I've been dealing with alot of stress of hoarding and buying music lately. It's like when someone says an album is "good" or a "classic" then i have to go out and buy it even though i dont agree with it. Its more of having the physical copy. This urge of buying has gotten worse ever since Ive been watching youtube videos of people around the U.S showing their vinyl collection. It has introduced me to new artists and albums that I had never known about, but at the same time there has been some sort of hoarding because those people say a particular album is a "masterpiece" or whatever and I end up falling for it even though i really dont like it when listening to it digitally. And then telling myself I wont buy it because i dont like it, but if I do come across it at the store, Ill end up getting it. There is a feeling of guilt afterwards when you have spent money on something that you'll listen to once at home since you bought it, but then it gets thrown in the shelves and I don't want to come back to it. And if I do, it's more out of a guilt/buyer's remorse.
Does anybody else have/had this issue before? Would love some suggestions on how to deal with this. Thanks!
1. "I only buy old used records, and I *never* take anyone's opinion on tune..." In response to Reply # 0
ok, more like *almost never*
I try to only buy records that I'd like to listen to, also. Most of my vinyl cost less than $10 a pop, so it's not too hard on the pockets. I think I'm at 2.5k or so now.
2. "I can relate a little..." In response to Reply # 0
...although I don’t go as far as to buy something I know I honestly do not like or will replay in the future.
I am mildly-obsessed with having The Physical Copy, though. When an artist/group I like is only going the digital route I’m always disappointed. I understand the economic benefit for them not having to press up and distribute vinyl/cd’s that may never get bought but I feel cheated and sometimes it’s hard not to look at their release as “less than” in comparison to an album I can hold, display, read liner notes, etc.
With that said, if the music is good and it’s something I like then I get over the lack of a “real” copy pretty fast. As far as getting away from hoarding if I can survive that first week new-release window for an album I’m on the fence about then usually I can move on. I don’t HAVE to have it and really no one in my life is going to care whether I have it or not haha. So that's money saved and a music collection I can really enjoy.
__ I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!
Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno
Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)
Ron Burgandy Member since Sep 16th 2005 1599 posts
Wed Sep-06-17 01:59 PM
3. "RE: Stress over music hoarding" In response to Reply # 0
I've been on a binge lately...I'm guilty of falling for those "Top 10 Albums to listen to on vinyl" list that keep popping up and immediately going digging for them or hitting amazon prime. I'm also guilty of copping vinly of music I already have on CD not to mention, I subscribe to Spotify, Apple music and am using my homies Tidal log in....but hey better vice to have than drugs or alcohol.
5. "exactly, I transferred a lot of vinyl to mp3" In response to Reply # 4
plugged in my ipod to an old component stereo using the red/white adapter and played the vinyl records then the digital copy from itunes, then played the mp3 ripped from the vinyl and the only thing different was the hum of the vinyl. the digital copy sounded the best because it was fricken crystal clear.
11. "now that I agree with" In response to Reply # 9
like I was chilling at the crib and wanted to vibe to a particular artist, then I would throw on the vinyl and I'm transported to another time. I enjoy the artist more
23. "but like, does it matter?" In response to Reply # 16
if you listening to it in the whip
or just passing time
idk how much difference it makes unless you plan on getting lost in it every single time you listen to it. After a certain age, you stop being able to hear some of the nuance anyway.
I have 2! doesn't stop me from trekking down to my favorite record spots and copping...hell I've gotten them involved and let them pick out a record or two. My girls are 6 and 8 and both know how to use a turntable but have never used a CD player....crazy I know. But they also will only eat popcorn popped on the stove. They're a little retro
12. "I noticed that a bunch of my records are now store in the garage" In response to Reply # 10
probably roughly C through F or so.
Lots of funny things: 1. I have no idea how long they'd been out there (I have a working turntable but my music cabinet is a total mess)
2. I didn't really give it a second thought... sort of said 'huh' and went on looking for the kids' pool goggles or whatever
3. They're down low on the bottom of a rack with a bunch of stuff piled up in front of them. Made me wonder if she my wife was trying to hide them when she moved them out there. Not even sure I could get to them without major hassle.
