In 2019 I realized my collection took over my life. I'd started collecting and listening before I was even in high school. It was a struggle but I was able to get over sentimental aspect of my collection and found I had over 20,000 albums (records, CD, cassettes) in a 30x14 efficiency apartment. I decided to get rid of everything and basically start over I went from 21,434 to 197. Not only did it free up space in my apartment I finally realized how that collection was holding me back. After getting rid of the collection I was able to buy a house outright and a car. I listen to what I have way more and I actively listen to everything I have. I'm back up to over 400 albums but I can say I have listened to them all and I am enjoy more then I ever did before. Granted I miss walking out of shops with a handfuls of albums for the collection but I'd rather have one I will listen to more then once and file then be able to brag on a huge collection I don't listen too.
Thank you for the comment. Wow congratulations for the move. It was a good one. I have like 500-600 cds and in the last 4 months I've listened to all my cd except thoses I know by heart. I've trade, sold and give like 200 cds and it felt very good. I think that when you have an habit to buy a lot and every year you do a purge, I think it really tell you that you have a spending problem on the wrong thing. 21 000 cdd is crazy Man ! 😅 where you doing lists of what you had?
@@TheCommentNinja81 I had a separate discogs account for each type of media and vinyl separated by size (CD, Cassette, 8-Trac, VHS, Beta, Laser disc, Vinyl 7", Vinyl 10", Vinyl 12", Vinyl misc, Misc). I also had a spread sheet on a dedicated laptop listing what box each item went in so I could find it later. I deleted the discogs accounts and just kept my main one when I got rid of everything but I should have kept them all just so I could look back. The yearly purge is a good idea and one I use now. If I don't listen to it in a year then it goes to the record shop to trade in next time I go. I think that is a good way for people to not let collections get overwhelming. I do have a few exceptions to that but they are limited to albums I have a direct connection with and most of those are framed. I tell people all the time now if you are buying something you aren't excited to take home and play immediately is it something you really want? The cool factor of owning something doesn't equal enjoyment.
@@vinylpenguin2651 Yes if you would have kept this list I would have been curious to see it. Yes I agree that purging collections regularly is HEALTHY. I do it myself with my CD, movies (DVD and Blu-ray), my books and my games. But what I mean is just like you mentionned at the end of your comment... before buying we got to question ourselves about our buying intentions. Example: if every year I curate my collection of 100 cds, I would considere that I made many wrong decisions and did not put enough thought in my choice in the first place. That's more what I meant. For the movies, I got Netflix and I don't jump on new physical releases. A lot of common mainstream titles will end up on Netflix and I'm aware now that most of them will not appeal to me more than once because I've seen so many movies in my life that there's less and less movies that moves me the way I like my movies to moves me for a reason or another so I usually really take my time and more consideration before buying them so every curation of my collection has less titles purged because I've put more thoughts into it in the first place.
I'll play this video when I get to culling my collection. I have around 500 records and want to trim it to 100-200, and I always find a reason to keep the records I want to get rid of lol. While we're on the topic on circulation. I brought my copy of Morrison Hotel to my local record shop, and last week went over and saw a 17yo kid rummaging through the records and finding my copy of Morrison Hotel and his eyes lighting up. Really brought joy!
NEVER underestimate the mood and feeling you are in when you make that "let go" decision. Sometimes i dont feel a record one day, but on another day i like it way more, cause of my mood or energy i need. Or if i heard them very loud or even drunk... whatever. You def. have to be really sure the wax is nothing you would really listen to under different influences... just my experiance 😊✌️🎶
I was accumulating for years and got up to 2500 records, but when the stores were closed for a few months two years ago I started listening to things I hadn't listened to for a long time. I realized I had quite a few records I wouldn't miss, and luckily I had three good record stores in my town that take trades. For two years I've been buying with trade-ins, and I'm still around 2500. I also had a move recently, which causes you to reevaluate your attachment to all the heavy things you own. Dillon, I like and respect that you put your store customers first and don't put everything for sale online. I'm very attached to my local stores because they do the same thing.
I find doing trade value at local stores that are generous is good way to let go of records that are not being listened to as much for various reasons. Selling online can be dicey and not worth all the effort. I find that my trade in value is close enough to what profit i would get from selling on eBay. I consider the time = money factor when deciding.
@@mercurialmagictrees I think the same as you about trading in at stores vs selling online. I don't want to endure the time and hassle of selling online, and I get good value when I trade in. I have several good local stores, and I shopped at each for years before I started trading in, so those are probably factors. The stores know everyone has options for selling or trading, and I've known the owners/staff for 10 to 20 years, so if they were tired of me bringing records in I'd know by now!
I used to want every record I liked, but then I realized I don’t listen to half of those records. Now I want the smallest, tightest collection with only my absolute favourites and the rarest private stuff.
I'm 49, and was brought up with three much much older siblings. The oldest being 67 years old now. Growing up, the house was riddled with Billboard, Circus, Creem, Rollingstone, everything affiliated with music, the music industry, the art etc etc... By the age of seven I was taught how to handle and maintain records. I had a stool by the stereo, which was a high end system of the tyme of my brothers', so I would be able to spin records. Being brought to record shops for 40 plus years, I have been collecting and purging records since the age of ten. In 1988-89 my oldest brother handed me down his collection, and that when it really began. I purge and trade records all the tyme. Over tyme your taste change; you find you're not listening to that album that much. It's taking up space. As of this moment, I got a milk crate waiting to take to one of my two record shops for a trade in. May I add, that I collect newer stuff as well. Proud to say that i hold some pressings from some very underground new bands that are only 1 to 2 years olds, and only like 90 pressings were made. I will not part with those, for they are well crafted albums. Cheers.
I found my purge of over 4000 vinyl records and over 600 cds to be therapeutic. It cleared up alot of space in my living room and garage. And I could actually breathe better because some of what I had accumulated was water damaged and had mildew. "Bad" for someone who suffers with asthma. But eventually I regretted the big purge because I had some pretty desirable and valuable albums as well. What happened was this: I had two turntables; one for everyday use and the other as a backup. What are the friggin chances of one going out then resorting immediately to the backup, then the back up not playing later on the same day? That happened! So I called my father and mentioned my dilemma to him. He was drunk and couldn't care less. I called back a few days later and my mother answered. She was more into music than my father and owned several records, cds, and two working turntables. But she mostly watched TV and only occasionally put on a cd of Andrea Bocelli. She listened to my story then said she was tired so she was hanging up. Frustration is what I went through thinking about their reactions. So instead of buying a new turntable or fixing one of my broken ones, I purged my entire collection of over 4000 records. Some were very minty originals from the mid sixties. I found out later that they both had Alzheimer's Disease.
Just purged about 150 records from my collection last month. a bunch of stuff I bought when I first started collecting. When you’re a new collector you get excited about things that 6 years later you go “Why did I ever buy this ? I listened to it once and filed it away” Time to thin the herd and buy things I actually listen to. Good food for thought.
I look at my collection as an archive, for future generations. I can't see ever getting rid of anything unless it is an inferior copy that I have more than one of. I like to have two copies of my favorites, so I can play the inferior one most often, to save the really nice one for special occasions. I rip my great ones too, so I can listen without wearing out my prized records. I do listen to them all from time to time though. There are a few I have that I may not play again though. I still want to keep them.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. It doesn’t make sense to me to have records taking up space that are merely “meh” or rarely spun. Just like you, when I reach for something I’ll know it’s going to be good to me. Killer insight and guru encouragement. Thanks!
Obviously, I'm in the minority here. When I buy or am given records, they become members of my family. You have a very practical approach to collecting but no matter how sensible it is - and I truly believe it is - I just don't have the strength of character to do it. People have given me their collections because they know I will clean them up and put them in protective sleeves and treasure them. I have about 30,000 and counting and everyone of them - no matter how poor an album - makes me very happy. And I love people who purge, because they I love to buy used albums. I also digitize every record I listen to so, and I have an online blog. If anyone is interesting in listening to a very rare jazz album I own or a lowly Nana Mouskouri album, they can have their own digital copy. I'm in Canada but if I even drift down that way, your store will be one of my first ports of call.
Completely agree. Here’s something you’ll like: I have a buddy who bought too many clothes he didn’t wear. So, what he did was on New Years Day each year, he turned every coat hanger in his closet backwards. As he wore things throughout the year, he hung them back up normally. And so on NYE every year, he knew what he hadn’t worn in a solid year, pulled those out of the closet and donated them. So what I propose is, just kidding I want to keep all my records.
