Living In A Music Library

[WOStantonCS100]

(...a library of pre-recorded music: records, tapes, cds...)

Reflecting out loud

Over the years I've come to the realization that (my family and) I live in a music library (and definitely not the largest private collection out there by any stretch). I have also decided that I am no longer going to apologize for that. Plainly stated this is a never thought achievable dream and a sheer blessing as far as I am concerned. In my early teens, my father left the house and family behind with the hi-fi and 500 or so LPs and reel to reel tapes that I grew up listening to since birth. Devastating!! admittedly more for cutting off my access to such incredible music than for his absence. Music was/is my thing, especially records. Everything else (toys, bikes, etc.) was a far distant second. Those records and that stereo. That was it. I have likely duplicated his collection and then some... but it took over 30 years to get to this point. Shortly before I got married in my early 20's I had exactly one partially full crate of records. I had a good size cassette collection which got stolen in NYC a couple of years prior.

As of now, the lion's share of 7K LP records (guessing) reside in an out building along with 45's and 78's of unknown quantity. 300 to 500 cassettes along with 2K (guessing, again) CD's live in the main house. Having said that, I get the streaming thing and I do not ever recall casting aspersions on those who prefer to stream rather than own. Online subscriptions are simply not the thing for me. What do I take issue with on a strictly personal level? For one, I have many recordings that are not and will likely never see a digital release much less a streaming platform despite the assertions that "everything is online". It isn't. Secondly, I prefer to own, not rent (whether that's a car, a house, literature, music and my wife :eyebrows:). Thirdly, I do "stream"... for free... from video platforms... then I invest in the artist by purchasing physical product.

More on point, when I see pictures of vast music libraries, I think to myself... add bathroom, kitchen and toss in a sleeping bag and I'm good!! I have always been good with that. I have always dreamed about that. And now I thank God for that...daily.

"Everybody's Got There Something" -Nikka Costa

So, there's that.

Cheers!

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=huge%20record%20collection&tbs=imgo:1

[hornucopia]

Darko echoes your premise that some music isn’t available on streaming ‘platforms’.
Like you, i use …Spotify’….to sample new music,prior to acquisition. Plus publications like ‘Songlines’.
Although my father didn’t infect me with his liking for ‘classical’ music, it was his constructing a Heathkit stereo that got me making things-a bit - mainly the wood bits,am envious of those folk who can do electronics!
Is it time to slim down? Dig out the things you no longer play? There’s a bit of vanity in owning masses just for the sake of it?

[struth]

streaming can include your own library of course; mine does, all on same program and across units etc.. i own a lot of music(and films) and i prefer to own, especially the good stuff but qobuz etc do offer a great service too and both together just improve the library without you running out of room/money

[Lawrence001]

Is it time to slim down? Dig out the things you no longer play? There’s a bit of vanity in owning masses just for the sake of it?

I'm not sure vanity is the right way to describe collecting music or anything for that matter. Is a stamp collector vain for owning stamps he doesn't use to post letters?

It's also nice to know that you have the option to play some music when you want. If you don't get round to playing it but you've got the space to keep it there's no harm done.

I got rid of about 10 records from the 500 or so I bought in my youth. I remember someone asking me if I had a track to play (Electronic - Getting Away With It IIRC) and I realised it wasn't on the album I had kept, it was only on the 12" single I had given away, I was very disappointed

[WOStantonCS100]

Darko echoes your premise that some music isn’t available on streaming ‘platforms’.
Like you, i use …Spotify’….to sample new music,prior to acquisition. Plus publications like ‘Songlines’.
Although my father didn’t infect me with his liking for ‘classical’ music, it was his constructing a Heathkit stereo that got me making things-a bit - mainly the wood bits,am envious of those folk who can do electronics!
Is it time to slim down? Dig out the things you no longer play? There’s a bit of vanity in owning masses just for the sake of it?

I am envious of those who do the woodworking as I mostly do the electronics!

Valid questions, all.

