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1. Get the right set up, eventually!
Many people, myself included start collecting vinyl when a friend or loved one buy you a suitcase record player for a special occasion. Don’t be ungrateful even though you have heard the horror stories about them. Think of it like your first car, most people do not get a Porsche as a first car. Yes these little suitcases are poor quality with heavy toner arms, inferior needles and prone to skipping due to the vibrations caused by the integrated speaker. That said they should be fine to play an album a few times without degrading the condition of the vinyl. Once you are in a position to spend a few hundred pounds you can upgrade your player to brands such as Audio Technica or Fluance. Having the right speakers also makes the quality of sound enhanced, so when you have a chance to upgrade have a look at brands such as Edifer or Klipsch.
2. Budget
One thing most collectors do is spend a tonne of their disposable income on records. It is an addictive hobby! Unlike collecting expensive fine art, most records can be bought from say £5-50, sometimes you can come across an album for much less than its true value, these little wins are great when collecting vinyl. So set a sensible budget each month that suits your financial circumstances and try your best to stick to it!
3. Your music taste
I often see collectors who have just started out going to social media for advice on what to buy. It is good to have an eclectic taste in music, but in the first stages of record collecting buy albums you want to listen to! There are classic albums from a previous era that should not be missed, but find your own path to these. It is worth looking at the Rolling Stones to 500 to open your mind up to new music. My advice though is to listen online to the album before buying it, don’t just buy Pink Floyd albums because every says you should have them in your collection, if you do this you will almost certainly not listen to the music.
4. Storing and Displaying
There are plenty of relatively cheap units for sale, a common one that is available at Ikea is the Kallax for about £50. Ensure that your records are upright not layer on top of each other. A massive pile of records can overtone warp the lower records at the bottom of the stack.
Another reason for collecting vinyl is the amazing artwork that some album sleeve showcase. If you are able to then displaying albums on a wall can really bring a room to life!
5. how to build up and catalogue your collection
Obviously there are lots of online record stores selling via Discogs, including our own Atlantic Vinyl. Alternatively there are lots of local independent record shops where the owners are fountains of knowledge and have stock that they do not list online. Another great way to build up your collection and feel part of the vinyl community is to attend record fairs.
Discogs is not only a great trading platform for music, it has an excellent function for users to catalogue their entire collections. Start right away in cataloging your collection as it keeps a permanent record, helps you search through your collection and also shows the value of your collection rise over time.