I agree with you. I buy what I really like and don't have multiple copies of albums. I tend to get first releases unless an original is expensive. Then I get a reissue for less. It is about enjoying the music. I learned this from Mazzy. Many of my records are sentimental because I bought them when I was a kid. Worked hard to save money to buy my favorite artists records. I never want to part with these.
Excellent video. I go through almost all of those same processes that you do in order to trim the herd. Of the 1300 in my collection, I have maybe 30 that I will never sell due to sentimental reasons for that specific record
This popped up in my feed again so I rewatched it, and it made me realize, I need to do the same thing. Not for space, or financial reasons; just to refine it.
I recently purged and sold them to a local record store owner and it felt great! I try to keep my collection killer, no filler. But sometimes I end up with records that are just ok, not great. I keep a list of those then purge them.
Couldn't agree with you more dude 👍 Keeps my collection FRESH, exciting, interesting and actually curated instead of a weight that just sits and stagnates. Tbh I've always thought if you're the kind of collector that starts getting into the thousands of LPs then you definitely have some obsessive tendencies. Most collectors have a hard time being labelled as that. Personally I would happily include myself in that category... I am what I am 😁 So purging is the ultimate healthy way of keeping that in check and not letting the collection get overwhelming. IMO Great video as always bud👌
I’m so glad I found your channel!!! Since I was 6, my grandparents bought me the Beatles lps as soon as they hit they hit the stores. I have a 45 of the Beatles singing I Want To Hold Your Hand,….. in German! My Beatles collection is my ticket to complete my bucket list. And I’m not wanting an arm and a left nut for my record collection, but all I want to do is sell some of my assets to enjoy the rest of my life. I only have one thing on my bucket list that I want to buy. I might mention, all my albums are first releases. BTW, I have Apple Music, so……I have a couple of autographed albums that are going to be cremated with me…. ❤
I'm on my third and last time building my record collection, I'm too old to start over again.. I purged about 50 albums around a year ago. I've gone through my collection a couple of times and I'm at the point where there are no fillers. I do enjoy having multiple copies of some titles just to be able to compare different pressings. I only have 479 records though so easy to manage. I can't see me ever topping 1000.
I held onto second tier albums for so long. Money got tight after the accident. I've been purging to keep the hobby alive. It's been really healthy. Whenever I purge a small stack of so-so records for 1 to 3 quality LPs I never regret it. The collection is only getting better and better. A lot of it I credit to purging and trading.
Charlotte also provides so it's not like I'm saying it in a comparison way, but Greenville has been providing absolutel HEATERS lately. Rare psych, kraut, early prog, hard n heavy, proto punk, garage, yadda yadda. Absolute gems, including a excellent/NM Zep III Japanese Pressing with the obi. Chef's kiss. I hope to get there for the anniversary. 10% chance. 🤞🏻 ✌🏼 Brother.
I'm not only into records but movies and books and from time to time i make a purge and take away the book, the record and the movie I like less. I need the space and curating my stuff not only helps in that area but made my collections much better and more tight. Great video as usual and greetings from Sweden!
I have purged records and it feels good, but I have a few regrets. Sold my original Siamese Dream 1st UK press ridiculously cheap instantly regretted that. Got the 2011 press super cheap when it came out £14 from Amazon! Those were the days. For some reason decided to sell that thinking I could get another and now it’s ridiculously expensive. So be careful. Make sure you really want to sell it and check Discogs to see what it’s going for. Think I got £50 for mine. Now goes for £200!
I've been collecting records for over 50 years. You are right letting go is hard to do at first, but once you start it becomes easy. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but also passing on records to my local record store for them to thrive.
Agree w/ purging, especially for the space alone! I enjoy doing 'blind spins'. Basically closing your eyes and running your hand along the records and picking one, randomly playing them like that through the night. Fun to way re-discover some stuff that has been forgotten.
great video. great advice. im not with the hoarder mindset either - at the end of the day these things are meant to be played and heard and enjoyed. and if you're not feeling something anymore, there's definitely somebody out there who is. it's just taking up space on your shelf. let it go and go get a record you want to play! when you've been at it awhile you realize récord world is bottomless. you will never hear everything, let alone own it all. and if you're like me - you will never stop buying records - at a certain point you have to start letting stuff go. just part of life
My mantra given years ago by another dealer : Sell records you like ...To buy records you love... Sell those to buy records you can't live without. Worked for me as a full time dealer and collector
Thanks for the nudge... I feel the moment is getting closer, where I should purge my collection (app. 3.000 records). Though I still have some shelf-space in my listening room, I'll like to be in a situation, where EVERY record I pull out makes me feel/think: "Yes - I like this one and it means something special to me".
I also slip amazing records into charity shop bins when no-ones looking so some vinyl collector gets something to make there day. Just to keep my collection down. When i do this quite often i am rewarded as shortly along the line i find a valuable record for cheap.( The Vinyl Gods reward me).Try It!!!!.
Interesting and it totally makes sense since you own a record store. I'm still djing which makes it harder to get rid of "performance discs". It happened to me that a big purge because I was moving continents ended in various regrets, as I lost track because of the sheer amount of volume. Also taste can slightly change and/or come back and favorites that you were sick of while purging might have to be bought again. One rule I found to be kind of true (which I still do not always adhere too ha): if you only touch a record when looking for stuff to get rid off and never listen to it/play it out, get rid of it. There is something like record Karma, for sure!
Good video. I’m in the process of doing my first really big purge. Feeling good about it. Thinking about going thru everything again and pulling more now!
As a reseller and former buyer at a record shop for about 10 years, I do the same thing, just did a quick purge because I moved recently. When I was unboxing my collection in the new house, pulled about 4 boxes of records out to sell, some I could not remember the last time I played them, and others were duplicates or things that just got shelved in the collection. I feel it's great to practice non-attachment to a material possession, if I have something that a friend or a regular customer of mine wants and I cant remember the last time I played it or am not as into it I sell it to them.
I love the dollar bins but i also have records for free following me home so yeah purging the non essentials and double/ tripples is always a good thing. Loving my new setup and wow its making a difference.
I’m super young (for a “record collector”) & have only recently gotten into records since the pandemic. When I started, I used to by all my favorite albums, even subpar stuff. The only way I was able to expand my collection & taste was to trade your records. This may seem extreme to some, but I do a purge every month! Easy way to build $$ for new records & my collection is only quality LPs that either challenge my ear & hold special value now.
One point: as a record store owner, you can get full retail for your discards. But a regular collector, when he gets rid of a record, he'll get a much smaller amount. If you can't get decent money for your records, you're more inclined to just keep them. Maybe your tastes will change, maybe values will go up so much you won't mind selling. I have a lot of classical records I don't really need, but they're worth nearly nothing, so I'll just keep them. At least I can listen to any classical piece that comes into my head.....gee, the Dvorak cello concerto, I haven't listened to that for years, it used to be one of my favorites.
@@noblerecords - Well, I hope you pay yourself a fair price, otherwise you might get in a fight with yourself: Record collector Dillon: You ripped me off! You only gave me $10 for that record, and you're selling it for $50! Store owner Dillon: Now, now. we pay fair wholesale. We have to cover our store overheads and make a decent income.
all killer no filler!! exactly what I try to do with my collection. also any doubles I'll give to my friends whomever doesn't have it. it's a reciprocal thing as I get any doubles they have...
What a great common sense approach to collecting. I was very poor growing up and was reliant on a good friend who would let me borrow his portable player and records. Now as an adult I try to find those albums I could not afford. OG or reissue makes not big deal to me. When I find those albums, I play them and take care of them. I have a budget and I try to stick to it. I very seldom trade but I ve been known to give away some of my albums to those who would appreciate it. Enjoyed the video.
I used to just buy anything and everything that seemed interesting to me, and the collection got big. These days, it grows way more slowly, as I’m less willing to part with my money over it. The biggest part of that is, these, days, I have fewer wants, and am less willing to just buy something to have a physical copy. I have to KNOW it’s going to be played a few times while I’ve got it. I’m also constantly thinking about just selling the whole thing, if only to get a nice fusion of cash on hand, and gain a wall back! But I enjoy the ritual so much, I know selling them all off would make me depressed. I have definitely purged a few times in the past, usually getting rid of 50-100 albums, mostly duplicates I now have better copies of, or records I bought ten years ago I’ve never even played, that I know I’m not gonna miss. And I do know those people who will never sell! Usually it’s something like “every record is a memory: where I bought it, at what age, how I felt about it,” etc., and that makes sense, but it’s just not me. These days, like you, I try and be a completist with a handful of artists, and really only buy what to me is an absolute killer record that I know I will get immense enjoyment out of.
