According to a recent report from eBay, the online auction giant, they market more than three million vinyl records every year. It's also reported that eBay users buy and sell six vinyl records every minute (or an average of one 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 is all the fuss about?
First and foremost, in the event you ask any record collector, it is 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 might buy vinyl as an investment, in hope that, with time, the records will appreciate in worth.
Furthermore, individuals collect vinyl because they may desire a piece of their past, so nostalgia is also an essential element for the record collector. Individuals will also be drawn to actually owning a physical product and may appreciate the ritual that is associated with listening to the records. And a new generation has found the unique allure that vinyl records have, the restricted editions, colored vinyl, picture discs, "audiophile" records (a 180-220 gram), the album cover artwork and the sound have all lured children within the hobby of collecting vinyl records.
But, there are much 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 hundreds of other vinyl related websites, are not promoting their collectible vinyl for rummage sale prices. Actually, at any given moment, there may be more than 6 thousand collectible Beatles' albums for sale on eBay. Some have sold for thousands of bucks and it is noted that the album that is purchased and sold the most in vinyl format will be the Beatles' "White Album." However it isn't 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 in addition to jazz, punk and indie vinyl records.
Furthermore, recording artists on their own are reported to own vast and eclectic record collections. Just as creating audio is their passion, finding rare and collectible vinyl is sometimes just as important. It is reported 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 also and there's a long list of musicians who get the same thrill as all collectors get once they find a specific vinyl record at an estate sale that may have eluded them for years.
However, it isn't just the garage sales, rummage sales, estate sales, record conventions that carry collectible vinyl. The online community has responded as well, and apart from the auction sites, you will find actually countless web sites that sell vinyl exclusively, in any musical genre that an individual could have an interest in.
Individuals also collect vinyl for the album cover artwork or even the 45-rpm record sleeve and a few might be much more valuable than the vinyl record that they hold. There are lots of businesses that frame these marvelous items of artwork and audio background for display and preservation.
So just as there continues to be a resurgence in the sale and visibility of vinyl records, along with this is an increase in the pastime of vinyl record collecting and album cover art. This pastime is as old as the format itself, along with a wonderful hobby which will continue to thrill its participants for many years to come.
First and foremost, in the event you ask any record collector, it is 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 might buy vinyl as an investment, in hope that, with time, the records will appreciate in worth.
Furthermore, individuals collect vinyl because they may desire a piece of their past, so nostalgia is also an essential element for the record collector. Individuals will also be drawn to actually owning a physical product and may appreciate the ritual that is associated with listening to the records. And a new generation has found the unique allure that vinyl records have, the restricted editions, colored vinyl, picture discs, "audiophile" records (a 180-220 gram), the album cover artwork and the sound have all lured children within the hobby of collecting vinyl records.
But, there are much 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 hundreds of other vinyl related websites, are not promoting their collectible vinyl for rummage sale prices. Actually, at any given moment, there may be more than 6 thousand collectible Beatles' albums for sale on eBay. Some have sold for thousands of bucks and it is noted that the album that is purchased and sold the most in vinyl format will be the Beatles' "White Album." However it isn't 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 in addition to jazz, punk and indie vinyl records.
Furthermore, recording artists on their own are reported to own vast and eclectic record collections. Just as creating audio is their passion, finding rare and collectible vinyl is sometimes just as important. It is reported 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 also and there's a long list of musicians who get the same thrill as all collectors get once they find a specific vinyl record at an estate sale that may have eluded them for years.
However, it isn't just the garage sales, rummage sales, estate sales, record conventions that carry collectible vinyl. The online community has responded as well, and apart from the auction sites, you will find actually countless web sites that sell vinyl exclusively, in any musical genre that an individual could have an interest in.
Individuals also collect vinyl for the album cover artwork or even the 45-rpm record sleeve and a few might be much more valuable than the vinyl record that they hold. There are lots of businesses that frame these marvelous items of artwork and audio background for display and preservation.
So just as there continues to be a resurgence in the sale and visibility of vinyl records, along with this is an increase in the pastime of vinyl record collecting and album cover art. This pastime is as old as the format itself, along with a wonderful hobby which will continue to thrill its participants for many years to come.
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