This week on the VinylCut podcast, the new and exciting podcast which is for record lovers everywhere, we had the wonderful Stephen Stapinski Andover on the show. Stephen has ran his own store since back in the early 90s and what I was most excited to talk to him about was the cost of vinyl, which often puts newbies off the thought of collecting. I got Stephen’s thoughts on what the cost of vinyl was doing to the community and most importantly, how new collectors could get involved without being priced out of the market.
Here then is how you can make sure that you are in a position to buy vinyl, without it costing you an arm and a leg.
Dig, Dig and Dig Some More
Whilst it is certainly easier to go online and fill up your collection with new items from Discogs, or indeed second hand items, a far better idea is to go digging in record stores because this is where the real treasure is to be found. In charity stores and record markets you really never know what you are going to find and you will be pleased to know that you can always get bargains in person, that you would never be able to get online. The more you dig the more you increase your chances of finding treasure, and that is the best way to boost your collection.
Looking At Alternatives
The point that Stephen rightly made was that originals are very overrated, and they are also super expensive. It is nice to have a slice of the past on your shelf, a record which was bought many years ago and which nowise worth a lot of money, but usually they are in poor condition. Even those originals which are in great condition, well those are the ones which will cost hundreds of dollars. The best case scenario is to keep your eye out for reissues, which are the same album that has been put back into production. There is no difference in sound and you will still be able to enjoy the album exactly as it was intended. The reality is that most originals from way back when, don’t actually sound that good on modern turntables.
Asking Around
Whilst it may seem like the whole world understands the need and the cost of vinyls, there are in fact many people who still have old collections lying around that they just aren’t interested in anymore. If you get the word out there that you enjoy collecting vinyl and you ask enough people, then you may find that you are certainly in with a chance of getting some low cost records, or better yet, absolutely free. It is completely possible that this will happen, it isn’t common, but it is not rare either.
If you have any desire of avoiding the big costs and instead getting low cost records, here is how to do it.
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