I love that you got a smile when you pull that babe ruth! Also, what type of organisation do you have? How was the Babe Ruth right next to Aynsley Dunbar? Also, that was a fart, don't blame it on the chair......be real. HAhhAHHahhahah
Back in the 80's when I was single, someone broke into my house and helped me purge my mostly metal vinyl records, lol They also purged my stereo, vcr and TV, microwave, electric can opener and radio alarm clock! I started to replace most of my albums with CD's from BMG and Columbia House which I still have. I'm just now getting back to vinyl and really enjoy it. I'm not that picky about condition, I have found some pretty roached covers but the record sounds great. As long as they are cheap!
Very true. Make that money to get stuff that is what you want. Purge the quantity and go after the quality. Plus, there is ALWAYS stuff you don't spin that someone out there is looking for. I purged a little over a year ago due to a move......and now I'm inspired to do it again.
My collection is my baby except it is thousands of cds, still have 800 cassettes in Napa Valley wood cases and I am collecting vinyl. I live near Detroit and there are a lot of independent record stores I support. I do make it to Third Man Records once in a while. Like you I am very passionate about my music and my taste is very eclectic and some people don't understand. But I really don't care as it is my hobby and the thrill of the hunt and finding something on my music wish list is exciting to me. I had to go back using my memory to replace music on album and 8 track that I got rid of. I have broaden my horizon especially with music and I enjoy watching your videos and you seem like a cool door. But being a little nerdy myself I would take that with a grain of salt. Lol
I sold 7000 records from my collection of mostly classic hiphop 7 years ago. Most had shrink with hype stickers. I got really bored an uninspired with hiphop and it went in a badly negative direction around 2000. I got a decent $ for them even though alot were $100+ and I could have sold online but I would have changed my mind listing them 1 by 1. Too many memories and 30 plus years of collecting. But it turns out it was the best thing I ever did. I started all over from fresh. Now I'm into psych, jazz fusion and anything strange that catches my ear. A whole new world has opened up to me. My 1st record at 12 was KISS DYNASTY...and now I've come full circle back to rock, prog, psych, blues.
I've lost my babies from the 60's - Beatles 45's. College prog from the70's. Punk... grunge Up to Nineties... sold it all. Over a thousand classic clean albums for $80. I can only hope they have good homes. Peace on earth.
Only way I could ever purge is possibly by prioritizing the album's style or setting. I do consider jazz soloists and large ensemble as less essential than their intermediate contemporaries who often employ the same musicians. I guess I could possibly trim compilations or different mixes but that's sort of where I'm at collecting right now because it's the only thing left. All essentials, outliers, and grails have been acquired considering I've been collecting for 27 years without much of a budget and doing so on cd. If I had to cut the collection in half I'd purge "past peak" so almost everything post 1997 would be gone for soul music and everything post 1965 for jazz would be gone. Most of the stuff I acquired from cd baby would be gone (1-2% of collection). I'd let go of the fusion and smooth jazz and only keep maybe one "best of" for say Grover Washington Jr covering his Kudu/Motown years.
I've finally broke through the 200 mark, collecting for six years. Ive done several minor purges though with the same intent--all killa, no filla. I dont want to consider myself a collector though. I dont want to store 1,000 records in my living room. Gonna limit myself to what will physically fit in my six cube Kallax.
My thoughts about purging are very similar to yours. I normally only keep one copy of each title. I look for the best sounding, if affordable, version of the title and I only keep stuff that I like and would buy again if I had the opportunity. I have never bought other peoples collections and each item has been selected and bought separately over a period of 35 years. I have my collection (ca 4000 LP, 2000 7” and 4000 CD) on Discogs in separate folders. I have created a separate Scrap folder and I frequently scroll through my collection, trim it and move the records to the Scrap folder. Every now and then I physically move the records and put them in “for sale” boxes. I keep them there for a while before I bring them to the record store. There are maybe 30 titles altogether that I regret selling or giving away, but I can I live with that. People might laugh when I have 10,000 titles and claim that quality is more important than quantity, but I do believe it is true. I’m very proud of my collection and the energy I’ve had to get it into the state it is in today. Now it is very hard to trim more.
In the past I could never sell a record, I wanted the biggest collection in the world. Elton John did have more then me. After the flood when I moved into my office I had to limit myself. For the first time in my life I had to purge. It is difficult but like you I believe that any record that I pull I should love it. This is still a work in progress but I am currently pulling albums.
Have you ever done a video on how you organize records, and recommendations for someone on how to organize? Think it could be an interesting topic. I know some people with 200+ records who organize alphabetically but I think once you get into that territory you need to organize by genre. That builds off the purging idea because it helps to keep a balance between genres.
I decided that Im going stick to mostly collecting mofi albums. If Im going to have an album zi want the best sounding one. So that will definitely help me keep my collection smaller.
My problem, other than addiction, is that I love rock with an historian’s passion, so I focused on building a library rather than a collection. Honestly, pre Beatles was a singles era, so most albums were chock full of filler. But they’re so rare and the covers so interesting I hoard them anyway. Given that the rock era ended about 20 years ago, at least my desire for new product has diminished, as at today’s prices I really can’t afford more than one new release a month.
I like to do a bit of purging from time to time and am thinking about doing a bit again. I have several copies of stuff like the first NY Dolls LP, Kick out the Jams, Rocket to Russia, Out come the wolves. Your words resonate about keeping the best copy. Might stick some stuff into circulation to snare some stuff that's on my wants list. They are for playing not looking at
I generally agree with the idea of purging and I do regularly do some purging and trade them in when I visit the US (no records stores in Costa Rica). My tastes have changed over the years I and I remove LPs I fell I probably won't listen to again. HOWEVER .... there have been several albums that I have purged over the years that I then re-buy because I do want to have them and listen to them again. Crazy??
Let go of what you never listen to. For me that's jazz, blues, r+b, regay. At one time I had hundreds of each of these types of records in each of those genres but I found I was never taking them out of their crates to listen to them. In 2004, I decided just to concentrate on what I do listen to, hard psychedelic/garage/acid rock and heavy prog and hard rock from approx. 1966-1976. Went from having around 6,000 albums down to about less than 3,000. Cleared up a lot of space and made the wife happy. Now at about 3,500 albums and for me it's all killer stuff. And no, I do not miss any of the records I got rid of.