I would say, in the case of a friend of mine who gifted me his mother's 300 LP classical collection, it is time for me to dig out things to play. What a gift that was/is. I agree and do believe there is a great deal of false pride and vanity in owning things "just for the sake of it". I see no value in that. I am reminded of the movie Entrapment when Sean Connery's character is questioned about his (likely stolen) art collection. Paraphrasing from memory, he says something to the effect of "Some people collect art to show it off. I collect art for me". That is the way I approach music. If I don't like it... ...it does not stay in the library. Well, with the one exception of a singer whose album is so bad, I use it as a conversation piece; sometimes I just like to see people squirm with aural incommodiousness. :lol:

Life is unpredictable. At some point I may have no choice but to slim down. Until that time comes hopefully I will have experienced and shared much music with as many as wanted to share it with me.

[WOStantonCS100]

streaming can include your own library of course; mine does, all on same program and across units etc.. i own a lot of music(and films) and i prefer to own, especially the good stuff

True. No argument.


but qobuz etc do offer a great service too and both together just improve the library without you running out of room/money

Though my current government is working very hard to make me run out of money, it hasn't happened yet. (I'll just leave that there.) I do remember times where the only records I could afford were $1 charity shop fair. My tastes are so wide ranging that I could almost always find something in good shape just because 99% of the other customers were not after it (classical, older obscure pop, etc.).

As an older couple, we've finally solved the space issue... ...for now.

I have heard of qobuz. That it is a streaming service is all I know about it.

I will also concede that there is streamed content that will likely never see a physical release. That is when I hit the "interwebs", download and create my own physical media. I do not agree with those who will only listen to physical media. That is just a good way to miss out on a lot of great music.

[Macca]

True. No argument.



Though my current government is working very hard to make me run out of money, it hasn't happened yet. (I'll just leave that there.) I do remember times where the only records I could afford were $1 charity shop fair. My tastes are so wide ranging that I could almost always find something in good shape just because 99% of the other customers were not after it (classical, older obscure pop, etc.).

As an older couple, we've finally solved the space issue... ...for now.

I have heard of qobuz. That it is a streaming service is all I know about it.

I will also concede that there is streamed content that will likely never see a physical release. That is when I hit the "interwebs", download and create my own physical media. I do not agree with those who will only listen to physical media. That is just a good way to miss out on a lot of great music.

I use Youtube to check recommended stuff out, not yet come across a situation where something isn't on there.

19 times out of 20 it's diabolical, but if not I buy the CD. Not yet come across a situation where the CD is unavailable, new or used, although on rare occasions it is quite expensive (£20 plus). So physical media only I won't pay rent on music.

Plus I take the view that really obscure music is obscure for a reason ;)

[Barry]

Come a bit late to this thread, but I have to say

(1) you are fortunate to possess such a large music collection and have the room to store it all,

(2) don't feel guilty or feel the need to apologise for your hobby.


I am of course deeply envious of your situation - I have only a fraction of the size of your collection (about 1,500 LPs and about 2,000 CDs (I haven't done a stock take for ages)), yet have a severe storage problem; having to store parts of my collection around the house. My partner who, does enjoy music, can't understand why I need to have all my LPs and CDs accessible, and suggests those item I rarely play are stored away in the roof.

I'm too old to embrace any new technology which allows me to store it all on-line.

[Pigmy Pony]

Come a bit late to this thread, but I have to say

(1) you are fortunate to possess such a large music collection and have the room to store it all,

(2) don't feel guilty or feel the need to apologise for your hobbly.


I am of course deeply envious of your situation - I have only a fraction of the size of your collection (about 1,500 LPs and about 2,000 CDs (I haven't done a stock take for ages)), yet have a severe storage problem; having to store parts of my collection around the house. My partner who, does enjoy music, can't understand why I need to have all my LPs and CDs accessible, and suggests those item I rarely play are stored away in the roof.

I'm too old to embrace any new technology which allows me to store it all on-line.

I feel the same. Anyway, having my LPs/CDS visible and accessible to me is sort of comforting, they're a rare constant in life I feel, and is a little corner of the world that is just for me.

