I Don't Listen To My Records - Here's Why...
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- čas přidán 2. 02. 2021
- There's only so much time in the day... it's time to ask yourself, how often do you REALLY listen to your record collection? Which records do you ACTUALLY spin more than once? Let's get real with ourselves and our relationship with our vinyl in this video, drop a comment with your thoughts after watching and LET'S DISCUSS!
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I'll admit that I've sort of gotten to a point where I usually discover new music by listening to it digitally and then buying the record almost as more of an appreciation of the album instead of "I HAVE to hear this on wax". Yet as soon as I get intrigued by a new album recommendation I almost always check to see if it has a vinyl pressing before even listening to it lol.
SAME. Oh my lord I feel seen.
Literally the same for me too
1000% agree
Samesies- especially the TMR releases. Most of those I just insta-buy before even listening haha
I find that I buy records more as a way to give the artists more money than they would normally get thru streaming. Yes, I have albums by older artists who, quite frankly, don't NEED the money, but for some artists, selling albums and merch is the main way they make a living, so if they put out a product I really like, they should get the dough.
This is a video of Matt finally realizing that he has too many records.
LOL
Exactly
he doesn't have enough
3,000 is a bit much. I have 250 LPs and 150 singles records. I started in 2015. I was buying them at a rapid rate in 2019-2020 but I finally got to the point where it leveled off. Thank god. I'm not really finding much else to buy at the moment.
@@fizzlebomber674 same. Small collection. Only records I know I will love and cherish.
I listen to all my records. I don't collect just to collect. I only buy stuff I really, really love. Saves space too.
This is how it should be.
Yes
@@portwill nah
You could listen to records 8 hours a day for a year and never repeat.
My tip, buy records you really want because of the music, don’t just purchase a record because it’s cool, I find it pointless buying something because it comes in this cool splatter or great coloured vinyl.
If you’ll listen to an album on Spotify a lot then it’s worth purchasing, but if you won’t, then what’s the point on owning the record?
I completely agree. I find myself using a similar standard. For me the test is this: do you love this album so much that if it had ugly album art and only existed on CD, you'd still buy it? If yes, then it is often worthy of owning on vinyl.
yeah ive never been a huge fan of coloured vinyl...these days people are trying to make collectables i think but i mainly listen to stuff from before the 90s , but i guess im old...
@@richardfinlayson1524 the colored vinyl at this point is a gimmick. I prefer black wax 100% of the time
This is my criteria as well, if I love an album and listen to it on line repeatedly I am going to want a vinyl version of it (if it exists... and there are albums I hope and pray will be released on vinyl because I love them so much). I like vinyl records because it's an immersive experience, and I do like that sound and so I buy things on vinyl that I really, really enjoy listening to. I am not the least bit worried about wearing out the grooves.
@@Amy-rt7br a line a read the other day I liked, MP3’s or even CDs because you can easily skip songs is like a snatched bag of crisps, but vinyl is a sit down dinner.
I have around 100 now and I still struggle to find free time to listen to them with work and life.
Listening to records is actually what life is about for me.
@@josemeda4592 same
I'm up to about 300 records now and this dilemma has just recently started dawning on me. I feel obligated to listen to each new record once from front to back to 'justify' my purchase, and it's starting to give me mild anxiety looking at the 'to-listen-too' pile. For me, it's also not as easy as just listening to them. I feel like I have to be in the right mood or setting for some genres, e.g. not going to listen to a slipknot album before going to bed. So not only do I need to listen to them as new ones are coming in and pile grows... I also feel like I have to listen to them at the right time to get the correct value out of them. All in all, It's a good problem to have and we should look at the positive; we have more music than we know what to do with it :)
Totally feel you. I have a pretty small collection so I don't have quite the same issue yet, but I get needing the ride time/mood to listen to my records (especially when "justifying" new ones - great explanation, it's a feeling I've always had but never put words to).
Hi Matt, I definitely have "too many records" - with over 6,000 LPs and 8,000 CDs. I have been actively collecting for 35 years. I have slowed down LP purchases to a trickle but continue to readily acquire CDs since they are so cheap at the thrifts and bargain bins. I currently listen to my CDs more often than my LPs due to the convenience of the format. I often do think about the sheer number of LPs and CDs I have compared to my free time to listen to them, but I don't often sell or trade them because I like to rediscover albums I haven't heard properly in years. Maybe I will thin out the collection as I approach retirement in the next decade. On the other hand, I hope to have more free time by then so that I can speand more time listening to music. Thanks for the interesting video!
I turn 40 this year and have close to that many LP's, but only about half that many CD's. I have been collecting CD's for about 27 years, and records pretty heavily for a little over 13.
Jesus. Can you even recall at least a 10th of the records you have out of 8000
I sit outside on warm evenings, listening to my records while enjoying a cold beer, and a little sticky icky. It's so relaxing.
Last year, because of the pandemic, I started working from home. This helped me increase the use of my record player as it's now 10 ft away from me. I'm playing 3-5 records a day while I work, I'm typically not listening to music while in a meeting. The thing for me is that I'm not really listening the same as I would be if I was just playing a record for enjoyment. I probably am listening to records just for pure enjoyment 3 nights a week. I love collecting and playing records. I have to admit that the collecting aspect of records keeps me focused on acquiring rather than enjoying at times.
My dad died on july 2020 and after a couple of months getting better with my feelings.. I got the chance to get in the vinyl world and im loving it.. In just 3 months i had a collection of almost a 100 records and it all started with just 5 records that i love from top to bottom.. I found that music gives me company no matter the format.. But when im alone with my feelings vinyl just makes me feel like i explode from joy just for looking at the preety colours and designs and the quality of the music and sound just wows me im greatefull to goud this channel and this comunity.. Cuss it helped me so much to get to day by day and feel like i belong and that i can share this awesome hobbie with so many people.. Even though most of my friends think that its old tech, i think is vintage remixed! And im greatefull with all of this
Therein lies the difference between collectors and non-collectors. For me, I love having the physical copy but listen mostly through streaming because it's just more convenient. Given the choice, I would choose the record, but I don't have that luxury. Collectors - like youself - probably should not sweat it. Don't feel guilty about ignoring a record. You LOVE that you have it!!