yessss purging is essential to actually having a healthy relationship w/ yr vinyl collection. i pretty much have a hard and fast rule that i don't own any records i wouldn't rate below an 8/10. on top of that, i have all of the records that i either need a better copy or different pressing of separated on a different shelf - if i find something that's too good to pass up, i can dip into that pile and sell off a handful to make up for it haha
im moving all my records and equipment into a new room soon and im actually excited to purge out a lot of the records i have in my collection that i put in there when i first started collecting when i really didnt care if i truly liked them or not. hopefully gonna thin out the collection a bit to make room for more records and i think im finally at the point where i care a lot more about quality and personal preference than quality and being attached to certain records because of when or where i got them
I have to admit, it is kind of hard getting rid of some of the albums that I have personally bought. If it's something I got in a trade or maybe it was given to me, it seems a little easier to let those items go at times. I think it's because it wasn't a personal choice I made to buy or get that specific album. So it might not actually be my taste or even preference that I am getting rid of. However... I do look at what I have bought and there are quite a few that I probably should sell off and use the money to buy something else I want or even pay a bill. There are a few that I don't listen to that much and I was not actually happy with what I got. As an example, and I do like Pink Floyd also, when I bought the A Momentary Lapse in Reason 2 LP set I completely missed that it was a remix. And as I sat there listening to it I was thinking why does this not sound right? I got the LP and looked at the hype sticker again and saw that it was a remix and not a remaster only. I really did not like hearing the changes and I had bought it thinking I was getting a remaster of the original 1986 LP. So why am I holding on to it if I'm not listening to it? It's kind of crazy if I do say so myself. It's a noise free, very well done remix but that wasn't what I wanted. And I do buy doubles sometimes because I want to have that backup copy that I can use if I play too much or ruin the first copy. I started realizing I don't really need to do that. Maybe on some occasions, and if I'm getting it at a real good price, I can understand getting a backup. But why am I keeping sealed copies as backups when I am realizing that I can usually find what I want out there if I do need to get another copy on down the road. There are a number of different reasons why I think I should sell some of the LPs I have gotten in the last year and other reasons why I've determined I don't want to sell certain LPs. And that's just normal, whatever the reason is, the way I think it should be. Like you were saying, if it doesn't make you happy or if you're not going to be listening to it, why not sell it and pass it along to someone else who will listen to it and would enjoy it? I only started back into record collecting about a year and a half ago. I've bought about 300 - 350 records or sets, or even box sets, myself and I have been enjoying the majority of them. I was given an almost mint condition collection of about 250 - 350 records by a friend that was just going to throw them away or take them to Goodwill also. And about 1/4 of that collection was stuff I really liked whereas a lot of the other albums were either things I was not familiar with or just didn't seem to care for. I haven't even been able to get through all of them yet so I do want to first finish checking each album out. There's a lot of jazz, a lot of jazz fusion, according to the covers, and just a lot of variety in what I was given. A lot of the pressings were from when my friend was an Army helicopter pilot and stationed over in South Korea and the late '70s and early '80s. I'm kind of blown away by how disgogs shows some of these pressings being worth quite a bit of money. I don't know what South Korea might have done differently, but some, like one of the first AC/DC records, was showing about a $60 medium range price value. And I know that discogs isn't necessarily always showing an accurate value but there were quite a few sales and other indicators that this value was probably correct. I like AC/DC, especially the Bon Scott era, so I've kept that album over in my crate of LPs to keep. But do I like it so much that I wouldn't rather have $60 instead of the album? I haven't quite answered that yet but I'm leaning towards selling it. These albums have been kept in a completely dust free, climate controlled setting and boxed for 3 to 4 decades. Everything from the jackets to the albums themselves seem to be in NM condition. So why wouldn't I sell some of the stuff that doesn't mean as much to me and then I could use that money to purchase some items that I would really like to get? To me that is just common sense. I wish there was an easier way to see the runout/matrix info for me. I've been trying to photograph it and it's just a very time-consuming thing for me due to my vision. But in the long run, and especially with some of these jazz LPs, I'm hoping to get it all complete and find that I do have some real gems and goldmine pressings in there. I'm in no big hurry to complete the task and I'm taking my time and listening as I go through each of those albums given to me. But I do think that I will probably try to sell at least 3/4 of those and I really have no desire to just keep things that I won't be listening to. I've seen a few of these purging types of videos on RUclips lately and it's really got me to thinking that I need to take the next step in figuring out what's the best way to sell what I can part with. There's always going to be something that I wouldn't mind selling. So, I need to look into what the best way to do it is. Discogs, eBay, I don't know for sure where the best place to sell is? But I'm imagining those two sites will probably be where I start. One last thing I wanted to mention was this. I've been able to buy some new, old stock records online from people selling things that I really wanted but they didn't really care for. Heck, they never even opened them. And it feels great to get a brand new, shrink wrap still on it, pressing of something that I really like and it's never been played. So why wouldn't I return that favor to some other collectors out there wanting what I might have and I have no real interest in it? Again, it only makes sense 🎶😎🎶
I really want to adopt your mentality when it comes to selling... I don't know what that sentimental issue is that make it hard to let go of some... but I was able to purge some when I found a copy of SP Mellon Collie that has always been a grail of mine.. only way I could justify spending up.. so will probably use that approach going forward.
I've actually said the same thing about a killer collection. I also want to be able to reach and grab a killer record every time! I don't collect 45 rpms (I have 350 already), but I focus on 12 inch records. I think it is a great idea to purge what you really don't listen to. On a side note, I plan on taking my Xmas break and driving to your record shop from California! My wife is totally into doing that trip too!
I tend to focus on purging duplicates. Pick the best and share the love with the rest (for a reasonable price of course). When the shelves get too max, it's time to A) buy more racks, B) move into a new place to fit more racks, C) purge with care. "C", I told you it could be done....
I have many albums on both CD and Vinyl. I started seriously collecting CDs and a few years ago went back to vinyl. My minor problem is dollar bins. I like to try out new stuff and found some real killer stuff for just a buck. This has accumulated a few hundred records but donate if I don't dig it. I have branched out into many genres doing this.
great advice ....i do a purge every once in a while too...its nice to trade a few albums i don;t listen to.. and get a super nice one i'll enjoy more \m/
I definitely use the "Would I pay the current amount this album is selling for?" method with a lot of mine. Something like George Michael's Symphonica that I sold recently for $300, especially banking of the probability that it will get reissued soon. Did that with Savatage Edge of Thorns recently too...sold the 1994 for $160 and then it just got reissued at 40.
How do you organize your records? I’m a little AR and have dividers not only for the alphabet but any artist I have at least two albums of I have a custom divider for that too. when I look at the amazing wall of records behind you, it doesn’t look organized I just wonder how you keep track of what you have and find what you want. If you do put them in alphabetically, how do you organize an artist that is simply their name? For example is Elton John under E or J? David Bowie under D or B? I’m inconsistent with this. Keep up the good work!
There is another factor here. Music is shareable only. It is impossible to keep. It's about growth of the mind. Possibly the extension of awareness. I sold a buttload of albums to Dillon, and they have returned. "Your heros are ghosts...Wish You Were Here." I am having fun with it. I just secured a second location, again in a music instrument shop, and it seems to go swimmingly. In addition, I have two side by side 10x15s that I sell out if on the weekends, weather permitting. But, should you find yourself near Mathews, NC, Noble Records is a must stop.
It took me many years to reach the same conclusion. I had been collecting for 25 or 30 years when CDs came to the forefront, so I got rid of maybe 1000 "filler" albums and kept the other 4000 or so. I figured I would put the money aside to help me buy new LP as they were released. Since many of them were only released the money came in handy. Never got interested in CDs though.
6:25. To each his own on whether to keep a record or not, to each their own but I “personally” don’t agree with your philosophy stated at this point (would I personally pay what this album is presently worth). The problem with this philosophy to keep isnt whether you enjoy the album or not. You simply are making a decision on profit. That’s fine if you look at your collection as an asset. Put another way, I love my home. We raised our boys in it, have shared many great memories in it, etc etc. it’s appreciated in value and I don’t think I’d pay now what it’s worth - but it’s worth more to me then thinking of it solely as an asset. I appreciate the topic and again to each his own, but I think the judge on whether to keep it or not should strictly be whether you enjoy it or not. After all, I look at my music as something that enriched my life and well being, not my wallet. I’ve never sought a value on any of my 3k+ records because I don’t view them that way.
I am reducing my collecting initially down to 1095 but aiming for 730; if I want new music then I will purge and often that may mean to sell three to buy one, there is a mental cleansing that comes with that process! If I haven't played it for 3 years why keep it? Like you, I want to end up with Killers, not Fillers. So why 1095 or 730? If I play 2 - 3 records a day, I will play my entire collection in a year. If they are not being played, how many do you really need? Records (or vinyl for newbies) should be played every day of your life - the memories they evoke or make, are precious. Hoarding for Status or a perceived investment is lost as soon as you are gone, so live for today - enjoy them!
btw..., I told them about you after someone else brought you up and how I remember the YTube channel even came before the Store. Anyway, You got thumbs up by me for what that is worth. - m.
In 2019 I realized my collection took over my life. I'd started collecting and listening before I was even in high school. It was a struggle but I was able to get over sentimental aspect of my collection and found I had over 20,000 albums (records, CD, cassettes) in a 30x14 efficiency apartment. I decided to get rid of everything and basically start over I went from 21,434 to 197. Not only did it free up space in my apartment I finally realized how that collection was holding me back. After getting rid of the collection I was able to buy a house outright and a car. I listen to what I have way more and I actively listen to everything I have. I'm back up to over 400 albums but I can say I have listened to them all and I am enjoy more then I ever did before. Granted I miss walking out of shops with a handfuls of albums for the collection but I'd rather have one I will listen to more then once and file then be able to brag on a huge collection I don't listen too.
Thank you for the comment. Wow congratulations for the move. It was a good one. I have like 500-600 cds and in the last 4 months I've listened to all my cd except thoses I know by heart. I've trade, sold and give like 200 cds and it felt very good. I think that when you have an habit to buy a lot and every year you do a purge, I think it really tell you that you have a spending problem on the wrong thing. 21 000 cdd is crazy Man ! 😅 where you doing lists of what you had?
@@TheCommentNinja81 I had a separate discogs account for each type of media and vinyl separated by size (CD, Cassette, 8-Trac, VHS, Beta, Laser disc, Vinyl 7", Vinyl 10", Vinyl 12", Vinyl misc, Misc). I also had a spread sheet on a dedicated laptop listing what box each item went in so I could find it later. I deleted the discogs accounts and just kept my main one when I got rid of everything but I should have kept them all just so I could look back.