[Macca]

I'm too old to embrace any new technology which allows me to store it all on-line.

Added to which that's wank anyway. Like Steve I like to see the albums on the shelves and pick from there. Might not be as convenient but far more satisfying.

[Pete The Cat]

I'm delighted for the OP. Funnily enough I was reading about the late John Peel's home record collection earlier today and thinking that it sounds like heaven.

After I started a family I decided to let space constrain me since I could see my stuff starting to sprawl and the time/expense distracting from other things. Nowadays I let myself fill one room and no more so when it reaches its limit for something new to come in something old has to go out. But that room is my own small version of Peel Acres.

Pete

[WOStantonCS100]

Plus I take the view that really obscure music is obscure for a reason ;)

:lol:

That gave me a good chuckle. I have come to fully embrace my lunacy. Having said that, time and time again, I've seen that all it takes is for one DJ to mix in one of these obscurities and then it suddenly becomes the thing everybody has to have, the crate diggers gold and the price for what was once a tuppence is rockets to a bag-o-pounds on discogs or worse 3 bag-o-pounds and throw in an arm and a leg on fleecebay.

[WOStantonCS100]

Come a bit late to this thread, but I have to say

(1) you are fortunate to possess such a large music collection and have the room to store it all,

(2) don't feel guilty or feel the need to apologise for your hobby.


I am of course deeply envious of your situation - I have only a fraction of the size of your collection (about 1,500 LPs and about 2,000 CDs (I haven't done a stock take for ages)), yet have a severe storage problem; having to store parts of my collection around the house. My partner who, does enjoy music, can't understand why I need to have all my LPs and CDs accessible, and suggests those item I rarely play are stored away in the roof.

I'm too old to embrace any new technology which allows me to store it all on-line.

Thank you for that. It has actually taken a long time not to feel somewhat guilty about it.

It would be much nicer to have the entire collection in the main house :( but it's just a few (sheltered) steps away so.... lose some, win some.

[Mikeandvan]

House clearance dream.

[Mikeandvan]

When am I gonna hit the motherload!!

[AJSki2fly]

Thank you for that. It has actually taken a long time not to feel somewhat guilty about it.

It would be much nicer to have the entire collection in the main house :( but it's just a few (sheltered) steps away so.... lose some, win some.

I think you should read the Vinyl Detective series of books, by Andrew Cartmel if you have not done so already. In fact I am sure others on AoS would enjoy them, I have just binge read them and they are quite amusing and moorish.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/176250-the-vinyl-detective the 3rd book, Victory Disk, has a character in it who has a similar issue to yourself. :D

The first 5 are here quite cheaply https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cartmel-Detective-Collection-Written-Run-Out/dp/9124371254/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2B59GQ72WMWJD&keywords=the+vinyl+detective&qid=1690479725&sprefix=the+vinyl+de%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-2

and the 6th https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-Decay-Vinyl-Detective-Book/dp/B09YBL8PWP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2B59GQ72WMWJD&keywords=the+vinyl+detective&qid=1690479725&sprefix=the+vinyl+de%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-3

[WOStantonCS100]

I think you should read the Vinyl Detective series of books, by Andrew Cartmel if you have not done so already. In fact I am sure others on AoS would enjoy them, I have just binge read them and they are quite amusing and moorish.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/176250-the-vinyl-detective the 3rd book, Victory Disk, has a character in it who has a similar issue to yourself. :D

The first 5 are here quite cheaply https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cartmel-Detective-Collection-Written-Run-Out/dp/9124371254/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2B59GQ72WMWJD&keywords=the+vinyl+detective&qid=1690479725&sprefix=the+vinyl+de%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-2

and the 6th https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-Decay-Vinyl-Detective-Book/dp/B09YBL8PWP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2B59GQ72WMWJD&keywords=the+vinyl+detective&qid=1690479725&sprefix=the+vinyl+de%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-3

I'm on it. :)

[AJSki2fly]

I'm on it. :)

[emoji1303]