So many threads ultimately end up bashing vinyl and vinyl enthusiasts. Perhaps it would be helpful to have a separate thread for this, where everyone can vent their deepest frustrations about buying vinyl?
Let me start by trying to explain why I personally enjoy collecting it. Let me make this clear: there are hardly any rational reasons to buy vinyl, except perhaps the fact that you can resell it later for more money. Vinyl is expensive, easily damaged, and takes up a huge amount of space. These are precisely the arguments you're bombarded with as a vinyl enthusiast.
But... buying vinyl has nothing to do with rational thinking. It's more about feeling and emotion. And that's where it has so much more value for me compared to streaming and even CDs (although I definitely prefer buying those to streaming). I love browsing through my collection, putting on a record, sitting down in front of it, and reading the back cover. The whole moment has value in itself. After some investment, I also have, in my opinion, beautiful sound. The covers: for me, they're often a piece of art! A beautiful gadget. Then there's the hunt for records: I love rummaging through the bins, sometimes finding nothing, but other times finding exactly that rare record you were looking for. Or suddenly seeing that hard-to-find record pop up on Discogs! The whole hunt is part of the hobby. Then a quick clean, a new cover, and some serious spinning.
As with all forms of collecting, it's a matter of feeling. Streaming doesn't do any of that for me: it symbolizes our modern, rational, hyper-efficient, and hurried society. CDs already have much more emotional value for me. Besides, I always want to own my music.
Other than increasing value, there are no rational arguments for collecting coins, stamps, pins, Disney characters, or model cars. But why should I judge them the way people often do here about vinyl collecting? Do I rationally understand why someone pays 100 euros for a stamp? No, of course not, but when I see how much enjoyment they get from it, I suddenly understand.
There are a few side effects of the vinyl hype that I do understand can be annoying:
1. It's a hype. I don't like hypes either: they produce hipsters in lumberjack shirts who buy vinyl for five years and then ruin it on a trendy record player in a 50-euro suitcase. They mainly drive up prices, and in five years they move on to another hype.
2. There's no CD version: no problem for me, but if CD is your format, I certainly understand the irritation!
3. Sometimes they reissue an album and only release a heavily overpriced version.
All understandable annoyances, but no reason to constantly express in so many words how stupid vinyl lovers are. If a FLAC file or a Spotify playlist makes you incredibly happy: go for it! But let me enjoy my hobby.
I strongly suggest all vinyl hate comments could be placed here from now on so we could leave them out of the threads on highly enjoyable new vinyl reissue programs.
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Wow what an amazing piece of work. I really love this kind of enthusiasm for the music.