The yearly purge is a good idea and one I use now. If I don't listen to it in a year then it goes to the record shop to trade in next time I go. I think that is a good way for people to not let collections get overwhelming. I do have a few exceptions to that but they are limited to albums I have a direct connection with and most of those are framed.
I tell people all the time now if you are buying something you aren't excited to take home and play immediately is it something you really want? The cool factor of owning something doesn't equal enjoyment.
@@vinylpenguin2651 Yes if you would have kept this list I would have been curious to see it. Yes I agree that purging collections regularly is HEALTHY. I do it myself with my CD, movies (DVD and Blu-ray), my books and my games. But what I mean is just like you mentionned at the end of your comment... before buying we got to question ourselves about our buying intentions. Example: if every year I curate my collection of 100 cds, I would considere that I made many wrong decisions and did not put enough thought in my choice in the first place. That's more what I meant. For the movies, I got Netflix and I don't jump on new physical releases. A lot of common mainstream titles will end up on Netflix and I'm aware now that most of them will not appeal to me more than once because I've seen so many movies in my life that there's less and less movies that moves me the way I like my movies to moves me for a reason or another so I usually really take my time and more consideration before buying them so every curation of my collection has less titles purged because I've put more thoughts into it in the first place.
I'll play this video when I get to culling my collection. I have around 500 records and want to trim it to 100-200, and I always find a reason to keep the records I want to get rid of lol.
While we're on the topic on circulation. I brought my copy of Morrison Hotel to my local record shop, and last week went over and saw a 17yo kid rummaging through the records and finding my copy of Morrison Hotel and his eyes lighting up. Really brought joy!
NEVER underestimate the mood and feeling you are in when you make that "let go" decision. Sometimes i dont feel a record one day, but on another day i like it way more, cause of my mood or energy i need. Or if i heard them very loud or even drunk... whatever. You def. have to be really sure the wax is nothing you would really listen to under different influences... just my experiance 😊✌️🎶
I was accumulating for years and got up to 2500 records, but when the stores were closed for a few months two years ago I started listening to things I hadn't listened to for a long time. I realized I had quite a few records I wouldn't miss, and luckily I had three good record stores in my town that take trades. For two years I've been buying with trade-ins, and I'm still around 2500. I also had a move recently, which causes you to reevaluate your attachment to all the heavy things you own. Dillon, I like and respect that you put your store customers first and don't put everything for sale online. I'm very attached to my local stores because they do the same thing.
I find doing trade value at local stores that are generous is good way to let go of records that are not being listened to as much for various reasons. Selling online can be dicey and not worth all the effort. I find that my trade in value is close enough to what profit i would get from selling on eBay. I consider the time = money factor when deciding.
@@mercurialmagictrees I think the same as you about trading in at stores vs selling online. I don't want to endure the time and hassle of selling online, and I get good value when I trade in. I have several good local stores, and I shopped at each for years before I started trading in, so those are probably factors. The stores know everyone has options for selling or trading, and I've known the owners/staff for 10 to 20 years, so if they were tired of me bringing records in I'd know by now!
I used to want every record I liked, but then I realized I don’t listen to half of those records. Now I want the smallest, tightest collection with only my absolute favourites and the rarest private stuff.
You nailed it, and as you get older (me) you can’t possibly listen to them all so I now believe in the catch and release form of collecting.
I'm 49, and was brought up with three much much older siblings. The oldest being 67 years old now. Growing up, the house was riddled with Billboard, Circus, Creem, Rollingstone, everything affiliated with music, the music industry, the art etc etc... By the age of seven I was taught how to handle and maintain records. I had a stool by the stereo, which was a high end system of the tyme of my brothers', so I would be able to spin records. Being brought to record shops for 40 plus years, I have been collecting and purging records since the age of ten. In 1988-89 my oldest brother handed me down his collection, and that when it really began. I purge and trade records all the tyme. Over tyme your taste change; you find you're not listening to that album that much. It's taking up space. As of this moment, I got a milk crate waiting to take to one of my two record shops for a trade in. May I add, that I collect newer stuff as well. Proud to say that i hold some pressings from some very underground new bands that are only 1 to 2 years olds, and only like 90 pressings were made. I will not part with those, for they are well crafted albums. Cheers.
I found my purge of over 4000 vinyl records and over 600 cds to be therapeutic. It cleared up alot of space in my living room and garage.
And I could actually breathe better because some of what I had accumulated was water damaged and had mildew. "Bad" for someone who suffers with asthma.
But eventually I regretted the big purge because I had some pretty desirable and valuable albums as well.
What happened was this:
I had two turntables; one for everyday use and the other as a backup. What are the friggin chances of one going out then resorting immediately to the backup, then the back up not playing later on the same day? That happened!
So I called my father and mentioned my dilemma to him. He was drunk and couldn't care less. I called back a few days later and my mother answered. She was more into music than my father and owned several records, cds, and two working turntables. But she mostly watched TV and only occasionally put on a cd
of Andrea Bocelli. She listened to my story then said she was tired so she was hanging up.
Frustration is what I went through thinking about their reactions. So instead of buying a new turntable or fixing one of my broken ones, I purged my entire collection of over 4000 records. Some were very minty originals from the mid sixties.
I found out later that they both had Alzheimer's Disease.
Now that was a wild ride! Sorry about your folks though.
Just purged about 150 records from my collection last month. a bunch of stuff I bought when I first started collecting. When you’re a new collector you get excited about things that 6 years later you go “Why did I ever buy this ? I listened to it once and filed it away” Time to thin the herd and buy things I actually listen to. Good food for thought.
My daughter recently got into vinyl so she was very happy when I decided to purge my collection, she now has a good start on her vinyl journey.
That’s awesome!
I look at my collection as an archive, for future generations. I can't see ever getting rid of anything unless it is an inferior copy that I have more than one of. I like to have two copies of my favorites, so I can play the inferior one most often, to save the really nice one for special occasions. I rip my great ones too, so I can listen without wearing out my prized records. I do listen to them all from time to time though. There are a few I have that I may not play again though. I still want to keep them.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. It doesn’t make sense to me to have records taking up space that are merely “meh” or rarely spun. Just like you, when I reach for something I’ll know it’s going to be good to me. Killer insight and guru encouragement. Thanks!
Obviously, I'm in the minority here. When I buy or am given records, they become members of my family. You have a very practical approach to collecting but no matter how sensible it is - and I truly believe it is - I just don't have the strength of character to do it. People have given me their collections because they know I will clean them up and put them in protective sleeves and treasure them. I have about 30,000 and counting and everyone of them - no matter how poor an album - makes me very happy. And I love people who purge, because they I love to buy used albums. I also digitize every record I listen to so, and I have an online blog. If anyone is interesting in listening to a very rare jazz album I own or a lowly Nana Mouskouri album, they can have their own digital copy. I'm in Canada but if I even drift down that way, your store will be one of my first ports of call.
What's your digitalization setup?
I’m with you. Not a fan of churn, but to each his own.
I'm the same. Once they check in, they never leave.
Same
I agree! I dont upgrade by records but if I would Id just have duplicates cuz they mean so much to me
Completely agree. Here’s something you’ll like: I have a buddy who bought too many clothes he didn’t wear. So, what he did was on New Years Day each year, he turned every coat hanger in his closet backwards. As he wore things throughout the year, he hung them back up normally. And so on NYE every year, he knew what he hadn’t worn in a solid year, pulled those out of the closet and donated them. So what I propose is, just kidding I want to keep all my records.
I agree with you. I buy what I really like and don't have multiple copies of albums. I tend to get first releases unless an original is expensive. Then I get a reissue for less. It is about enjoying the music. I learned this from Mazzy.
Many of my records are sentimental because I bought them when I was a kid. Worked hard to save money to buy my favorite artists records. I never want to part with these.
Great video man! I purge about once a year or so, and I have not yet regretted getting rid of anything.
Excellent video. I go through almost all of those same processes that you do in order to trim the herd. Of the 1300 in my collection, I have maybe 30 that I will never sell due to sentimental reasons for that specific record
Great video. So funny that you randomly pulled that Babe Ruth album. Just picked up a Music On Vinyl pressing of it. Love it!!!
This popped up in my feed again so I rewatched it, and it made me realize, I need to do the same thing. Not for space, or financial reasons; just to refine it.
I recently purged and sold them to a local record store owner and it felt great! I try to keep my collection killer, no filler. But sometimes I end up with records that are just ok, not great. I keep a list of those then purge them.
I have been doing this myself...ever since I saw your "I sold 300 records so I could buy 10" video!!
