Collecting Vinyl Records

The end of the vinyl record has become a common prediction by all in the music industry. Records should be a dead music format by now, but they have persevered through many technological changes in the music industry.

In today's world of iPods and digital downloads, where thousands of songs fit as a nice little package, how has the vinyl record managed to compete?

Recent research shows that young people enjoy the physical experience they get with a vinyl record, and the interaction between them and the record player. There is a certain ritual one must perform to play a record, and much to the chagrin of the digital world, the youth of the world is receptive to this type of interaction.

For some, collecting vinyl records has become an obsession, a life long journey to hidden masterpieces locked away in the attic and cellars around the globe. For others, only have a few selected gems from their favorite band or recording artist is enough to satisfy their collection demand.

Then there is the thrill hunting and scouring the websites and online auctions in search of a rare collector's item or a record for their collection. For the more adventurous, there are numerous flea markets, rummage sales, flea markets and similar areas. There they can search through dusty crates and boxes in hopes of finding the next special addition to their already growing vinyl collection.

And it is not just the music that is hunted for. Cover Art, including what could be called Pin-up Art on record albums, is collected. Since Alex Stone White designed the first album cover for Columbia Records in 1939, album art has been highly collectible and is a part of music history.

Classic album covers like the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills (by Robert Crumb) to Led Zeppelin 'Physical Graffiti are icons. Some bands added looked to world-renowned artists for their album covers and concepts for their latest releases, including The Rolling Stones, who used Andy Warhol's design idea for their album, Sticky Finger.

For some, collecting vinyl is an investment. Not only a financial investment, but a cultural one as well. Vinyl records are part of pop culture as we know it and certainly part of the rock and roll era. Top grade vinyl records with its album art and music is a very important part of this phenomenon.

But the one thing that sets vinyl apart from all other musical formats is that vinyl records often present the best sound. There is no substitute for quality of the music heard on vinyl, certainly no current digital counterpart. And for just that, the vinyl record will continue to survive, if not thrive.

About the Author Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates Collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can secure your copy of his ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting." Robert can be contacted at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com

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