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79542 posts
Wed Sep-06-17 02:54 PM
13. "thank goodness for streaming. " In response to Reply # 0
I have my dads record collection but I would never cop something I didn't like just to say I have it.
also, I have kids so the only thing I'm trying to hoard is a little sleep and a little me time.
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
Is it possible you're on the autism spectrum? I've got around 1000 records and usually trade records out as I bring them in. Don't really want more than a 1000.
It's a great doc though. They're obviously more extreme than you but it might be worth a watch to see if you relate to some extent. It sounds like your main motivation is still MUSIC which is a good sign. The guys in the doc.....it's not really about music for them anymore.
18. "you on that ?uesto w/o the ?uest dough?" In response to Reply # 0
won't front, #QLS be making that shit seem appealing, but naw. i might lightweight hoard this mountain of mp3s, mostly copped during the heyday of kazaa, the seek and (only my okps know) the alliance.
that about it.
might be different if i was the kid who always had the actual records. but that was my uncle, so i'd just swag off his collection.
========================================= I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and not having much to show for it. (c) mad
21. "Having money can take the fun out of it." In response to Reply # 18
Same thing with stamp collectors or art collectors or anything else. Is it about the stamps or is it about the act of attaining the stamps?
If you're coming at records exclusively as a music nerd...then money is good. But then there's the 'archivist nerd' side of it....where part of the appeal is the act of collecting itself. Finding a rare jazz album at a garage sale or pawn shop for a buck has a thrilling, dopamine rush type thing. Ordering it on the internet for collector's market value is different.
I'd say most record collectors have both sides to different degrees. Having money maximizes the purely musical function but minimizes the collecting function. It's such a fascinating distinction for me and I think it does alot to explain the fall of the record industry. Internet music sharing completely killed consumer motivation except for those with a strong archivist/collector motivation.
Ever since music started being shared on the internet....the large majority of my motivation for record digging died. Like most people....I definitely lean towards the musical function. In 1995....having 30,000 records was a dream of mine because of how much music I could listen to. We all share an infinite record collection now. How many songs do we have access to within seconds? Tens of millions? Billions? tens of Billions? The music industry fatally over-estimated the consumer motivation in archiving and collecting. And that was the rhetoric at the time (I fell for it for awhile)....people want to show off their collections...people want the artwork and the sleeve....people want the physical product.
What shocked me was that the infinite supply of music would not only lower the monetary value (that's a given) but it would also lower the cultural value. Music is not a driving force in pop culture anymore. I honestly never saw that coming. I thought it would maintain it's cultural significance while becoming free. I was wrong. I began to realize that shortly before posting on OKP's The Lesson. I had a gazillion debates about it. (Disco DJ!!) We weren't just seeing the price of recorded music fall....we were watching the cultural significance of it fall too. There's alot more to be said of the cultural change we've witnessed. Music is no longer an identity marker for youth. Music no longer influences other artforms to the same degree. Music doesn't make trends or isn't the basis for pop culture patterns anymore....it doesn't make cultural impact, it adapts to other mediums that impact it. It used to be a leader, not a follower.
Interesting to consider....where did that disposable income go that we used to spend on records, cds, tapes, amps, speakers, decks, tuners?
Probably fair to say that increased consumer spending on sports and video games probably filled the cultural void that music left. Which begs the question.....why did piracy and streaming kill the music industry and not video games and sports? I wonder if it's possible that it's just a matter of timing. Music is dead because it was the easiest to reproduce in digital format quickly and efficiently. In 2010....I could download a shit-hot sounding version of Jimmy McGriff and Wes Montgomery's 'Dynamic Dual' album but watching an outta town NBA game stream on a pirate site looked and sounded like shit and wasn't reliable. I was shocked to see the technical improvements at a friend's house recently. It's only a matter of time til it all looks and sounds as good as real cable. I don't know shit about video games but I wonder if the same could be said. When computers can process and exchange the amount of digital information contained in a video game as they currently do a song....they WONT be able to maintain current market prices. You can't charge money for something that has an infinite supply and market obstructions will never last long. Everything that can be digitized will eventually be worthless. You can't digitize sitting in a theater (which is why they keep getting bigger) and you can't digitize viewing a sporting event in a stadium. But video games...television broadcasting....everything within the home entertainment realm....it's all headed for infinite supply and zero value.