This is true!
I feel like a smaller HEAVILY curated collection is more of a “collection” and a collection of 2-10 thousand records is just somebody that accumulated records and doesn’t really have time to sell or trade in. Furthermore I mostly pursue to collect 7” with pic sleeves. The hardcore rare ones are a super value now compared to OG presses of LP which seem at 400 percent inflation right now. Having mostly 7”, I can usually listen to 4-10 in the time I would devolve to one LP.
Like anything else that gets collected too much emphasis is placed on how many records do I have. If someone has thousands of records that does not impress me, especially if they have no time to listen to them. I agree with Kim Gordon's single that a smaller, heavily curated collection is the perfect way to approach this problem.
I agree. Some collectors are really like stamp collectors, seemingly more interested in the numbers they have and the pretty covers than the music.
100%. I’ve been thru this with books, movies, video games, and CDs. Thousands of anything are overwhelming to the owner and uninteresting to an onlooker. A gigantic collection tells me nothing about the owner other than they spent way too much money and will never be able to fully enjoy what they have. But a smaller curated collection is something that is truly enjoyable, and is a reflection of the curator. I’ve whittled my massive collections down to the “essentials”, and I’m so much happier with them as a result.
I love your videos because you talk to us. There’s no quick jump edits that make it sound like everything is just one long run on sentence! Great videos.
Thank you Paul!! I try to keep it light and conversational :)
I have kids so find it harder to find the time to listen to a record, but for me, I have a big collection but it’s been building since the late 70’s, so I don’t have a lot of new records come in, I may buy 3 or 4 a month.
Back in the 80s as a kid, I’d buy one or two new records per month but only have say 30 or 40 in the collection so it was easier to have time and listen to most regularly, I now have maybe have 3 or 4 thousand, I’d buy a new record and listen to it 30 times or depending on how much I enjoy it.
What I find, if you have a lot of new records come in regularly, you miss the fun of listening to a record as an individual piece, and you’re always waiting on what’s coming in next rather than appreciating what you have.
I have a cheap turntable at the moment, as of now I don’t even listen to the records I buy, I’m just building my collection until that day that I can afford to invest in my set up to do my collection justice
Not really advised. What if u buy a bad copy and now you wasted money on a record. I listen to my new records within a week of purchasing. I have had to return/exchange records.
I agree, I had the same "collecting until I could buy a great set up" mindset when i first started collecting records in 2012 but after realizing that some records just have bad pressings, I thought it be better to buy a cheap AT LP60 just so I can play the records through my headphones just to make sure they work and sound ok , and I definitely had to return a few. (luckily some were still within a return window)
I would HIGHLY recommend going to Estate Sales my best turntables have come from Estate sales and i have never spent nor the $60 for one just be sure to check them out thoroughly before buying and plug them in as well
3 years ago i had 800+ records in my collection. It got to a point when i bought records because i knew i could sell them one month later and make more money then i spent on the records. As my collection became bigger and bigger, i spent less time playing the records i bought. Probably a majority of the records i bought were never even played on my pioneer pl-514.
I felt that my love for music started to disappear and after that i decided that i could only own 100 records. I created this rule so i only would buy records i really enjoy listening to or want to own because its a rare pressing.
I got back my love for music and i probably listen to one record each other day.
Keep up the good work Matt!
Big love from Sweden!
Really liking the last few videos you’ve put out Matt. I don’t have a huge collection, a bit past the 300 mark. I definitely don’t have them coming in at a rate like you do but I still struggle with this. There are about 20 records that get heavy rotation. They tend to be things me and the misses can listen to while we make meals or I can throw on while family is over. Then there’s a second layer of about 20 I listen to by myself. And then maybe another 10 or so that for a mood. So that’s roughly 1/6th of my collection that really gets my attention. I try to sometimes pull a new one out when I get home from work but if the mood isn’t right I don’t really get into it and then it tends to get buried even deeper
I have probably close to 3000 records (only counting vinyl). I see the collection as a story about me, more or less. I try to collect everything that has been a part of forming my music taste, and since my music taste still develops, even though I am way into my forties, I still buy a lot of new records. But the point of the collection is not that I have to listen to everything all the time. As you said, that is not possible. But, I have the opportunity to pull out every record that is in my collection at any time and listen to it. And with the record comes all the memories attached to that record or that piece of music (something streaming does not give me). I never feel bad about not listening to a lot of what is in my shelf. I have the opportunity to do so, and since everything in there is important to me I know I will listen to all of it every now and then. It might be far apart, but it will happen. And the collection in its entirety is a documentation of my personal journey of musical discovery. That has a lot of worth in itself, for me.
I like the concept of a documentation of your journey of musical discovery.
This!
I play mine a lot. Love to play them while I work!
3000 records in the short time you’ve been collecting, plus all the ones you’ve sold is just crazy. Music is a privilege, something to love..when I hear the phrase ‘I need to get through the backlog’..quite simply you’re doing buying records wrong. Slow down, calm down..you’re going to forget why you fell in love with music in the first place. You never need more than about 1k records (& frankly that’s too many) You’re just not getting enough out of music.
I got like 50 CDs and sometimes I feel like I don't listen to them enough. More of a convinience issue, though. Every time I make some time to put one, I enjoy it totally. I can't even start to imagine what's it like to have that many records.
I get your sentiment, I am someone who it's also all about the music but to tell someone they're collecting wrong is a tough thing to do and, can come off, as rude and condescending. All collecting is personal. He just does it different than you. Doing it differently isn't wrong, it's just doing it differently. I wouldn't collect the way Matt does but that doesn't make it wrong.
