Groove is in the Heart: My Record Collecting Journey
I wish I could tell you that I had a super cool story about how I got into vinyl records. Maybe something like finding an old record player in the basement with dusty records, or maybe stumbling into a hidden record store… something super cool. But with most things in my life, as you’ll find reading through future posts, I stumble into a lot of things, and that includes record collecting.
Going for a Spin
I was… definitely one of those cringey kids that was bOrN aT tHe WrOnG tiMe. I loved 70’s culture – I wanted a VW Bus, I replaced my bedroom door with a beaded curtain, I watched TV Land instead of Disney Channel, and I was heartbroken that during the years of the weird mustache trends and odd bacon jokes (really, what the hell was that about) that bell bottom jeans were NOWHERE to be found. So of course, I needed a record player. With the money I earned nannying and my mom’s eBay account, I bought a travel suitcase player straight from the 70’s. It was beige colored with the speakers on the sides and it was perfect. It traveled with me from my room to my car, and I obviously brought it to any get together with friends (probably to their dismay but whatever). My first records? The very glamorous Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits and Shaun Cassidy’s Born Late, found at a thrift store for $1 each. Why WOULDN’T my 16 year-old friends want to listen to Shaun Cassidy in 2013?!
In the years of iTunes, where you would buy one song for $1.29 or the entire album for $15+, I loved having the physical copy of my favorite albums. This was about the time where you could buy the entire record section at Half-Price books with $25 and a dream. Believe it or not, it was cheaper to buy vinyl than the digital album! This was great for me as I had the crippling fear of losing the digital music I bought with my hard-earned minimum wage money in the future. The hobbit collector in me also loved looking at the album cover art of my records. One album would contain so much art: the music, the album cover, the inner sleeves, etc., and it was fun showing off my collection instead of keeping it hidden in my iPod.
Digging Deeper in the Crate: Learning the Ropes
One of the things about vinyl collecting that I learned very quickly was that I loved the hunt. Half-Price Books was my store of choice growing up, as the records were cheap and I liked finding used records. Some of the record covers would have people’s names written on them in shaky handwriting, and for a brief moment I could see who this person was. They were someone who liked this particular artist/album so much that they decided to mark it down with their name, or maybe they took their records to friends houses for others to listen to the album. With a record being $5 at most, it was great to learn new about new artists or genres. For a while, my collection was mostly 60s/70s/80s rock hits with some country thrown in. My first “current day” albums were bought at Guitar Center for $20 each, which is… laughable in today’s prices. The albums? Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Arctic Monkey’s AM.
These days, you will find me at my locally-owned stores. I’ve gotten to know many of the owners, employees, and other customers. There’s nothing like freezing your ass off for Record Store Day in the snow and talking about albums with those who are also freezing their asses off four hours before the doors open. My favorite store is Good Day Sunshine Record Shop in Marshfield, WI. It’s an underrated treasure, and I’ve had the pleasure of talking to the store-owner, Dani, about artists like Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan, and Taylor Swift. She’s great at ordering my ISO’s as well! Small business owners like Dani are why it’s important to shop local. Plus, you can find indie variants of records you’re looking for. Other stores I’ve frequented include:
- Radio Kaos in Stevens Point, WI
- Mills Record Company in Kansas City, MO
- Sisters of Sound in Manhattan, KS
The Highs and Lows of Collecting
The Highs: My highs have been INCREDIBLY high, and I have my locally record stores, merch alerts, and dedicated husband to thank. I’ve been able to collect incredibly sought out records, like the Betty’s Garden version of Folklore, signed versions of numerous albums, a liquid-filled Being Funny in a Foreign Language by The 1975, and a zoetrope version of Glass Animal’s Zaba. My collection has grown to 350 records with a mix of brand new records and records that are probably on their last leg. Having a diverse collection of music is one of my pride and joys.
The Lows: It’s EXPENSIVE! It took me over 12 years to get to my current collection, and honestly, a majority of it didn’t come until I came into Adult Money™. It helps when you have a record budget and your husband has a book budget. Especially in the age of social media, it’s hard not to compare your collection to others, and it’s even easier to compare your set-up. I will forever defend a beginner collector having a suitcase player, as you aren’t going to buy a top-of-the-line player when you don’t even know if this is a hobby you want to continue with!
The Final Needle Drop
Music and record collecting looks different to everyone. Some people enjoy collecting every single vinyl variant from a single album, some keep records solely for the album art, there are people who have legitimately hundreds of records and there are those who are just getting started! We’ve all been a beginner collector before, and I’m excited to continue my music journey!