Locked down and stir-crazy for the better part of two years, many of us turned to our record players for comfort and escape. Vinyl record sales soared in 2020, growing 29% over the previous year, and surpassing compact discs in sales revenue.
While a handful of people collect purely for the investment potential, a majority of record owners are interested in actively listening to the contents of their crates. If you know what you’re looking for, sites like EBAY, Discogs and even Etsy can be solid resources. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city with respectable brick-and-mortar record stores (we love you, Josey!), an afternoon spent trawling the stacks can yield surprisingly fruitful results.
But what if you don’t know what you’re looking for?
How do you discover new old favorites and flesh out a growing collection, if you’re not even sure where to start?
Pick a thread and pull it.
Look for commonalities among your favorite albums or musicians, and use those as launching pads for discovery. Big fan of Bowie and Bolan? Take a dive into the tragedy and triumph of Jobriath (link to Love Me Queerly mini), billed as “the next Bowie” upon his debut but whose life more closely mirrored the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust.
Or pick a time in your life you want to revisit, and branch out from there. Did you fall in love over half-assed hipster caipirinhas? Dig into the discography of Brazilian legend Sérgio Mendes and re-introduce some sultry bossa nova beats to your nights at home.
When you’re first starting out, record collecting can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Get creative and collect albums that transport you to another place and time.
Still looking for more guidance? Hit us up to collaborate on a custom box set!
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