@@BrianCoonley Well I’ll always take constructive comments on board. TBH, my comments came from experience, as I got up to about 3000 records at some point, & it becomes pretty unenjoyable .You get into that position of not being able to leave a shop without buying 2/3 records. It actually becomes an addiction not unlike gambling (but at least you can sell your records) & tbh Matt alludes to the fact he’s possibly not enjoying it in the video, talking of large backlogs...but admittedly I may have come off a bit ‘Tough Love’ so for that I apologise Good comment though,
@@Harrispilton22 I figured it was coming from a place of experience and not hate. I read between the lines that you might have been in that scenario at some point, (where you had more records than you could listen). It's why I tried to frame my comment as understanding that and thinking you weren't trying to be rude. I 100% get it. I'm just fine if people want to collect in a different way than I do.
I also couldn't enjoy if I have that many records to listen to. I keep my record collection very small, comparatively, at about 150 to 200. If I don't listen to something in a year or so, I typically trade or sell it.
@@BrianCoonley no my comment probably did come over as a bit ‘passive aggressive’’ tbh. I’ve got mine down to 1000, but I actually think rotating about 400 is about ideal for me. Musics very personal for me, & I hate the way prices have spiralled, so when I hear people talking of stockpiling records (unintentionally) I get a bit triggered. But you did well to call me out on it! :)
This is the most ironic video on CZcams, too many records talking about how he has too many records
Very cool topic to talk about! My modest collection is just north of 200 "vinyls" ;) and I try to listen to 3-4 a week (much less than I'd like). I 100% agree with pretty much everything in the video and it's good to see a lot of like minds in the other comments. There are times where I may not be in the mood to listen to a certain record, but I'll put it on anyway just because it's a new one that I feel the need to hear before putting it on the shelf.
Great topic Matt! Been collecting for 35+ years on & off now and have fallen into that way of collecting several times before... I find it a very cyclical thing. It somehow goes from love of music to love of collecting... a very blurred line for alot of us. I find now that I just have to be more self aware... when I notice the collection is starting to get out of hand & becoming a "chore" in some respects I conciously have a big, harsh, cull, get rid of the filler, stop buying for a few months and get reaquianted with my killer section. Its a great way of resetting & stops me getting too attached to the "collecting" side.
If possible. I tend to listen to at least 1 record a day. And the collection keeps growing so...like you said some albums have only been spun once. But....with time I will come back to it.
My collection is currently at 471 and I use a google sheet to say what I have listened to this year or not and a random number generator to go through all the not listened to and tell me what to listen to next 🙂 that way I can experience all my records at least once a year 🙂 not sure about backlog of Unlistened to (maybe 10) but out of everything I have to listen to 105 more before October so think I will get there 🙂
Currently I listen to records maybe 3-5 times a week, but I’d like to make it a daily thing once I move out from my parents. I don’t worry about how much I listen to certain records, it just comes down to mood for me. If I feel bad about not listening to something, I know there will be a time where I’m gonna want to throw it on eventually
I only have slightly over 100 records and it's probably not an exaggeration to say that almost half of it is backlog. I've found that i'm very rarely in a mood to play records, and when i am, i prefer playing my favourite albums, rather than playing new stuff. Maybe that will change once i get a speaker setup and i can play things without being tied to a headphone cable, but for now, this hobby is mostly about collecting.
I wrestle a lot with this, Matt. Years ago I said 'I have a cap of 365 records' because that was a record a day theoretically. I blew past it...i am sitting at like 900 now probably. One rule I do pretty much stick to is that if a record is still in tne shrink after 6 months...I sell it and have only regretted what I sold like twice and have re-aquired. I do listen to a record a day on week days and maybe 4 or 5 per day on the weekends. If a record gets played by me (on vinyl not digitally in the car) four times in a year that is pretty much a power rotation for me. My mofi records and jazz records have been getting more spins lately as i am finally learning about jazz. The other thing that is crazy is if i am kut and hear a song for the first time that I love - i instantly search to see if it has a vinyl release amd almost like the song less if it doesn't have one...sounds stupid I know.
Trust me, I'm the SAME WAY with that last part.
I relate to everything you said. I don’t have as big a collection as you at around 1,000 but have bought a lot over the last 18 months and have a huge backlog. It frustrates me that I can’t get through them quickly enough as there’s always other activities that compete for time. I definitely prioritise listening to the backlog ahead of those in my existing collection but I will listen to favourites several times / repeatedly, which makes the backlog grow but I just do what I feel. I guess it’s a balance but, yes, definitely frustrating!
I have a decent collection about 750 records or so and I document what I listen to and when so I keep track, this has actually helped to see what I really gravitate to listening in my collection and sell accordingly
I'm with you brother, I have a collection of about 3K records. Did some DJ gigs for a while to justify my collection. Probably only listen to 2 records a day. I have a couple nice DACs and stream Qobuz. Thinking of pulling my camera out and joining the VC. I have a full time job in IT and serve on the board of a non profit internet radio station as music director. I get a slew of new albums from labels every week. I leave it to the DJs to evaluate that stuff. Thanks for doing the channel, may join you soon.
Thank you mat for this video I thought it was just me, I feel dirty listening to an old vinyl when I have a stack of new vinyl staring at me
Unfortunately, my energy is spent more on getting, than listening. After I add a sought after record to my collection, I just focus on the next sought after record. Since the pandemic, I don’t get the opportunity to share my music as much as I would like, but in my head, I’m preparing for that moment that I will share what I’ve acquired. Meanwhile, it’s about what I don’t have, as opposed to what I have. It never ends, and I’m ok with that! For now.
LOL true, so true.