Couldn't agree with you more dude 👍 Keeps my collection FRESH, exciting, interesting and actually curated instead of a weight that just sits and stagnates. Tbh I've always thought if you're the kind of collector that starts getting into the thousands of LPs then you definitely have some obsessive tendencies. Most collectors have a hard time being labelled as that. Personally I would happily include myself in that category... I am what I am 😁 So purging is the ultimate healthy way of keeping that in check and not letting the collection get overwhelming. IMO Great video as always bud👌
I’m so glad I found your channel!!! Since I was 6, my grandparents bought me the Beatles lps as soon as they hit they hit the stores. I have a 45 of the Beatles singing I Want To Hold Your Hand,….. in German! My Beatles collection is my ticket to complete my bucket list. And I’m not wanting an arm and a left nut for my record collection, but all I want to do is sell some of my assets to enjoy the rest of my life. I only have one thing on my bucket list that I want to buy. I might mention, all my albums are first releases. BTW, I have Apple Music, so……I have a couple of autographed albums that are going to be cremated with me…. ❤
I'm on my third and last time building my record collection, I'm too old to start over again.. I purged about 50 albums around a year ago. I've gone through my collection a couple of times and I'm at the point where there are no fillers. I do enjoy having multiple copies of some titles just to be able to compare different pressings. I only have 479 records though so easy to manage. I can't see me ever topping 1000.
I held onto second tier albums for so long. Money got tight after the accident. I've been purging to keep the hobby alive. It's been really healthy. Whenever I purge a small stack of so-so records for 1 to 3 quality LPs I never regret it. The collection is only getting better and better. A lot of it I credit to purging and trading.
Yes sir! Hope to see you soon!
Charlotte also provides so it's not like I'm saying it in a comparison way, but Greenville has been providing absolutel HEATERS lately. Rare psych, kraut, early prog, hard n heavy, proto punk, garage, yadda yadda. Absolute gems, including a excellent/NM Zep III Japanese Pressing with the obi. Chef's kiss.
I hope to get there for the anniversary. 10% chance. 🤞🏻
✌🏼 Brother.
I'm not only into records but movies and books and from time to time i make a purge and take away the book, the record and the movie I like less. I need the space and curating my stuff not only helps in that area but made my collections much better and more tight. Great video as usual and greetings from Sweden!
I have purged records and it feels good, but I have a few regrets. Sold my original Siamese Dream 1st UK press ridiculously cheap instantly regretted that. Got the 2011 press super cheap when it came out £14 from Amazon! Those were the days. For some reason decided to sell that thinking I could get another and now it’s ridiculously expensive. So be careful. Make sure you really want to sell it and check Discogs to see what it’s going for. Think I got £50 for mine. Now goes for £200!
I've been collecting records for over 50 years. You are right letting go is hard to do at first, but once you start it becomes easy. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but also passing on records to my local record store for them to thrive.
Agree w/ purging, especially for the space alone! I enjoy doing 'blind spins'. Basically closing your eyes and running your hand along the records and picking one, randomly playing them like that through the night. Fun to way re-discover some stuff that has been forgotten.
great video. great advice.
im not with the hoarder mindset either - at the end of the day these things are meant to be played and heard and enjoyed. and if you're not feeling something anymore, there's definitely somebody out there who is. it's just taking up space on your shelf. let it go and go get a record you want to play!
when you've been at it awhile you realize récord world is bottomless. you will never hear everything, let alone own it all. and if you're like me - you will never stop buying records - at a certain point you have to start letting stuff go. just part of life
My mantra given years ago by another dealer : Sell records you like ...To buy records you love... Sell those to buy records you can't live without. Worked for me as a full time dealer and collector
Thanks for the nudge...
I feel the moment is getting closer, where I should purge my collection (app. 3.000 records).
Though I still have some shelf-space in my listening room, I'll like to be in a situation, where EVERY record I pull out makes me feel/think: "Yes - I like this one and it means something special to me".
I also slip amazing records into charity shop bins when no-ones looking so some vinyl collector
gets something to make there day. Just to keep my collection down.
When i do this quite often i am rewarded as shortly along the line i find a valuable record for cheap.( The Vinyl Gods reward me).Try It!!!!.
I agree with you. I only have so much space for my physical media.
I'm always selling and trading and trying to curate my collection. That's what keeps me going!
Thanks for the tips Dylan. I like what you said about a collection being a library.
Interesting and it totally makes sense since you own a record store. I'm still djing which makes it harder to get rid of "performance discs". It happened to me that a big purge because I was moving continents ended in various regrets, as I lost track because of the sheer amount of volume. Also taste can slightly change and/or come back and favorites that you were sick of while purging might have to be bought again. One rule I found to be kind of true (which I still do not always adhere too ha): if you only touch a record when looking for stuff to get rid off and never listen to it/play it out, get rid of it. There is something like record Karma, for sure!
Good video. I’m in the process of doing my first really big purge. Feeling good about it. Thinking about going thru everything again and pulling more now!
As a reseller and former buyer at a record shop for about 10 years, I do the same thing, just did a quick purge because I moved recently. When I was unboxing my collection in the new house, pulled about 4 boxes of records out to sell, some I could not remember the last time I played them, and others were duplicates or things that just got shelved in the collection. I feel it's great to practice non-attachment to a material possession, if I have something that a friend or a regular customer of mine wants and I cant remember the last time I played it or am not as into it I sell it to them.
Great topic!
Great video and I really like your collecting philosophy!! Keep your videos coming!! Thanks from Canada!!
I could never purge any of my records or CDs from my music library! But I appreciate the video!
I love the dollar bins but i also have records for free following me home so yeah purging the non essentials and double/ tripples is always a good thing. Loving my new setup and wow its making a difference.
I’m super young (for a “record collector”) & have only recently gotten into records since the pandemic. When I started, I used to by all my favorite albums, even subpar stuff. The only way I was able to expand my collection & taste was to trade your records. This may seem extreme to some, but I do a purge every month! Easy way to build $$ for new records & my collection is only quality LPs that either challenge my ear & hold special value now.
I sold my zappa records to buy punk, i sold punk to buy new wave, same to buy rare funk, sold my rare funk to make room. I regret it all!
One point: as a record store owner, you can get full retail for your discards. But a regular collector, when he gets rid of a record, he'll get a much smaller amount. If you can't get decent money for your records, you're more inclined to just keep them. Maybe your tastes will change, maybe values will go up so much you won't mind selling.
I have a lot of classical records I don't really need, but they're worth nearly nothing, so I'll just keep them. At least I can listen to any classical piece that comes into my head.....gee, the Dvorak cello concerto, I haven't listened to that for years, it used to be one of my favorites.
Very good point! I do have to buy them from myself for the store as well. But I get what you’re saying.
@@noblerecords - Well, I hope you pay yourself a fair price, otherwise you might get in a fight with yourself:
Record collector Dillon: You ripped me off! You only gave me $10 for that record, and you're selling it for $50!
Store owner Dillon: Now, now. we pay fair wholesale. We have to cover our store overheads and make a decent income.
There are ways to get decent value selling like online marketplaces and record shows
Great advice
all killer no filler!! exactly what I try to do with my collection.
also any doubles I'll give to my friends whomever doesn't have it.
it's a reciprocal thing as I get any doubles they have...
I think it’s all good advice.
I would summarize it as: be mindful of what you have, enjoy it and when the time comes, let it go.
What a great common sense approach to collecting. I was very poor growing up and was reliant on a good friend who would let me borrow his portable player and records. Now as an adult I try to find those albums I could not afford. OG or reissue makes not big deal to me. When I find those albums, I play them and take care of them. I have a budget and I try to stick to it. I very seldom trade but I ve been known to give away some of my albums to those who would appreciate it. Enjoyed the video.
