This is a continuation of my article discussing some reasons why a person might want to collect physical media. These formats include, but are not limited to records, CD’s, Blu Ray, VHS and so forth. It’s certainly not an exhaustive list, but you can find that original bit here: Why Collect Physical Media. That article was originally supposed to be about collecting vinyl records specifically, but it got quite long. So, here we are at part two.
There are probably almost as many reasons to collect records as there are people who collect them. I’m not going to try to discuss all of those potential reasons, but rather talk about why I do things and what I feel are some of the more common reasons (or advantages if you want to put it that way) for collecting and choosing to consume music in this way. Once again, I’m not trying to sell anybody on anything here, but I have found that more and more people ask me things like “what’s the point?”, or “what’s the appeal?” I think it’s always a good idea to understand why you do anything, so I figured I would write about it. Maybe some of these ideas will also resonate with you, or make you think about your own reasons for collecting what you collect and doing whatever it is you do.
In all of the music collecting groups I’m a member of on social media, I see one particular, very annoying meme being posted over and over again. You’ve probably seen it before. It’s the one with a drawing of two guys standing in a room with some records. One of the guys explains to the other one that what got him into vinyl was “the inconvenience and expense”, or something to that effect. I’m not going to post the cartoon here, because I don’t want to be part of the problem.
No matter how many times a week this meme gets posted, people respond to it like Pavlov’s dogs to a bell. It’s as if they’ve never seen it before, and it’s a totally new experience each time. What follows are hundreds of comments of people arguing over which format is the best, why records are terrible and CD’s are better, and just general nonsense. If you don’t already know, the music collecting community at large is full of people who are convinced their way of doing things is the ONLY way of doing things. If you are new to this hobby and decide to ask a question in one of these groups, be prepared to come out of it confused and completely turned off by the majority of people who respond to you.
All that aside, there is some truth to that tired, worn-out meme. Firstly, collecting vinyl records can be expensive. It doesn’t have to be, but if you want the good stuff in 2024, most of it won’t be cheap. People are not as ill-informed as they used to be. Everyone has a smartphone, and anyone can check prices on things. It’s not impossible to find a good deal, but it’s rare indeed these days.
Secondly, vinyl actually is an inconvenient hobby. It’s not as simple as using Spotify on your iPhone. If you want even mediocre results when it comes to vinyl playback, you’re going to have to know at least a little bit about what you are doing. If you are looking to consume music as background noise, there’s no way records are going to be worth your time. And that’s ok! There’s plenty of other activities to get involved in, or you may choose to sit around and do nothing at all, waiting for the sweet release of death.
If there’s one thing I have learned over the years, however, it’s that most things in life that are worth having or doing are both expensive and inconvenient. Not many people would call being married, having children or owning a house or a car “easy” or “convenient”. This also applies to hobbies and pretty much everything else in life. Collecting records comes with some cool benefits for people who appreciate that kind of thing, but like most other activities, it does require some effort. Thankfully, this is a hobby for most of us, and we can choose to be involved or not. If you are someone who hates the idea, why not let other people enjoy themselves?
So why do people enjoy collecting vinyl? Why is it making a comeback in the digital age? Well, besides the basic reasons I listed in my last article that apply to the idea of owning any type of physical media over digital, here are some of my thoughts:
- The listener becomes an active participant in the process.
I think this is one of the most overlooked aspects in the experience of listening to music on vinyl. Instead of just passively turning a song on and forgetting about it, the typical vinyl enthusiast listens with an increased and varied interest because they actually have a hand in how the music sounds. This can be on several different levels, starting with what particular pressing of the record they’ve chosen to listen to, and ending with how that record sounds on his or her particular equipment.
In between, we have the maintenance of the record and how that reflects in the final overall listening experience. Is the record dirty? How was it cleaned? Was it cleaned properly? Is it scratched? While some of these questions may carry over to other media, they are mainly issues primarily dealt with by vinyl enthusiasts. If a record sounds bad to us, we can consider different ways we might improve the sound. This is a luxury (or perhaps a burden) that we don’t typically get in the same way with other media.
- The ability to experience the same album in many different ways.
According to the Discogs database, there are currently more than 2,900 different versions of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon just on vinyl alone. Which one should you buy? Do they sound different? Absolutely they do. Each pressing of an album is unique, and there are often even variations within the same pressing by the same company. This is to say that you may get a not so great or average sounding copy of something, but your friend may purchase an “identical” copy and end up with a better sounding one. There are many reasons this might happen, but it’s a common phenomenon.
Variations in the same pressings aside, different versions, pressings or issues of an album obviously make a difference. The mastering may be different, or just better or worse from cut to cut. The machines at one plant may have been dirty while the machines at another were clean. In the modern age, it’s not difficult to find a decent internet forum and read about the different pressings of your favorite albums. Then, instead of just ending the experience with a single copy, you can continue to re-experience this album over time with different variations. As you get more in tune with the recording and develop a better ear, this process will get increasingly interesting as time goes by and your knowledge increases.