Great video and you raise a question I always ask myself about other collectors - do you really have the time to listen to every single album you get? I usually listen to albums over the weekend, though as part of a new year's resolution I've implemented "NO TV Tuesday's" where I spin albums and read books. I try to listen to albums I bought and never had the time to listen to or if I need something familiar I tend to play "Wish you were here", "Blood on the tracks" or Queen's "The Works." My plan is to listen to all the albums at some point... Maybe when I retire :-) (in 25+ years)
I work from home now and I’ve gotten into a routine where I make up a playlist of records each morning to listen to for the day. I don’t always make it through the whole stack because of calls or meetings but I listen to a majority of what I put out. Then the last 5-10 minutes of the day I pick out a 45 to listen to. It’s worked out so far and have enjoyed playing albums I forgot I had.
great video! as someone who has about 100 records and not a lot of free time I don't listen to them as much as I would like, but I have heard them all, and I have like 5 albums that I listen to a lot, mainly because I don't have a backlog I just listen to whatever I feel like whenever I feel like, but I could imagine as the years go by that this problem will appear, and it's quite interesting.
Great video Matt. I agree and face the same dilemma. On average I listen to 1-2 albums a day since the pandemic before that it was probably 2-3 a week.
After I organized my records alphabetically I decided to listen to one record going from A-Z at the end of my day.. so far I’ve kept that up so now listening to a record is part of my day ..
Another good video and topic. I seem to find less and less time to just sit and listen . I just try not to buy as many or only ones I have to have .
Great discussion! I have a small collection, on purpose, of about 50. Will keep the collection small and max out about 250. I still buy CD (bought three this week) because they are cost-effective (yes they depreciate but Are portable / and buy mostly used for very cheap). I listen to vinyl about x2/week - maybe two records when I do listen. What I love about that is I can really take in and hear those 50 I own, and the ones I collect. Very manageable with respect to listening and time it takes.
I 100% agree Matt. I have 2 crates 3 boxes and tons of records on my backlog with some still in the delivery loop. It’s really overwhelming. Then while I too work from home I have to go out sometimes and that’s when I pull up Spotify and listen in my car most times. Now there are those records like my Doom stuff, I honestly never get tired of but since I have such a huge backlog I feel guilty hitting up my go to records without listening to the new stuff I have. Another issue that plays a part is this is my impatience. I’ll order a record, and if it’s one that’s already on Spotify, and it takes forever to arrive like a lot of preorders, I’ll probably listen to it 10 times before it’s delivered again via Spotify, and by the time it arrives I’ve already played it out and this adds to my backlog in the long run.
This leads me to another issue which is what got me out of collecting CD’s which is streaming. Unless a record is out of print and not on streaming services, there’s very little motivation for me to listen to a record at times especially with the issues I mentioned above when ordering a newer record. Now I kind of find myself reaching the point I did with CD’s where it becomes a convince issue...Do I pull out my Records, throw them on, have to baby sit them because you can’t go strolling around the house working and leave your record unattended, or do I just pull up Spotify and do my work without the hassle? The thing is I don’t want to feel that way, and I want to play my records but like Matt said there’s just not enough time in the day and when you have hundreds of records in your backlog it’s again overwhelming.
Well anyhoo great Vid as usual Matt and see ya in The FB group!
Hey Matt, you definitely touched on some things I think about. I have a little over 5,000 records. I started collecting heavily around 2007. The math on 5,000 records over 13 years averages out to a little over 1 record per day. I have a 3 year old daughter. She takes up a ton of time. When she is awake I can't really listen with intent, and when she is asleep I can't listen as loud as I'd like. I definitely have records I have never played. My daughter loves Springsteen. He favorite song is "Hungry Heart" so my most played slab 'o wax is probably side 2 of "The River". There is definitely some comfort in owning things, just to know they're there when you want them. I don't always get the new ones played in time to find defects before the end of the return period. That's a big downside, but I am a good customer at the places I buy, so I can usually buy a replacement and return the defect for a credit if issues arise. The large collection is definitely a gift and a curse. I am definitely tapped out of room I can use to store records, so I am starting to sell or give away doubles and "starter copies". That's just my experience.
-Jesse
I have never identified more with one of your videos. Last year I started listening to my collection alphabetically from front to back and back to front simultaneously just so I was forcing myself to proceed through my entire collection and listen to each record and decide if I wanted it to remain in my collection or get rid of it. This will take me quite some time to do but it's the only way I could figure that I'd get to EVERY record in my collection. In between I sprinkle in my new records and two shelves of my absolute favorites so that they get a regular rotation.
i keep a list of when i listen to records and which ones. i file stuff away straight away and go with what i feel like listening to as opposed to listening to the latest one. so it does mean i have some records ive owned for years and are still sealed. if there is a problem i have to live with it. i have a collection of around 152 records
my most played record is Madvillainy, and i often find i'm more inclined to put on a single LP album over a double (uknowhatimsayin? gets more plays that Atrocity Exhibition even though i prefer the later.
i do think its important to listen to what you feel like and try offset that guilt to play the newest ones!
thanks for the content Matt!
dev
I don’t have a chance to listen but it’s nice to know that it’s there when I do decide
I feel the same way, but it's cool that it's there when you want to listen.
I listen to to records on weekends most of the time. My VC collection little over 1000. I am an old school metalhead. You are 100% right, not enough hours. The fact that i have what I want to listen to Whenever is Awesome. You have a great collection and channel. Keep it up
I don’t have as many records as you. I have a 4 square kallax and yes I do listen to some albums more than once. I also like to listen to what comes in first as well (cassette/cd/vinyl) and those albums are what I listen multi times. I then go back to other stuff I haven’t listened to multi times. Once I stop digging the album I put up for sale on eBay and then look for my next additions to the collection. Love this shit! Cool channel.