I used to just buy anything and everything that seemed interesting to me, and the collection got big. These days, it grows way more slowly, as I’m less willing to part with my money over it. The biggest part of that is, these, days, I have fewer wants, and am less willing to just buy something to have a physical copy. I have to KNOW it’s going to be played a few times while I’ve got it. I’m also constantly thinking about just selling the whole thing, if only to get a nice fusion of cash on hand, and gain a wall back! But I enjoy the ritual so much, I know selling them all off would make me depressed. I have definitely purged a few times in the past, usually getting rid of 50-100 albums, mostly duplicates I now have better copies of, or records I bought ten years ago I’ve never even played, that I know I’m not gonna miss. And I do know those people who will never sell! Usually it’s something like “every record is a memory: where I bought it, at what age, how I felt about it,” etc., and that makes sense, but it’s just not me. These days, like you, I try and be a completist with a handful of artists, and really only buy what to me is an absolute killer record that I know I will get immense enjoyment out of.
even if you were hoarding those records, it is totally your business and nobody else’s - „you do you“ 👍🏻
I love that you got a smile when you pull that babe ruth! Also, what type of organisation do you have? How was the Babe Ruth right next to Aynsley Dunbar? Also, that was a fart, don't blame it on the chair......be real. HAhhAHHahhahah
Back in the 80's when I was single, someone broke into my house and helped me purge my mostly metal vinyl records, lol They also purged my stereo, vcr and TV, microwave, electric can opener and radio alarm clock! I started to replace most of my albums with CD's from BMG and Columbia House which I still have. I'm just now getting back to vinyl and really enjoy it. I'm not that picky about condition, I have found some pretty roached covers but the record sounds great. As long as they are cheap!
Very true. Make that money to get stuff that is what you want. Purge the quantity and go after the quality. Plus, there is ALWAYS stuff you don't spin that someone out there is looking for. I purged a little over a year ago due to a move......and now I'm inspired to do it again.
Never heard of Dunbar. I am listening to it right now. Thanks!
My collection is my baby except it is thousands of cds, still have 800 cassettes in Napa Valley wood cases and I am collecting vinyl. I live near Detroit and there are a lot of independent record stores I support. I do make it to Third Man Records once in a while. Like you I am very passionate about my music and my taste is very eclectic and some people don't understand. But I really don't care as it is my hobby and the thrill of the hunt and finding something on my music wish list is exciting to me. I had to go back using my memory to replace music on album and 8 track that I got rid of. I have broaden my horizon especially with music and I enjoy watching your videos and you seem like a cool door. But being a little nerdy myself I would take that with a grain of salt. Lol
Dood not door, damn autocorrect
I sold 7000 records from my collection of mostly classic hiphop 7 years ago. Most had shrink with hype stickers. I got really bored an uninspired with hiphop and it went in a badly negative direction around 2000. I got a decent $ for them even though alot were $100+ and I could have sold online but I would have changed my mind listing them 1 by 1. Too many memories and 30 plus years of collecting. But it turns out it was the best thing I ever did. I started all over from fresh. Now I'm into psych, jazz fusion and anything strange that catches my ear. A whole new world has opened up to me. My 1st record at 12 was KISS DYNASTY...and now I've come full circle back to rock, prog, psych, blues.
I've lost my babies from the 60's -
Beatles 45's.
College prog from the70's.
Punk... grunge
Up to Nineties... sold it all.
Over a thousand classic clean albums for $80.
I can only hope they have good homes.
Peace on earth.
Great video I purge here and there and it does help tighten up the collection.
Only way I could ever purge is possibly by prioritizing the album's style or setting. I do consider jazz soloists and large ensemble as less essential than their intermediate contemporaries who often employ the same musicians. I guess I could possibly trim compilations or different mixes but that's sort of where I'm at collecting right now because it's the only thing left. All essentials, outliers, and grails have been acquired considering I've been collecting for 27 years without much of a budget and doing so on cd.
If I had to cut the collection in half I'd purge "past peak" so almost everything post 1997 would be gone for soul music and everything post 1965 for jazz would be gone. Most of the stuff I acquired from cd baby would be gone (1-2% of collection). I'd let go of the fusion and smooth jazz and only keep maybe one "best of" for say Grover Washington Jr covering his Kudu/Motown years.
I've finally broke through the 200 mark, collecting for six years. Ive done several minor purges though with the same intent--all killa, no filla. I dont want to consider myself a collector though. I dont want to store 1,000 records in my living room. Gonna limit myself to what will physically fit in my six cube Kallax.
That Captain Beefheart "Trout Mask Replica" GRAIL!!!
" That's the chair making that sound... " 😂
Right
Some good advice thank you for the video
My thoughts about purging are very similar to yours. I normally only keep one copy of each title. I look for the best sounding, if affordable, version of the title and I only keep stuff that I like and would buy again if I had the opportunity. I have never bought other peoples collections and each item has been selected and bought separately over a period of 35 years.
I have my collection (ca 4000 LP, 2000 7” and 4000 CD) on Discogs in separate folders. I have created a separate Scrap folder and I frequently scroll through my collection, trim it and move the records to the Scrap folder. Every now and then I physically move the records and put them in “for sale” boxes. I keep them there for a while before I bring them to the record store.
There are maybe 30 titles altogether that I regret selling or giving away, but I can I live with that.
People might laugh when I have 10,000 titles and claim that quality is more important than quantity, but I do believe it is true. I’m very proud of my collection and the energy I’ve had to get it into the state it is in today. Now it is very hard to trim more.
‘I listen to it all the time’, when go you eat, sleep, etc. Lol lookin thru my shelves, there’s a ton of stuff I wish someone would give me money for.
In the past I could never sell a record, I wanted the biggest collection in the world. Elton John did have more then me. After the flood when I moved into my office I had to limit myself. For the first time in my life I had to purge. It is difficult but like you I believe that any record that I pull I should love it. This is still a work in progress but I am currently pulling albums.
DSOTM & Led Zep II . My 2 favorite MoFi 's..
Have you ever done a video on how you organize records, and recommendations for someone on how to organize? Think it could be an interesting topic. I know some people with 200+ records who organize alphabetically but I think once you get into that territory you need to organize by genre. That builds off the purging idea because it helps to keep a balance between genres.
I decided that Im going stick to mostly collecting mofi albums. If Im going to have an album zi want the best sounding one. So that will definitely help me keep my collection smaller.
My problem, other than addiction, is that I love rock with an historian’s passion, so I focused on building a library rather than a collection. Honestly, pre Beatles was a singles era, so most albums were chock full of filler. But they’re so rare and the covers so interesting I hoard them anyway.
Given that the rock era ended about 20 years ago, at least my desire for new product has diminished, as at today’s prices I really can’t afford more than one new release a month.
I like to do a bit of purging from time to time and am thinking about doing a bit again. I have several copies of stuff like the first NY Dolls LP, Kick out the Jams, Rocket to Russia, Out come the wolves. Your words resonate about keeping the best copy. Might stick some stuff into circulation to snare some stuff that's on my wants list. They are for playing not looking at
I generally agree with the idea of purging and I do regularly do some purging and trade them in when I visit the US (no records stores in Costa Rica). My tastes have changed over the years I and I remove LPs I fell I probably won't listen to again. HOWEVER .... there have been several albums that I have purged over the years that I then re-buy because I do want to have them and listen to them again. Crazy??
Let go of what you never listen to. For me that's jazz, blues, r+b, regay. At one time I had hundreds of each of these types of records in each of those genres but I found I was never taking them out of their crates to listen to them. In 2004, I decided just to concentrate on what I do listen to, hard psychedelic/garage/acid rock and heavy prog and hard rock from approx. 1966-1976. Went from having around 6,000 albums down to about less than 3,000. Cleared up a lot of space and made the wife happy. Now at about 3,500 albums and for me it's all killer stuff. And no, I do not miss any of the records I got rid of.
yessss purging is essential to actually having a healthy relationship w/ yr vinyl collection. i pretty much have a hard and fast rule that i don't own any records i wouldn't rate below an 8/10. on top of that, i have all of the records that i either need a better copy or different pressing of separated on a different shelf - if i find something that's too good to pass up, i can dip into that pile and sell off a handful to make up for it haha
Definitely agree 🤙🏼
im moving all my records and equipment into a new room soon and im actually excited to purge out a lot of the records i have in my collection that i put in there when i first started collecting when i really didnt care if i truly liked them or not. hopefully gonna thin out the collection a bit to make room for more records and i think im finally at the point where i care a lot more about quality and personal preference than quality and being attached to certain records because of when or where i got them
I have to admit, it is kind of hard getting rid of some of the albums that I have personally bought. If it's something I got in a trade or maybe it was given to me, it seems a little easier to let those items go at times. I think it's because it wasn't a personal choice I made to buy or get that specific album. So it might not actually be my taste or even preference that I am getting rid of.