- The hunt for a “grail” is an exciting thing.
Whether it’s searching for a rare album when only a few exist, or looking for the best sounding playing copy of an album you already have 20 versions of, there is a lot of fun to be had in the hunt. Before the internet became the primary place to buy and sell records, most collectors would go “crate digging” at record shops far and wide. While this is no longer as practical an aspect of the hobby as it once was (I’ll write about why this is later, as well), it’s still something that’s fun to do once and a while when the planets align just right.
Although I personally believe that the best thing you can do with a record is listen to it, there is no denying that the act of collecting is, in itself, a huge part of this hobby. I know some people who have multiple rooms in their house dedicated to their collections, and also people like me who have quite a few records but prefer quality over quantity. I’m not a dealer, and I like to know what I have. Also, if it’s not something I want to listen to, I’ll probably sell it. Better yet, I won’t buy it in the first place.
- The analog sound and ritual of vinyl.
This one should probably be a given, but I think it bears mentioning here. Most of us who collect records prefer the sound vinyl over other audio formats. All formats have their pros and cons, but to me, nothing beats the warmth and fullness that you get from a vinyl record. Even when a record is totally clean and free from clicks and pops, a decerning ear will often be able to tell the difference between analog and digital.
Most records are not perfect. Believe it or not, I consider that to be a good thing. To me, those imperfections make the recording sound alive, compared to a dull, sterile and lifeless sounding digital recording. This is one of the reasons I like live bootleg records so much… the experience of listening to them is like seeing the band live. They haven’t been overdubbed, double tracked or processed by a studio. Performances by human beings are never perfect, and it’s often that very imperfection that draws me in.
Along these same lines, listening to records often includes some sort of ritual for many collectors. For me, this involves taking the record off the shelf, removing it from the sleeve and putting it on the platter. I always clean it with a carbon fiber bush and do the same to the stylus. This gives me a chance to have a look at the sleeve and the artwork as well. Most people nowadays would probably find a lengthy process like this, along with the vinyl noise, annoying and intolerable. I personally find it relaxing and even comforting.
- The effort encourages listeners to take their time and pay attention.
One of the most significant advantages of listening to vinyl records is that enthusiasts are more likely to pay attention to their music, and maybe even enjoy it on a deeper level. This is an opinion, of course, but it’s one that I can attest to the validity of based on my experiences with other collectors. When you think about it, it’s not that difficult to imagine why someone who has invested a great deal of time, money and effort into something might appreciate that thing more and pay a bit more attention than someone who hasn’t. Flipping past a song on the radio or listening to an MP3 player while running on a treadmill isn’t the same as sitting down to intentionally listen to an album.
This leads me into another subject that I find interesting, which is the idea of “deep listening”. This is not my idea, and others have discussed it before, but I think it should be considered more often. I may write more about this subject in a dedicated post later on, but here, briefly, is the basic idea:
At a time in our not-so-distant past, almost no form of home music was easily accessible. Families or groups, if they were lucky enough to have something to play music on at all, would gather around a stereo or radio like it was a big deal. Of course, it was a big deal. You were listening to music in your home! As technology made the accessibility of music almost effortless, most people have relegated the listening experience to an almost completely passive thing. Full albums (of new music) are hardly talked about or even marketed anymore, and we mostly hear about “playlists”.
These days, we can still replicate that meaningful listening experience by getting a nice system, a copy of whatever album you want that you are happy with and sitting in a dark room. Turn off your phone, crank the volume up to just the right level, and actually listen to the record. I prefer good headphones. The difference between this experience and listening to music passively might just surprise you. While this technically can be done with any type of media, I’m guessing it’s something that happens a lot less in the Apple Music community.
- The Nostalgia Factor
Last, but certainly not least is the nostalgia factor. Some people like listening to vinyl simply because it reminds them of when they were younger. Maybe of better times. I have found that nostalgia can even be a factor for people who weren’t even born when records were popular (sadly, this doesn’t apply to me). There is just something about this “archaic” process that is enjoyable and fulfilling to many of us.
Apparently, polls have shown that many of the people who purchase records today don’t even have a way to play them! They just think they look cool and apparently enjoy having them around. That’s certainly ok with me, although I hope that eventually, they decide to take the plunge and try listening to the things.
In Conclusion:
So, there you have it. Some of the reasons that I personally believe people listen to and collect vinyl records. Is it expensive? Sometimes. Inconvenient and complicated? Always. There are certainly worse things to do with your time and money, though. I do hope that this article has given you a little food for thought, or maybe even helped you understand someone who collects records a little better. For now, this should conclude my mini-series on the “why” and benefits of buying and listening to analog recordings. If I think of something else, I’ll let you know.