Hey G'day to you.... You brought us another interesting Topic of discussion , fantastic... I roughly have about a thousand or so LPS And I can honestly tell you That I play 2 LPS every night to wind down . I usually play something thats been on my mind throughout my day or i pick a certain Genre. For example, if im in the mood for Punk i think of a band i havent played in a while, even though ive heard these bands Dozens of time over. Where I live You have to drive 30 miles away To the nearest record store And to find them in a wild I have to go to my old haunts the antique shops and thrift stores an to tell you the truth they're Lame .So i Usually Do mail order to find the kinda music Im into. I would certainly love to find them in the wild. But once i do find a collection i tend to go through them clean em and play them. Then theres times im stuck on certain bands that i love and give them a run for their money. So right now im on this SKA kick. And come tommorow if i got a certain artist in Classic Rock that im suddenly itching to play ill jump on board . kinda how it goes for me , but yeah every night im spinning vinyl, Cheers
Personally I think when you start getting anxious about having time to listen to your records maybe it’s time to downsize ? I have around 300-400 records now and I already think it’s too much. So every now and then I just get rid of the ones that I don’t enjoy as much to add new stuff
I have a pretty modest collection of 175 records, that I add maybe 1 or 2 albums a month to at the moment. I probably spin a record on average once a day during the week and closer to 3-4 on the weekends. There are some I've listened to once, there are others I pull out pretty often. Sunday morning tends to be pretty Jazz heavy so I end up pulling from my jazz collection which is only about 20 or so records.
I find records best in a social situation, spinning sides that enhance the energy flow and pacing of conversation. Good luck having that in lockdown!
And I have 4 bins, by category and unalphabetized, for recent acquisitions. I always replace a played record in front. Over a month or two it becomes obvious which aren't favored, and it's moved to the "eventual sell" area on my record shelving unit.
I have about 120 records right now, but I don't play them often. I put one on about twice or thrice a month. I would like to play more, and probably will start doing so, now that I have bought a new record needle and a good record cleaning set. If I do play a record, it's probably going to be a Prince record, as he is my favorite artist of all time. I could (and should) purge some records, because I barely remember some of them, probably bought those more to increase the vinyl collection than actually for the music. I don't buy much vinyl, so my backlog isn't that big, and often I listen to records I get in the mail immediately, to check if they aren't skipping or popping too loudly (sadly, I had to return multiple records) but still I love collecting and listening to records, because it's very relaxing to do!
I have a spot where I put my new records waiting to be listened to. But I mostly wait until I have enough time and rest to listen to them and give them full attention. But I revisit many of may records regularly. There is a record for every mood
I have a rule. I only allow myself to purchase one album (or a few) at a time. I must then listen to those records before I can purchase any more. Like you, I like to put a record on to start and end the day.
I listen to every album that is delivered. After that it may take some time to get back to a few of the albums I really enjoy.
I Do have a GROWING pile of records at LEAST 400-500 but at any given time i only listen to a fraction of them but it is TOTALLY guided my my mood the reason i own so many is that whenever i am in the mood for a Song, Album or Artist i can just go to my shelf pick it up and listen to it. Also i do have doubles and even triples of my FAVORITE hard to find Albums just in case something happens to one of them or i might still be looking for the BEST SOUNDING copy and haven't found it yet also it is kind of fun when listening to records with friends or family and someone ask "hey do you have so and so" and you can just pick it up off the self and play it for them
My baisic rules having/getting many records:
1. I don't put any record onto my shelf without listening to each song. (what this means is you sometimes have to get comfortable with background listening while working or or maybe doing chores around the house. You can't listen to every single album in our sweet spot chair in your music room for three hours. This is why I have a turntable set up in my living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom, and workout room.
2. Never keep an album in my collection that I don't ACTUALLY like.
3. How often I play it has ZERO to do with if I want it in my collection
3. No rule on how many records are to many or to few. A 300 lp collection is not right and a 4000 lps collection is not right. How do you feel/react when you dive into your collection? If you feel awesome, inspired, and passionate....THAT is what makes your collection "RIGHT". ...AND...it's okay to go back and forth: Get rid of a bunch, buy a bunch, stop all togethr for awhile, etc.
I have just never liked the thought process that if you own a record you should HAVE to listen to it with a certain frequency. If you don't spin it in a year you shouldn't or don't need it kind of thing. Most people don't listen to the 4000 songs they have in their itunes or INFINTE songs on apple play, but RARELY do you hear people demand they delete 3500 of them lol. It's so easy to forget that with vinyl, for many of us, there is a music lover and a music collector in us. We are wearing two hats. We LOVE listening to music and we LIKE OWNING MUSICAL STUFF!! We are like a civil war museum that marvels at looking at the history, but we also like to put on the clothes and go fire the muskets a few days a weeks and actually play with our relics from the museum lol
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I can't tell you the number of times I have gone and flipped through my collection for 30 minutes and maybe not have played a single album. I just got lost in looking at the cover art, reading labels, or just process new info into my memory bank such as year of album, people who played on it, etc. I have gotten joy out of albums that I have touched numerous times over the past 12 months but never played. Much like the same reason I have over 120 sealed lps.
I THINK IF YOU ARE NOT ENJOYING YOUR COLLECTION EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT PLAYING RECORDS...YOU ARE MISSING A PIECE OF WHAT MAKES VINYL MAGICAL.
Also...to see a vinyl shelf full of records with figures or music memorabilia on top, etc....is like a work of art and pleasing to see/walk by. Again, if I put a painting, a table with a flower and pictures on it against that same wall people seem to be okay with that. The beauty of a wall of vinyl is much more pleasing to me. That brings value and pleasure to my personal living space.
My point is if we ask a questions like "Do you listen to all your albums" as the justification for owning vinyl (which you are not here, I'm just making a point) ....that, to me, is leaving out 50% of what vinyl brings to my life. It's like "do you sunbathe on your patio"...If not get rid of it. Well I"m black so I don't lol...but...I hangout, I cook, and feed some wildlife from it, etc. Vinyl is a patio with many musical uses :) as its brings out the music lover, the collector in us, the artist in us, the decorator in us, the passion in us, and many other things. Vinyl brings much more to us as music lovers than JUST the music which is why I don't /can't judge it on only how many times I play it.
IMO...LOL
WISE WORDS!
mrhoffmane, (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!)
Yours is the best comment on here. 👍
I only have about 80 records which date back to the 60's and 70's. so i have no problem in listening to all of these because they are very special to me.