22. "Having money - for me - stopped my collecting ENTIRELY" In response to Reply # 21
The two links in my sig link to what my music collection was once like at Discogs. (I'd say I have a hundred more not catalogued.) I had 615 items by/related to The Roots, about 150 Devo items and about 1450 not related for a total or around 2200 items.
Over the last few months I got rid of about 1300 items, with another 600 ready to go to charity next week. (I sold the non Roots/Devo stuff at the swap meet, the Devo stuff on ebay for a really low price, and The Roots items are in process of being sold.)
What I noticed "before" was the thrill of collecting things for "cheap" was really fun. (With The Roots stuff it was about finding it for a "reasonable price" --but it was hard to find if I didn't have it already.)
In 1995, when a was broker than "a broke dick dog" ,amassing a collection seemed important to me. I bought more music than I should have.
But sometimes around 2006 - when I was firmly middle class the thrill was gone. I'd buy new releases that I liked - and back catalog stuff when I felt the need - but the need was waning.
In 2017 I think I've purchased a total of 1 piece of music -the new Kraftwerk blu-ray box set. 2016 was like 5 titles. 2015 was like 15 - but most were SACDs where the music was mixed into multichannel mix.
Between my giant (and legal thanks to iTunes music match) 36,000 mp3 library and Google Music and all the stuff on Youtube I don't feel the need to even pirate music anymore.
I think that when *I* had less money I wanted to get "more things" and once I got them I had to "protect" them.
Now, that I have the kind of money where I can get avocado added to my sandwich WITHOUT asking what the extra fee will be, I don't really care if there's arare pice of vinyI in the closet - when I can listen to song on my phone/computer/TV/watch at any time.
I can literally buy anything now (well, 99% of things not the Wu album on eBay - not some rare Lennon/McCarnet acetate) and that somehow makes me care infinitely less about buying it.
24. "RE: Having money - for me - stopped my collecting ENTIRELY" In response to Reply # 22
"I can literally buy anything now (well, 99% of things not the Wu album on eBay - not some rare Lennon/McCarnet acetate) and that somehow makes me care infinitely less about buying it."
I agree with your statement 100%. Crate digging and looking for rare albums was an activity I would get hyped for. Any record stores that had a deep selection of imports was just as cool.
The thrill of being able to listen to mythical records like the "Black Album" or import only artists (anybody remember Mo'Wax) is gone. Now I can find anything and everything I can think of with a 30 second goggles search....and listen to it or buy it with a couple of clicks....
26. "agree about the MP3s" In response to Reply # 18
i got just over a terabyte of music and movies. I bought a network storage server a few years ago and the majority of the space on there is used by my MP3 and movies downloaded 10+ years ago. there's some gems in there i can't find on Spotify. then add the time it took to gather it all i just can't part with that collection.
all my physical CDs and DVDs are in boxes in my closet. a lot of money spent, it hurts to think of getting rid of them too. I occasionally browse amazon for CDs but after a few mins i remember i'll probably never crack them open and listen to them, it's all online now.
>I've been dealing with alot of stress of hoarding and buying >music lately. It's like when someone says an album is "good" >or a "classic" then i have to go out and buy it even though i >dont agree with it. Its more of having the physical copy. >This urge of buying has gotten worse ever since Ive been >watching youtube videos of people around the U.S showing their >vinyl collection. It has introduced me to new artists and >albums that I had never known about, but at the same time >there has been some sort of hoarding because those people say >a particular album is a "masterpiece" or whatever and I end up >falling for it even though i really dont like it when >listening to it digitally. And then telling myself I wont buy >it because i dont like it, but if I do come across it at the >store, Ill end up getting it. There is a feeling of guilt >afterwards when you have spent money on something that you'll >listen to once at home since you bought it, but then it gets >thrown in the shelves and I don't want to come back to it. >And if I do, it's more out of a guilt/buyer's remorse. > >Does anybody else have/had this issue before? Would love some >suggestions on how to deal with this. Thanks!