of our story as we go along, and few things feel more personal than the songs and artists we use in our own soundtracks.

Collecting is also communal! While some people choose to keep their collection for their own enjoyment, many of us love to look through our friends’ records and deepen our relationships along the way. Sharing the records we love feels like sharing a piece of who we are and invites others to come along.

In the 2000 film masterpiece High Fidelity, record store owner Rob Gordon (John Cusack) spreads his collection across his apartment floor after a breakup. When his friend and employee Dick stops by and sees the stacks, Rob explains he’s busy reorganizing the collection “Autobiographically”. Rarely have record collectors felt so seen.

Same, Rob. Same.

Vinyl Record Values

Few things hold value in the same way as vinyl records. Like many other collectibles, records may have value for a combination of many reasons. How much vinyl are records worth can be because they are rare, an original debut album, in excellent condition, autographed by the artist, or just because they are a classic vinyl press. In some ways, this value is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, but there is also a big market for records, even decades after their release. Some albums, such as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, have almost a cult following to own on vinyl. 

 Records also hold innate value because they contain the music we love. Collecting records is a lot like collecting your favorite recipes from your favorite meals, except you can have those dishes any time you want and share them with others, savoring the flavors for years and years. 

Vinyl Records Are The Most Complete Representations Of An Artist’s Work

There is a rich history of vinyl records. For both music lovers and artists, records and record packaging hold a special place because so much goes into how vinyl records are made. The feel of the cover, the weight of the record, the room for extra details in the liners– these are all meaningful things to both the artist as well as the collector. For musicians in every genre, releasing records on vinyl is a special experience and one that they cherish and obsess over like nothing else.

As a music lover, when you collect your favorite albums on vinyl, you curate a gallery of artwork that your favorite musicians crafted for you. Artists often put lots of extra time and effort into making vinyl releases the most complete representation of that piece of work. Collecting the vinyl releases of an artist is one of the best ways to honor the work they put into making the music you love.

These are some of the reasons we love collecting, and there are many more. What do you love about the records you collect? If you’re a new collector, here are 7 albums you should have in your vinyl collection. You can really begin to grow your record collection by joining our monthly vinyl club where you’ll receive exclusive vinyl on your doorstep every month.