My listening habits ebb & flow. Right now, I have a HUGE stack of stuff to listen to, because I don't find a lot of time to listen. Usually I genre hop, and that helps to keep things fresh out of my collection, but I'll give you the same advice I drop for most other people who have similar problems. Use Discogs' random record feature. If you know how many records you listen to in a week, make a schedule. Decide how many spins you'll devote to stuff you hand select, and how many you'll let the randomizer pick for you.
I’d love to say that I listen to my albums all the time, but between working full time, school (I’m in nursing school), running my CZcams channel, and having a podcast, all while also helping to raise 3 kids, I don’t have much time during the day. I still try to listen to at least one album each day, but I wish it were a lot more than that.
I actually keep track of what I listen to, and when. It helps me pull something out that I haven't listened to in a while. I agree that the new records always take precedent. It's only natural.
vinyl records are like books now, but I still love the tactile and rare holy hunt grail, but I still cherish my collection like all of you!
It's quite realistic to not have the time to be constantly listening to your records or keeping up with the new ones you acquire. The real beauty in a nice/large collection is when you do have some down time you can discover or rediscover an album that you maybe haven't heard more than once or haven't listened to in a long time. That's probably my favorite part of record collecting is throwing on something I haven't heard in a while and being reminded how good it is or really getting to know an album I only glossed over after initial purchase.
I have around 150 in my collection now. I’ve only bought records I truly love and can spin for days without getting “bored”. Now I’m slowly collecting the dicography of artists I really like. One big thing is that I MAKE time to listen.
Good points!
I never feel guilty about pulling something from the shelf as opposed to a new one I haven't spun yet. Inspiration comes from a million different places, and when the brain needs to hear something, the brain needs to hear something -- whatever the reason may be. There are times when I spin music to motivate me or sometimes just to set a mood or vibe but not necessarily to pay 100% attention to it, so I would rather spin something I already know that will have the desired effect. When I spin a new record I want to focus on the music and the package, etc... so I can truly experience it fully.
I only have about 100 records right now but since the start of this year I have been doing well of at least playing ONE record per day, sometimes more, but that’s the good thing about having a smaller collection 🙌
I don't listen to my records very often, but I also have a very small collection. The vast majority of my music is listened to on streaming services, I only buy vinyl when it means a lot to me and/or I find myself listening to an album straight-through very frequently. For me it's almost more like merch with the added benefit of being able to play it, and feel even more connected while doing so. It really is primarily motivated by liking something enough to want to physically own it though, not by the want to listen to it in a specific format.
I own about 1800 vinyl albums and close to 6000 CDs. I listen to music everyday. I'm in the process of recreating the recorded output of artists I own on my Apple Music library. That's my hobby. I title a CD starting with its release date and ending with its catalog number. Along with artwork for LP, CD or both. I source the information I use from Allmusic, RYM, Discogs and Wikipedia as well as the artists personal site some times. The largest catalogs of course are The Beatles (as a group and solo), Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Fall, Van Morrison, David Bowie, Will Oldham, Richard Thompson, The Rolling Stones, Todd Rundgren, Jason Molina and my beloved Frank Zappa collection. I use the Apple equivalent to WAV file, AIFF, and listen on Monsoon electrostatic speakers. Certainly not the rock and roll speakers my Altec Lancing Model 15 Studio Monitors are but they have great clarity for a desktop speaker. So what I'm trying to say is I listen to a lot more music due to the convenience of CDs and my Apple Music library than I did back in the day playing vinyl. I can make play lists in minutes that would take hours back in the cassette tape and vinyl days. I still like the physical size of a vinyl album and the artwork but at my age the difference in the sound is not offset by the convenience of digital music. And let's face it vinyl 45's and LP's as well as CDs are obsolete. The future is the high definition downloads and streaming of music in quality equal to the studio tapes and modern storage medium. Yes there are pros and cons not "owning" a physical item, being at the mercy of the service and servers etc. but you need not dedicate an entire room to house your records and CDs. When you pass your loved ones are not burdened with having to dispatch a lifetime of collecting an LPs worth of tunes. Your perspective changes when you hit the autumn years of your life. He who travels lightest travels the fastest and farthest. Possessions have to be looked after and protected, experiences and memories with family and friends do not. Frank Zappa called music time decorations. Mick Jagger said, "Its only Rock 'n' Roll but I like it, like it, yes I do." I like to listen to it, not just collect it. Rock on brothers and sisters. Keep your head on straight. The world is turning hope it don't turn on you. -Neil Young- Oh yeah I forgot to say I haven't played my vinyl in twenty years. I plan to get a system set up now that I'm retired so I can blow my grandson's away, old school. Peace and love to all.
An italian writer Umberto Eco had a private biblioteque of 30000 books. He said that such a collection is not an egothic thing but it's just a research tool. Therefore those (many and many) books in that collection he still hadn't read where more important than those he actually read. A collection, he said, should include everything you still don't know but you're looking for.
This is such a great question, I'm retired & my kids are grown and I have a very modest record collection(300) my collection is a mixture of late '50s, '60s, 70, 80, 90, and present-day and I find myself listening to my 50,60 jazz collection and present-day collection more than anything in my collection I thought about getting rid of everything but my Jazz and present-day records and I still might but what I listen to the most is the radio it is so much simpler especially when I'm cleaning the house or working on the computer. I'm always discovering new music like recently I picked up 5sos I seem to favor pop music here recently and Lee Morgan Rajah I know I'm weird but like I said I love Jazz and POP music you would think that a person in my situation would have more time to play my records but you would be wrong cause I find my self not staying home traveling( before pandemic) and spending time with my grandkids( priorities change)
I hadn't touched my record collection in years and my interest in vinyl rekindled late in 2020. Weirdly, I was totally unaware that there had been this explosion in interest in vinyl. For us, we had a house fire and after being out of our house for seven months during the remodel, I totally started missing my vinyl collection for some reason. I even started buying some records off of Discogs even though I didn't have a turntable in our temporary quarters.