However... I do look at what I have bought and there are quite a few that I probably should sell off and use the money to buy something else I want or even pay a bill. There are a few that I don't listen to that much and I was not actually happy with what I got. As an example, and I do like Pink Floyd also, when I bought the A Momentary Lapse in Reason 2 LP set I completely missed that it was a remix. And as I sat there listening to it I was thinking why does this not sound right? I got the LP and looked at the hype sticker again and saw that it was a remix and not a remaster only. I really did not like hearing the changes and I had bought it thinking I was getting a remaster of the original 1986 LP. So why am I holding on to it if I'm not listening to it? It's kind of crazy if I do say so myself. It's a noise free, very well done remix but that wasn't what I wanted. And I do buy doubles sometimes because I want to have that backup copy that I can use if I play too much or ruin the first copy. I started realizing I don't really need to do that. Maybe on some occasions, and if I'm getting it at a real good price, I can understand getting a backup. But why am I keeping sealed copies as backups when I am realizing that I can usually find what I want out there if I do need to get another copy on down the road.
There are a number of different reasons why I think I should sell some of the LPs I have gotten in the last year and other reasons why I've determined I don't want to sell certain LPs. And that's just normal, whatever the reason is, the way I think it should be. Like you were saying, if it doesn't make you happy or if you're not going to be listening to it, why not sell it and pass it along to someone else who will listen to it and would enjoy it?
I only started back into record collecting about a year and a half ago. I've bought about 300 - 350 records or sets, or even box sets, myself and I have been enjoying the majority of them. I was given an almost mint condition collection of about 250 - 350 records by a friend that was just going to throw them away or take them to Goodwill also. And about 1/4 of that collection was stuff I really liked whereas a lot of the other albums were either things I was not familiar with or just didn't seem to care for. I haven't even been able to get through all of them yet so I do want to first finish checking each album out. There's a lot of jazz, a lot of jazz fusion, according to the covers, and just a lot of variety in what I was given. A lot of the pressings were from when my friend was an Army helicopter pilot and stationed over in South Korea and the late '70s and early '80s. I'm kind of blown away by how disgogs shows some of these pressings being worth quite a bit of money. I don't know what South Korea might have done differently, but some, like one of the first AC/DC records, was showing about a $60 medium range price value. And I know that discogs isn't necessarily always showing an accurate value but there were quite a few sales and other indicators that this value was probably correct. I like AC/DC, especially the Bon Scott era, so I've kept that album over in my crate of LPs to keep. But do I like it so much that I wouldn't rather have $60 instead of the album? I haven't quite answered that yet but I'm leaning towards selling it. These albums have been kept in a completely dust free, climate controlled setting and boxed for 3 to 4 decades. Everything from the jackets to the albums themselves seem to be in NM condition. So why wouldn't I sell some of the stuff that doesn't mean as much to me and then I could use that money to purchase some items that I would really like to get? To me that is just common sense.
I wish there was an easier way to see the runout/matrix info for me. I've been trying to photograph it and it's just a very time-consuming thing for me due to my vision. But in the long run, and especially with some of these jazz LPs, I'm hoping to get it all complete and find that I do have some real gems and goldmine pressings in there. I'm in no big hurry to complete the task and I'm taking my time and listening as I go through each of those albums given to me. But I do think that I will probably try to sell at least 3/4 of those and I really have no desire to just keep things that I won't be listening to.
I've seen a few of these purging types of videos on RUclips lately and it's really got me to thinking that I need to take the next step in figuring out what's the best way to sell what I can part with. There's always going to be something that I wouldn't mind selling. So, I need to look into what the best way to do it is. Discogs, eBay, I don't know for sure where the best place to sell is? But I'm imagining those two sites will probably be where I start.
One last thing I wanted to mention was this. I've been able to buy some new, old stock records online from people selling things that I really wanted but they didn't really care for. Heck, they never even opened them. And it feels great to get a brand new, shrink wrap still on it, pressing of something that I really like and it's never been played. So why wouldn't I return that favor to some other collectors out there wanting what I might have and I have no real interest in it? Again, it only makes sense 🎶😎🎶
I really want to adopt your mentality when it comes to selling... I don't know what that sentimental issue is that make it hard to let go of some... but I was able to purge some when I found a copy of SP Mellon Collie that has always been a grail of mine.. only way I could justify spending up.. so will probably use that approach going forward.
I've actually said the same thing about a killer collection. I also want to be able to reach and grab a killer record every time! I don't collect 45 rpms (I have 350 already), but I focus on 12 inch records. I think it is a great idea to purge what you really don't listen to. On a side note, I plan on taking my Xmas break and driving to your record shop from California! My wife is totally into doing that trip too!
I tend to focus on purging duplicates. Pick the best and share the love with the rest (for a reasonable price of course). When the shelves get too max, it's time to A) buy more racks, B) move into a new place to fit more racks, C) purge with care. "C", I told you it could be done....
Dylan, say "cigarette" and tug on your ear if you are in danger.
Is this under duress?!...does she have a gun behind the camera?!
🤣
I have many albums on both CD and Vinyl. I started seriously collecting CDs and a few years ago went back to vinyl. My minor problem is dollar bins. I like to try out new stuff and found some real killer stuff for just a buck. This has accumulated a few hundred records but donate if I don't dig it. I have branched out into many genres doing this.
great advice ....i do a purge every once in a while too...its nice to trade a few albums i don;t listen to.. and get a super nice one i'll enjoy more \m/
I definitely use the "Would I pay the current amount this album is selling for?" method with a lot of mine. Something like George Michael's Symphonica that I sold recently for $300, especially banking of the probability that it will get reissued soon. Did that with Savatage Edge of Thorns recently too...sold the 1994 for $160 and then it just got reissued at 40.
How do you organize your records? I’m a little AR and have dividers not only for the alphabet but any artist I have at least two albums of I have a custom divider for that too. when I look at the amazing wall of records behind you, it doesn’t look organized I just wonder how you keep track of what you have and find what you want.
If you do put them in alphabetically, how do you organize an artist that is simply their name? For example is Elton John under E or J? David Bowie under D or B? I’m inconsistent with this.
Keep up the good work!
Should also of course mention option that people could sell online. Trading in to shops you usually only get 40% of the value or worse
There is another factor here. Music is shareable only. It is impossible to keep. It's about growth of the mind. Possibly the extension of awareness. I sold a buttload of albums to Dillon, and they have returned. "Your heros are ghosts...Wish You Were Here." I am having fun with it. I just secured a second location, again in a music instrument shop, and it seems to go swimmingly. In addition, I have two side by side 10x15s that I sell out if on the weekends, weather permitting. But, should you find yourself near Mathews, NC, Noble Records is a must stop.
It took me many years to reach the same conclusion. I had been collecting for 25 or 30 years when CDs came to the forefront, so I got rid of maybe 1000 "filler" albums and kept the other 4000 or so. I figured I would put the money aside to help me buy new LP as they were released. Since many of them were only released the money came in handy. Never got interested in CDs though.
Purging is good but tough. I like to purge because I also find random records that I totally forgot I had in my collection.
its always the chair making noise lol
Hahahaha
makes sense to me,i try to get rid of a few of my records every once in while,but my jazz albums,no! LOL
Hey bro tell me something when you say a library record what are you referring to??
This is all well and good though how does someone not owning an outlet (store, eBay, discography) sell?
You don't need to "own an outlet" to sell on eBay or discogs
I have a modest collection and really need to purge it. Damn if I can get to it!
hey just curious because I am considering doing this soon.. did you secure your shelfs to the wall?
I think i need to do a video purge like this
6:25. To each his own on whether to keep a record or not, to each their own but I “personally” don’t agree with your philosophy stated at this point (would I personally pay what this album is presently worth). The problem with this philosophy to keep isnt whether you enjoy the album or not. You simply are making a decision on profit. That’s fine if you look at your collection as an asset. Put another way, I love my home. We raised our boys in it, have shared many great memories in it, etc etc. it’s appreciated in value and I don’t think I’d pay now what it’s worth - but it’s worth more to me then thinking of it solely as an asset.
I appreciate the topic and again to each his own, but I think the judge on whether to keep it or not should strictly be whether you enjoy it or not. After all, I look at my music as something that enriched my life and well being, not my wallet. I’ve never sought a value on any of my 3k+ records because I don’t view them that way.
I am reducing my collecting initially down to 1095 but aiming for 730; if I want new music then I will purge and often that may mean to sell three to buy one, there is a mental cleansing that comes with that process! If I haven't played it for 3 years why keep it? Like you, I want to end up with Killers, not Fillers. So why 1095 or 730? If I play 2 - 3 records a day, I will play my entire collection in a year. If they are not being played, how many do you really need? Records (or vinyl for newbies) should be played every day of your life - the memories they evoke or make, are precious. Hoarding for Status or a perceived investment is lost as soon as you are gone, so live for today - enjoy them!
btw..., I told them about you after someone else brought you up and how I remember the YTube channel even came before the Store. Anyway, You got thumbs up by me for what that is worth.
- m.