When we moved back in, the first thing my wife and did, just about, was go through the LP collection and jettison anything that we said "we're just never going to listen to this again" (either because we'd lost interest or it's something we would just rather stream). Then I started going through my records systematically, by genre, in alpha order, and I eliminated a couple of hundred more records. So, at this point, half the LPs we owned before the fire are gone now.
I buy three to five records a week off of Discogs. The goal is to have a collection of just really great or meaningful stuff.
That's the background.
So, on Facebook, I often post about a record I'm listening to. A couple of a weeks ago, a former boss (from decades ago) asked how I ever got any work done if I was always listening to LPs. My response, "the advantage of a home office." I work from home and my LPs and turntable are in the same room as my desk. I listen to LPs every day now.
Starting a second journy through a couple of sections because I hadn't catelogued those in my Discogs collection.
I also have a pile of records that have only gotten one listen (new records almost immediately get a listen in the evening when my wife and I have a cocktail and listen to a record or two before turning on the TV).
I wonder if some people enjoy collecting records more than listening to them? The enjoyment of the hunt and the 'high' of obtaining it......then straight onto the next one. I read recently that people collect 'things'....in our case records due to a lack of seratonin....the brain needs the excitement and the hunt/collection provides it. Definitely a thought provoking video!
The thrill of the hunt and the catch is honestly the highest high of the hobby outside of listening to some transcendent audiophile recordings.
@@TooManyRecords Completely agree. I like these videos that make us question ourselves. Ultimately record collecting and listening to records makes us happy and there's nothing wrong with that!
I've currently got a backlog of about 100 records. I've listened to some, but haven't sleeved and cataloged them all.
You nailed your problem. Collectors like us can't go into a record store without a researched list of must haves. You can be a listener or seller but not both. That's your issue - you're both.
I'd love to comment here, however I truly believe you've covered every aspect of this issue in your video. I just accept now that everything I own will just get listened to less and less as time goes on as I never stop buying. Simple as that.
I have 15 records that i love and picked very carefully that i do listen all the time.
this entire video is so damn debatable. every time i throw on a record ive listened to already im just thinking damn i still have 15-20 records to sit down n listen to. i thought i was the only one so im glad im not alone on that
I have a collection of somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 records, I'm buying new records all the time and I try to listen to everything I buy when I buy it. In truth there are probably about 200 to 300 records that are pretty regular rotation, these are the records that I couldn't live without every, so often I will dive into the collection and pull out something I haven't played very often or something that I'd forgotten about. I try to listen to at least 2 records everyday, generally in the evening. I like all the records I own, if I buy something and realise that I'm not too keen on it or simply decide I don't want to hear it again, I sell it. The great joy for me is buying a record and finding that record going into regular rotation, I've recently bought quite a few albums by Jason Molina, in his various guises as Songs: Ohia/ Magnolia Electric Co. and Jason Molina, for over a decade I'd only owned Songs: Ohia- The Magnolia Electric Co. and much as I loved that record (certainly of regular rotation) I'd never bothered to pick up his other albums, I'm pretty delighted that I finally did as I'm sure they'll all be going into regular rotation.
I don't have a huge collection like u, a few hundred so far. I have probably 50 ish records that get played a lot and then new stuff coming in... I try refresh it a bit by grabbing something I've not listened to in a while but I definitely have favourites.
for the most part, I try to spin records almost as soon as they come in considering I don’t always receive new orders in bulk or consecutively being I only have about 150 records and am still a college student. a lot of my playing really just depends on if I’m craving something specific or if I want to spin something but don’t know what i’ll just scan my shelf and pick one; some records do get more spin though as I like them for studying, hanging around, or my girlfriend loves them so some of those would be any Tame Impala album, Oracular Spectacular, 4 Your Eyez Only, Awaken My Love, Lover, etc. all in all though, my favorite albums don’t necessarily get played the most by any means but rather i focus on newness or what i’m feeling at the moment
I have a relatively small collection so I do have time to revisit music that I love. However, with my collection growing I do think that it is harder to re-listen more often.
This! I only buy albums that I know I want to go listen to in 20 years from now. The albums have to be good from beginning to end, no filler. There are a few artists from whom I buy new albums blind without ever hearing them before. I don't see myself ever getting hundreds of records.
I own around 500 purchases. A purchase could be a single LP, a boxset, a 45, a 78...
Every time I make a new purchase it is documented and numbered in my notebook. Sometimes I'll use a number generator and pick that way. "Guess I'm listening to record 345 today."
I'll listen based off mood. I tend to go towards vocal jazz or The Beatles. It can be fun to invite a friend over specifically to have them pick out a record for both of you to listen to. That's a great way to give some love to an overlooked old favorite. Your friend will likely choose something you won't.
Also it's helpful to occasionally purge some of your collection, while keeping your favorites.
If you get rid of your streaming platforms, you'll listen to your records a lot more.
Same problem re: the backlog. My collection and backlog are a fraction of yours, but I feel the same guilt when I'm not spinning a record I haven't listened to. I try to listen to at least one album a day. Benefit of buying 12"s - I can get through more of those a day!
This is very real and on brand lol. I also WFH which gives me *some more time to listen to records but even at that I still have more records coming in than time to even listen to them. I dedicate most of my active listening at night or on the weekends and try to get to new records first but somehow I always seem to gravitate towards audiophile reissues especially of late. There’s just so many new records coming out and too many records in my wantlist. It’s the life we chose and a problem I don’t mind having.
I have listened to the soundtrack to Katamari Damacy probably about 5 times more often than my next most listened to album, and mostly because aside from the album being stellar, vinyl is legitimately the most convenient way to listen to it for me, beacuse it isn't on streaming and it is on youtube but I don't want to hear ads while listening to an album.
I have 500+ records and 600+ CDs (not much). I listen music all day long, I work from my home so meanwhile I'm doing it I play my records, when I drive I take a bunch of my CDs. Sometimes it helps to listen all of them starting from A till you finish with Z (yes, ZZ Top/Zebra...) in both formats. Everytime I buy something I tried to listen to it first, then include them in my shelf. I have an excel sheet with all my music, that helps me too (I suffer from Insomnia, so I did this like in 6 months for two hours every day at 2-3am, so once done it when I buy new stuff I rush to the sheet and include them) to remember what albums I haven't listened too. Another thing I do is tell my kids "choose a letter!" and they'll go..."ahhh D", and I'll say "ok put Def Leppard, whatever you want", that way they can appreciate and touch a vinyl a play the turntable, something know this days, kids dont even now exist. There's a lot of reasons how to listen to music even thou it's 200-6000, just enjoy it!👍🏻
I spend too much time listening to new records and struggle to listen to the older ones .I set aside some that I want to get to and sometimes that helps.
I find it better to think of my collection as a library. If I don't get around to listening to them very often it's fine, but when I want to listen to them they are there for me. I have a huge backlog as well. I just try to do my best to work through them.
I have also started focusing on buying records that I have wanted for a long time, and I don't feel the need to buy every new thing I hear that I may like.
I hear you mate. My tip is get more turntables.
I’m a DJ so I have 3x Technics 1210s setup anyway.
For my new arrivals I of course check for any imperfections/that they’re as described before they’re introduced into my collection.
While I have one playing I can get two other records cued up ready to play.
Certainly speeds things up rather than taking one off and putting one back on.
I try to listen to at least 4-8 albums a week 6 Out of the 8 are stuff I have had for years or as you call it "back log" and usually 2 are my newer records I have bought recently I don't at this point in my life have a go-to record(s) I just look at my older records like The Mamas & The Papas, Jefferson Airplane, The Archies, Grand Funk Railroad Brownsville Station, Simon & Garfunkle and think to myself " I haven't played this one in a while" so I put it on and enjoy it I'm not hard to please as far as what I listen to Then with my newer albums which in my collection is about 88% Hard Rock/Heavy Metal where the other 12% is Blues, Jazz/Rock Prog Rock & Easy Listening After Collecting records for over 50 years I find great pleasure in closing my eyes and surprising myself as to what pick out and playing it
I only have about 500 records and do frequently think about how long its been since I have heard some that I really like. A year, two, five..? Yeah, and I get about 5 new on average per week to deal with. Luckily I work from home and have a full system in my home office. So I get on average I get about 3 records per day in. On weekends usually 5 or 6 each day but not really paying full attention like they deserve because I am usually working on home projects around the house with the music just blasting throughout the house. Like you, I wish there was a way to freeze time and just sit and enjoy some quality time with some LP's, but as you said... Not reality.
Rock On!
All in (LP, 45, cd, dvd and VHS) I have 10,608 records i my library. I listen for around 6 hours a day, 3 days a week, as I am busy the other days. I play my collection in chronological order - and it currently take me 7 years to play them all ONCE (even the crap, as I liked them when I bought them.) Once all are played, I go right back to the beginning and start over.
I do select around 30 tracks a week to play on my 2 radio shows so I get to hear new things that way. Am always on the lookout for more and I buy new records (including 2nd-hand) at least once a week. I rarely buy just ONE lp - I often buy 4 or 5 at a time.
I work a week on week off schedule. So, every other week, I listen to records with a back log like yourself that I have not listened too. Whenever I have a few records waiting to do something with. I will bag and put in collection. When time to listen to music, I will be in mood for something, so I fit in a first listen and anything else I am in mood for. The problem is I have to work, like you do.
Honestly there are a handful I listen to fairly often but a lot in my collection that ive only listened to once or not at all. Trying to focus on purchasing stuff not that I really want.
I don't have as big a collection as you, nor do I buy new records as frequently, but I have definitely gotten to that point, over the last year or so, where the backlog has grown to an uncomfortable amount of new records to get through. For me that's about 15+ currently.
Like you, I feel guilty if I listen to an older record, when I have a load of stuff I haven't listened to yet. I have records that I got over a year ago which I haven't managed to play yet. This is also partly because I get quite obsessive about playing a record a decent amount of times before putting it in amongst the rest of my collection. The amount of times I have to play a record before I reach that point doesn't have a specific number, I just keep it in my backlog stack until I get that feeling of 'I know this record so well now'.
On the flipside with the guilt thing, I also feel guilty for not listening to my old records enough/barely at all these days. In that sense the stream of new records, although I try to limit my record buying for that reason, begins to stress me out, because there will be a bunch of old records I really want to get back to, but they are steadily becoming more and more out of reach.
A way of combatting this, is that when my 8yo daughter is here and it's a rainy day and we can't go out, I will play a bunch of records whilst we do activities, eat, etc, and have her choose what to play - she chooses a letter (that the band's name should start with) and then a colour and we go with that.
Christmas and birthdays are great in the sense that I will get a bunch of records, which is what I love receiving as gifts, but it has got to the point where I just had my birthday recently, and I still have about 10 records or so from my last birthday and Christmas that I haven't listened to.
The letter and color system is so cute!
I do most of my listening in the morning on the weekends. I usually get through 10-12 records a weekend. I also keep my collection intentionally on the "smaller" side (about 350) so that I only have albums I'll actually listen to, rather than collecting a bunch that just sit on the shelf.
I’m blessed as to have a work from home job now too so my Record listening is usually side A while I make my morning cup of coffee. Side B after work and an album to unwind before bed. During the day I’ll spin something that just got delivered. Awhile back I put everything I had into Discogs and I had 607. When I did this I realized I had a ton of stuff I never listened to. The goal now is to get my collection to 500 therefore I’ve been giving away and selling a ton of stuff. I’m okay with the collection fluctuating in size as I keep acquiring and keep purging. Right now I love my Tom Petty Wildflowers, Amy Winehouse Black to Bad, and Paul’s Boutique, plus whatever new comes in. My goal is to get rid of what I don’t love so someone who wants it can have it in their collection.
Any Beatles or Rolling Stones?